Contents Editor Sarah Black Publisher Jodi Araujo, CEM
POSTMASTER: 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C, Mount Laurel, NJ, 08054; Phone: 855-GO-NADCA; Fax: 856-439-0525; E-mail: info@nadca.com; Website: www.nadca.com DucTales Magazine is published six times annually. NADCA annual dues include a paid s ubscription to DucTales. Yearly subscriptions to DucTales are available for $50.
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The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) prints DucTales Magazine to provide its members and the HVAC system cleaning industry with a forum for the discussion of topics of interest. To that end, NADCA tries to include within DucTales a wide range of ideas and opinions. The ideas and opinions expressed by the authors who write articles for DucTales, however, are solely the views of the person expressing them, and do not necessarily represent the views, positions or policies of NADCA, its members, or its officers, directors or staff. NADCA is not responsible for claims made in advertisements. NADCA does not endorse any particular manufacturer or supplier of equipment, chemicals or related products, nor any particular model of equipment.
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In Every Issue
Industry News
3
President’s Message
9
7
Executive Director’s Message
43
Committee Assignments
NADCA Joins IICRC at the Grand Opening of Their Global Resource Center
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Industry Calendar
10
A New Standard: Addressing the Risks of Dryer Vent Fires
ECO BOX DucTales magazine text and cover pages are printed on SFI-Certified Anthem Gloss paper using soy ink.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program promotes sustainable forest management. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program integrates the perpetual growing and harvesting of trees with the protection of wildlife, plants, soils, and water.
NADCA News
Your Business
27
NADCA Annual Report
15
35
Associate Member Spotlight
How to Use ACR, The NADCA Standard, to Market Your Business
39
Member Spotlight
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41
New NADCA Members and ASCSs
I Need a Lot of Initials After My Name, Don’t I?
42
Committee Spotlight
22
Custom Business Toll-Free Numbers
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® program promotes responsible forest management.
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President’s Message
25 years and counting: The State of NADCA By Bill Benito, NADCA President
T
o anyone who didn’t know that NADCA just celebrated our 25th anniversary, you missed the best meeting ever! It was my honor to be your president during this time, and what a time it was. The weather in San Antonio may have been colder than normal but everything about the meeting was warm and friendly. I had been excited for many months about all that was going to happen and from the many comments, everyone who attended was also excited. It was like the past, present and future all in the same meeting. Presentations by Dr. Richard Shaughnessy, Bob Krell and Tommy Yacobellis reminded me of many of our meetings in the 90s. Seeing returning Associate Members next to new ones had everyone buzzing around the trade show where more than one person said there was a renewed excitement in the air. I had the great pleasure to identify two of our longest-running members, and introduce Mike Palazzolo and Greg Long to one of our newest member companies from Australia. In 1989, our founders called the organization the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, but 25 years later we are really an international association with more than 200 International members from 24 countries. During our international member meeting we had representation from Canada, Mexico, Italy, China, Australia and the Czech Republic. We talked about many of the common problems we all share in this industry regardless of location.
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Moving forward
into our next 25 years
looks bigger and brighter than ever.
Another thrill I had was attending the volunteer and leadership meeting, where more than 35 members signed up to get connected and volunteer for various committees. I thank each and every one of you. Volunteers are what brought us to this milestone of 25 years and volunteers are what will bring us to the next one. During the general meeting, we reported on how healthy our association is and that our newly formed Finance Committee, made up of three board members and three regular members, would continue to review all aspects of our income and expenses.
