BSC Member Honored for Lifetime Service, Industry Leadership
Doug Parsons, co-owner of Appalachian Log Structures, has been honored with the S.A. Walters Award
Named after the man who became the first chairman of what is known today as the Building Systems Councils (BSC), the S.A. Walters Award is the highest honor the councils bestow. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement in systems-built housing.
“Being recognized by my peers, friends and colleagues to receive the S.A. Walters Award is both inspiring and an honor,” Parsons stated. “I am truly surprised and humbled to be added to the distinguished list of S.A. Walters Award recipients.”
Parsons began his building career early in life as a goffer and laborer, digging ditches and installing insulation in crawlspaces, as well as framing, masonry and concrete finishing. By the time he was 20 years old, he was a self-employed contractor building 1,200 to 2,200-square-foot ranch and split-entry starter modular and prefabricated homes. Parsons now leads the organization that his father founded, Appalachian Log Structures, and is a co-owner along with his brother and sisters.
Parsons has been active in the BSC since the 1980s. He and his father were active in the North American Log Builders Association, which eventually merged with the Log Homes Council — one of the original Building Systems Councils. As a member, Parsons became an active contributor to the development of industry white papers and chaired the Log Home Council’s Technical Committee. During that time, the council pushed for the development of the International Code Council (ICC) “Standard on the Design and Construction of Log Structures.” Parsons continues to share his expertise and perspective with the Log & Timber Homes Council (LTHC).
Appalachian Log Structures has been a long-term West Virginia Home Builders Association member, and Parsons has supported the LTHC and BSC by participating on the LTHC Steering Committee, as well as 2016 LTHC council chairman.He has also served six terms on the BSC Board of Trustees.
“Appalachian Log Structures has been an active participant in the log home industry and supporter of NAHB members for more than 35 years,” said BSC Chairman Brian Sielaff. “Doug’s leadership — both through the council and through his company — has helped paved the way for today’s log and timber home industry to thrive, and served as an inspiration for others in his company and the industry to get involved.”
For more information about the Building Systems Councils and its award programs, contact Devin Perry.
Latest from NAHBNow
Oct 20, 2025
USPS Clarifies Cluster Mailbox GuidanceFor more than 10 years, confusion over U.S. Postal Service (USPS) requirements for cluster mailbox units (CBUs) in new housing development has challenged builders nationwide. This issue recently resurfaced in the Greensboro, N.C., as developers in the area faced a lack of communication and arbitrary rules from local USPS representatives.
Oct 17, 2025
Put Your Guard Up: Guardrails Protect EveryoneGuardrail Safety Week is Oct. 20-24, and each year, NAHB partners with Builders Mutual, an insurance company focused on construction companies, in their Put Your Guard Up campaign to highlight the importance of installing guardrails on openings during construction.
Latest Economic News
Oct 20, 2025
Non-Conventional Financing for New Home Sales Loses Ground in 2024Nationwide, the share of non-conventional financing for new home sales accounted for 31% of the market per NAHB analysis of the 2024 Census Bureau Survey of Construction (SOC) data. This is 1.7 percentage point lower than the 2023 share of 32.4%. As in previous years, conventional financing dominated the market at 69.3% of sales, higher than the 2023 share of 67.6%.
Oct 17, 2025
Better Growth, Larger Deficits: CBO Fiscal OutlookThe Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a key nonpartisan score keeper that measures the effects of policy changes by the Federal Government. With several policy changes since January of this year, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), stricter immigration, and higher tariffs, the CBO updated its economic projections through 2028.
Oct 16, 2025
Amid Market Challenges, Builder Expectations Rise in OctoberEven as builders continue to grapple with market and macroeconomic uncertainty, sentiment levels posted a solid gain in October as future sales expectations surpassed the 50-point breakeven mark for the first time since last January.