Ramsey Khalidi, president of Southern Pine Company, rescues building materials for reuse and recycling into other structures, including film production sets housed in his warehouse built from reclaimed materials.

A born preservationist, Khalidi was appalled at the destruction of historic properties going on in Savannah in the 1980's. He was soon involved in rescuing buildings scheduled for demolition, moving many of them to new locations, restoring many in place, and salvaging the valuable materials from those that could not be safely moved or restored.

“I’ve always been interested in alternative forms of energy and taking old things and finding new uses for them,” said Khalidi.

For twenty-five years, Khalidi has paved the way by reclaiming, preserving, restoring and supplying vintage old growth wood for renovation and new construction.

Khalidi did not stop with green initiatives. He’s also a busy bee for the community; so busy bringing the community together its earned him the darling title of a trusted leader in Savannah. Not only has Khalidi sponsored community events generally held in Southern Pine’s warehouse or courtyard, he has helped Emergent Structures, Well-Fed, the Humane Society, and other non-profits raise funds.

He offers internships to students primarily from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). He has workers trained in the Historic Preservation department at Savannah Technical College.  He hires through Labor Ready, an agency that helps individuals find work. Most of his workers come from the community in which Southern Pine Company is a resident.

“By partnering with the community, businesses get more exposure, which helps them grow. Partnering with businesses benefits the community by allowing them access to services the business provides,” said Khalidi.

It was through this community partnership that inspired him to open the doors of his business to independent filmmakers for use as production sets, as well as production office space.

For an independent filmmaker, Southern Pine’s warehouse space is a diamond in the rough. The warehouse has high ceilings bordered by windows that emit natural sunlight from above. For daytime filming, the natural light may reduce the budget requirement for expensive rented lights.

The warehouse facility is sound proof. It is not near a train track. Nor is it in a high traffic area. Nor is it in the flight path of airplanes. And, that’s music to the ears of the audio mixer.

The space is open and conducive to the building up of production sets. And, Southern Pine has reclaimed materials in its inventory that can be used by the set design and construction team. After filming, the materials are rescued yet again for reuse and recycling into other structures.

Khalidi’s passion for the community shines through by his commitment to leadership. In a time where more must be done with less, it’s leaders like Khalidi that help us to remember that ordinary people do extraordinary feats for a world where so many are in need of help; that no act of kindness or generosity is too small.

When asked about how he’s been able to be successful at leading his community, Khalidi responded, “We have a strong relationship with people in our community. Through events and creative ideas and projects, we strive to bring everyone together to make a better community for today and future generations.”

For more information about Ramsey Khalidi and Southern Pine Company, click here.

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