NADCA Officers President Bill Benito, ASCS (’15) Connecticut Steam Cleaning Inc. P.O. Box 354 440 John Fitch Boulevard South Windsor, CT 06074 (860) 289-5100 FAX: (860) 528-5556 BillBenito@aol.com 1st Vice President Michael Vinick, ASCS (’17) Duct & Vent Cleaning of America Inc. 311 Page Boulevard Springfield, MA 01104 (413) 734-8368 FAX: (413) 733-1997 mvinick@ductandvent.com
Secretary Mike White, ASCS (’17) Clean Air Systems of LA, Inc. P.O. Box 6210 225 Mount Zion Road Shreveport, LA 71136 (318) 869-0344 FAX: (318) 869-0346
mike.white@cleanairsystemsiaq.com
Treasurer Richard Lantz, ASCS (’15) Interior Maintenance Company 45 Scottdale Road Landsdowne, PA 19050 (757) 754-1453 richard@imc.cc
2nd Vice President Rick MacDonald, ASCS (’15) Armstrong Heating & Power Vac Inc. 720 East Industrial Park Drive, #9 Manchester, NH 03109 (603) 627-7016 FAX: (603) 627-7070 rmac@ahpv.com
NADCA Directors Dan Stradford, ASCS (‘15) Action Duct Cleaning 787 W. Woodbury Suite 2 Altadena, CA 91001 dstradford@aol.com
Kevin Uilkie, ASCS (‘17) K.M. Facility Services, LLC 5631 N. 52nd Avenue Glendale, AZ 85301 (623) 930-5490 kevin@kmfacserv.com
Jimmy Meyer, ASCS (‘16) Meyer Machine & Equipment 351 Main Street Antioch, IL (847) 395-2970 jimbob@meyermachine.com
Mark Zarzeczny, ASCS (‘17) Schoen Duct Cleaning 704 Cooper Street Edgewater Park, NJ 08010 (609) 835-9500
mark@schoenairductcleaninginc.com
Carlos Gonzales-Boothby, ASCS (‘16) Immediate Past President
Indoor Environmental Consultants PO Box 191648 San Juan, Puerto Rico 00919-1648 (787) 568-8880 carlos@iec-pr.com
Matt Mongiello, ASCS Interior Maintenance Company 45 Scottdale Road Lansdowne, PA 19050 (610) 626-1300 matt@imc.cc
NADCA Headquarters 15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 Toll Free: 855-GO-NADCA Phone: 856-380-6810 Fax: 856-439-0525 www.nadca.com
NADCA Staff Jodi Araujo, CEM Executive Director Kristy Cohen Assistant Executive Director Shay McClain Associate Meeting Manager
Elizabeth Cooke Membership & Certification Coordinator Robin Geary Senior Meeting Manager
President’s Message
Training and Education
Made Easy! Custom training is now available to NADCA members! Instead of flying your entire staff somewhere to receive training, NADCA will bring the training to YOU!
Interested? Call NADCA Headquarters at (855) GO-NADCA to learn more.
Our new Dryer Exhaust Duct Performance Standard was presented to the membership for review and comment. Look for final release in the next month or so and get training at our Fall Technical Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., in September. Another exciting announcement related to dryer duct cleaning is our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chimney Safety Institute of America. The MoU will allow NADCA members to obtain the CSIA Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician credential (C-DET) at CSIA member cost. NADCA members who add the C-DET training and certification to their ASCS and CVI certifications will show how serious their company is about having trained and certified technicians on the job. Moving forward into our next 25 years looks bigger and brighter than ever. We will have a strategic planning meeting this May that will focus our direction and efforts over the next two-to-five years. This meeting will include regular members along with Board members and a facilitator. We want to capture the present energy and enthusiasm to continue our mission “to be the recognized Global Authority for HVAC inspection, cleaning and restoration services.” Thank you to all who attended our meeting, our special guests, the annual meeting committee and especially our staff for all the work they did to make it look easy.
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Executive Director’s Message By Jodi Araujo, CEM; Executive Director
It is the long history of humankind… those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. — Charles Darwin
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he past year of your President’s term has been spent building and rebuilding relationships that had been damaged, disregarded or underdeveloped in previous years. His refocus on the industry as a whole has led NADCA to form strong alliances with several industry affiliates, including ASHRAE, IAQA, IKECA, RIA, ACCA and CSIA. Our relationships with these groups will serve to benefit our members and those benefits will present themselves as discounts on education, training, conference attendance and industry standards and publications. So much is changing in our world every day and if we don’t follow that change, adapt to it and find ways to make it profitable, we won’t thrive. NADCA is working to have representation and collaboration with ASHRAE and ACCA when the Guideline for S180 is published, and is currently reviewing ACCA’s Q6 in conjunction with this relationship building process. Are you familiar with ANSI/ASHRAE/ACCA 180? If not, take some time to read it, study it and think about how it is applicable in your business. Specifically, it speaks to inspection and maintenance of commercial HVAC systems, and NADCA is working to get involved in the next review of this Standard. Commercial work isn’t your business? Then have a look at ACCA 4, the residential version of S180. Look for
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more information about S180 coming your way later this year. IAQA continues to offer our members a discounted price on their educational online series and has specified a bundle of 10 courses tailored to the needs of NADCA members and recognized by NADCA for CEC credits. If you missed the annual conference this year and still need to get your six CECs in time for the upcoming renewal period, contact Liz Cooke, Membership Coordinator at membership@ nadca.com and she will send you the log-in information needed to take advantage of this NADCA-only discount.
The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team. — Phil Jackson NADCA’s team is strong and focused—on results. I’m pleased to
report, at press time, an all-time high record number of members—1,037! About 18 months and more than 100 members ago, the board set a lofty goal for NADCA’s team. That goal was to reach 1,000 members in time for the 25th anniversary of the association. Mission accomplished! Much of the success of this growth is tied directly back to the work of the volunteers and staff, the development of a plan and a timeline and the flawless execution of NADCA’s key staffers, Kristy Cohen and Liz Cooke. Congratulations to the association, volunteers and staff on this tremendous achievement! In Strength Based Leadership, Tom Rath and Barry Conchie state that “contrary to popular belief, the most successful teams are not the ones in which team members always agree with one another. Instead, they are often characterized by healthy debate—and at times, heated arguments. What distinguishes strong teams from dysfunctional ones is that debate doesn’t cause them to fragment. Instead of becoming more isolated during tough times, these teams actually gain strength and develop cohesion.” In following their logic, NADCA has successfully harnessed the right approach in working toward success. There have been very few times where disagreement didn’t lead to
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Executive Director’s Message
discussion among the committee and board members and we can recognize that ultimately, that first disagreement opened up so much conversation which allowed the end result to far exceed the original goal. Here are three defining traits that Rath and Conchie will tell you are easily identified within a successful team structure: 1.
Conflict doesn’t destroy strong teams because strong teams focus on results.
2.
Strong teams prioritize what’s best for the organization, then move forward.
3.
Members of strong teams are as committed to their personal lives as they are to their work.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Do you foster successful teamwork in your business? How do you do that? Do you encourage a competitive environment or a collaborative one? I would love to hear how you motivate your team and what approach you take toward growth and success. Email me at Jodi@nadca.com and use the subject line “teamwork.” I look forward to sharing ideas.
I’m going to have to take point three into consideration and do a little self-reflection and I suspect many of you will need to do the same!
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Industry News
NADCA Joins IICRC at the Grand Opening of Their Global Resource Center IICRC Chairman, Tony Wheelwright, together with past Chairman, Darrell Paulson and IICRC President, Patrick Winters, welcomed more than 75 attendees to the grand opening event and launch of the Global Resource Center in Las Vegas, Nev. NADCA’s Executive Director, Jodi Araujo, traveled to Las Vegas in late January to celebrate and congratulate the institute on this tremendous accomplishment. “Many groups talk about collaboration and the power in numbers, but unlike so many others, IICRC has actually been able to formulate their business plan and execute the initiative,” said Araujo. “I was pleased to attend and help this group celebrate their exciting achievement. NADCA’s effort to continually build relationships, as with our recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with IICRC, is backed by the understanding that collaboration and information exchange are key to success and synergy across the industry.”
NADCA Executive Director, Jodi Araujo, with IICRC President, Patrick Winters, in the warehouse space at the Global Resource Center.
The event began with a gathering and check-in at the registration desk, followed by a welcome speech by Chairman Wheelwright and a thorough history of the 10-year process that led IICRC to the decision to purchase the commercial property near the Las Vegas strip, as narrated by Darrell Paulson.
space that can be used for handson training, as well as an industrial kitchen, a board room and a large conference room. While still in the late renovation phase, the facility is poised to offer IICRC a presence in the Sin City, a centralized location from which to supply the industry with their many publications and standards, and a meeting place that can serve the needs of the industry. Additionally, the group is working to build a “wall of fame” for industry pioneers and leaders, as well as a museum area housing equipment from the earliest stages of cleaning and restoration, creating a history and legacy for the industry. The very first equipment donation was unveiled at the grand opening and additional pieces are being procured from industry manufacturers.
A tour of the facility presented 20,000 square feet of meeting space, offices and multi-functional warehouse
Araujo was able to meet with NADCA members at the event who were in town for the Surfaces show and came
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out to support the IICRC, and also networked with prospective NADCA members who were contemplating entry into the duct cleaning business. The mood was upbeat as owners talked about their business staying strong through the recession and the ability to provide added service by incorporating duct cleaning into their growing business. The natural flow of servicing across industries with company growth was clearly on the minds of those in attendance. Araujo encouraged those who hadn’t already registered, to attend NADCA’s Annual Conference in San Antonio to learn more about the industry and network with veterans who can help them grow their air duct cleaning service. Stay tuned for more information about the Global Resource Center and NADCA’s collaborative efforts with IICRC.
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Industry News
A New Standard Addressing the Risks of Dryer Vent Fires
“Part of it was because we have unique challenges here in South Florida,” says Dexter. Specifically, lax construction codes and developer desires to maximize beach views have led to complex ventilation structures that can pose problems for consumer safety. “Any of the condos built here in the last 15 to 20 years are all about aesthetics. There’s no function in their thinking,” says Dexter. “Utilities are almost an afterthought of the machine. They run their ductwork so far they have to use booster fans and other equipment to get the air to go 50 feet from the dryer to the wall.” But mostly, Dexter started developing a dryer vent cleaning standard because of embarrassingly bad competition. “The barrier to entry is so low, just for dryer vent cleaning,” he says. “There hasn’t been anything standard about the process to clean those vents. I’ve seen guys come in D U C TA L E S
photo © CB Photography
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t’s one of the biggest frustrations for certified, legitimate air duct cleaners: Blow-and-go services stealing customers and providing less-than-quality work at super discounted rates. Certifications and standards, like The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) standard, distinguish the quality service providers. And while the NADCA standard addresses nearly all aspects of air duct cleaning, Mike Dexter of Air Quality Control Environmental saw a need to address dryer vent fires. Dexter is a member of NADCA and serves on NADCA’s Fall Technical Conference Committee.
Mike Dexter and his sister, Kelly Dexter Coupe. with leaf blowers, hoping to blow enough out the other end so that they can say ‘job completed.’ That’s my competition.” Armed with ACR, The NADCA Standard, and the Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician (C-DET) manual procedures—the foundation for his dryer vent standard—Dexter is taking a stand against blow-and-go services and helping consumers to analyze and better compare the services offered. “What we’re trying to do is standardize the process,” he says. “We’re offering customers one process that allows them to compare companies.” While Dexter, along with his father— the company’s founder—and sister, focused efforts locally, he says that everyone can benefit from a dryer vent cleaning standard. “Dryer vent fires are a national public safety concern,” he says. But, after hitting some red tape trying to partner with local fire departments on
MARCH • APRIL 2014
consumer education initiatives, Dexter decided that he had to try something else. He joined forces with The Millennium Institute (www. tmisite.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to education and advocacy for health and safety. “Shortly after, we partnered with a local fire department. There had been three dryer vent fires in this city alone,” says Dexter. “That shows that there’s a need for this standard and for awareness beyond just air quality control. We need to educate the public on how to clean their vents the right way.” NADCA recently announced its new dryer exhaust duct performance standard, The Dryer Exhaust Duct (DEDP) Performance Standard, much to Dexter’s satisfaction. “NADCA is about bringing together like-minded people who want to do legitimate work,” he says. “It’s very timely that we’re all thinking about dryer vent cleaning and recognize that there’s a great need for the improved safety of our citizens.” 10
Industry News
The Trouble with Regulation Getting Government Acceptance of NADCA Standards Relies on Equipment Standards By Steven Scanlan
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he absence of official enforcement of regulations for proper duct cleaning means there are no guarantees that a duct cleaner who follows NADCA proper duct cleaning standards will have any more recognition than one who cleans improperly. The bitter irony is that the costs of duct cleaning are leading factors that prevent governments from legislating to enforce NADCA ACR standards in commercial cleaning, despite the reduction in power-consumption and the lost productivity due to workplace sicknesses caused by contaminated indoor air. Government enforcement of the NADCA duct cleaning standards would ensure a permanent advantage to certified contractors who clean commercial and government buildings effectively while expanding the market and creating more business for the industry, which should therefore be a top priority for respectable duct cleaners
The Trouble with Regulations A number of reasons exist why governments have been hesitant to accept regulations for the industry, and the cause of these reasons originates with the duct cleaners themselves. Dedication to the highest standards of quality combined with 11
efficient equipment is the key to proving the benefit of this service to political actors and normalizing the industry. With the costs of cleaning commercial ductwork reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars, why should governments force such an expense on building owners or incur it themselves? The health hazards, from asthma to exploding dust catastrophes, and increased energy consumption would be the rational response from those familiar with the market, but how can governments know that benefits are truly taking place? Inspections—the first step in proving the necessity of the job—are difficult to enforce, and go unrecorded in many contracts. Low-quality imaging makes it difficult for veteran duct cleaners to determine the exact extent of the contamination, and makes proving the necessity of the contract to clients difficult in comparison to a recorded, higher quality inspection. Different equipment, methods and, ultimately, job quality in duct cleaning jobs ensures that governments see correct cleaning method enforcement as hurting duct cleaners as well as building owners. Finally, a poorly performed job inhibits clients’ appreciation of the benefits of duct cleaning, as a single improperly cleaned area can re-contaminate the entire building’s air supply.
This problem is due to poor-quality inspections and inaccessible duct sections for manual methods. Inadequate equipment makes for poor work, and contaminates the reputation of the duct cleaning industry. For an institution, such as the American government, to take duct cleaning standards seriously, duct cleaners must all take these standards seriously as well, or official standards will be seen as favoritism, and would invoke fears that normalizing the industry may cause political resistance to lawmakers.
Managing Risk Duct cleaners who don’t do their jobs according to NADCA regulations do not necessarily do so out of a desire to cheat clients. It could be considered cheating the cleaner to ask him or her to provide the same job quality using a semi-rigid cable and brush or extremely large or inspection-only robot for the same cost as is demanded from cleaners with advanced equipment. Manual cleaning with a brush attached to a cable is the most common method used in North America, likely because they are cheap to buy and replace and widely available. Compared to robotic methods, manual cleaning is far more time consuming when performed effectively, and difficult sections are left inaccessible with this
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Industry News
method. Cleaners tire after extended work periods, and that’s without the burden of having to crawl into the duct, which represents safety risks due to the contaminated air, especially in places like hospitals, or the risk of the duct collapsing and folding in two. This risk is mitigated by hiring an engineer to determine the stability of the duct, a costly job that is still less expensive than the problems that would come from an accident occurring without it. There is a security risk involved with this too, as jails, embassies and other high-security buildings may not want people crawling around in their ducts. Not only does this method entail more time and, therefore, costs to clients, it also involves worker safety risks, and governments should not be expected to accept a method that includes manual cleaning, outside of flexduct cleaning, for an official proper cleaning regulation.
The Robot Option North American duct cleaners have the option to buy duct cleaning robots from several different suppliers, a trend which has generally not caught on. Just as the duct cleaning market is unregulated, so are the duct cleaning robot manufacturers, and duct cleaners have brought complaints about robots that break down and get stuck in the duct, or do not work efficiently. Others break down quickly, forcing cleaners to return to their old methods, which many who have tried duct cleaning robots have opted for. Many robots do not have the capacity to use more than air whips, a less effective method that usually does not clean the duct deeply enough, leading many hospitals and other types of institutions where cleaning is extremely important to demand that only brushes be used. Duct cleaners are unlikely to invest D U C TA L E S
in something they cannot regularly use, is less efficient than their current methods, or won’t do what they and their clients need. As a result, price is seen as the main factor in purchasing a duct cleaning robot, which perpetuates the problem of robot quality. Many robots suffer from a lack of strength and manoeuvrability, and cannot drive with heavy accessories over long distances or over slopes, and in the case of obstacles, either they are unable to surmount them, or the most commonly reported problem with robots occurs: They flip over. This requires manual extraction, which involves tugging the robot out by its cable, risking damage, to set it upright. With very heavy and large robots, the flip-over can waste a good deal of work time and effort—if the robot is able to fit into the duct in the first place—and will not cause it to collapse. Large robots can also be difficult to deploy, especially when they must be inserted into a high overhead duct.
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This process requires two workers to climb a ladder and fit the robot into a doorway, causing accidents that could harm the workers and the equipment. Other time-consuming problems range from having separate air and power cables that tangle and break to components falling in the duct or wear-and-tear damaging key components. If a piece of equipment cannot do what duct cleaners need, or does not work efficiently, it cannot make for a good standard in the industry. Governments would be equally unlikely to enforce cleaning standards with these as with manual brushes. The best move for governments when presented with these options is to eliminate or prevent industry regulation, and let the industry develop.
Getting the Government Onboard The multi-billion dollar duct cleaning industry is no longer an emerging market, and despite naysayers, the benefits of duct cleaning in terms 12
Industry News
of energy cost savings and health hazard reduction have been outright proven through NADCA studies. What then, is the right way to clean ducts to ensure the expected benefits are truly taking place? The No. 1 issue in every business must first be addressed: Cost. A duct cleaner’s time is money, and therefore, robotic equipment that allows for the highest possible efficiency in every job is key in achieving this. A quality design for a robot is one that resolves all the challenges the robot will face. With lower duct cleaning costs and reduced length through high efficiency equipment, governments will be far more easily convinced to adopt more regular and widespread duct cleaning. This is also the primary issue to making regular cleaning the law. Martin Garon, the president of NADCA member Air Innovation in Quebec, Canada, was very recently faced with a 4,000-foot contract of 3-feet x 4-feet ducts for a garage of the city’s major bus terminal. The job demanded a robot, as ducts were contained in an exceptionally high ceiling. They found their best equipment solution 13
in the ANATROLLERTM ARI-100 advanced duct cleaning robot. “The ANATROLLER ARI-100 was used to clean all the ductwork in the huge garage last fall,” says Garon, a professional duct cleaner with more than a decade of experience in servicing commercial and industrial ducts. “We saved around 25 percent on working hours with the robot, and were able to clean 300-400 feet each day using the ANATROLLER. It gave us the flexibility to clean very small and very large ducts, had a long operating distance and gave us extraordinary visibility in the duct with the cameras. Our goal for the next year is to have an ANATROLLER ARI100 on each job we perform because we can do a better cleaning in less time than with any other equipment.” In Canada and Europe, where government regulation of proper cleaning is coming into force, other duct cleaners have found the ANATROLLER to be the only solution for their work. “I can confirm that ANATROLLER robots cannot be compared to any other product on the market,” says Patrick Poulin, a duct cleaning technician for the past two decades. “I’ve used the
ARI-100 and the ARI-50 and I can say without a doubt that the ARI-100 is the most professional cleaning robot, and it has allowed me to save an enormous amount of time. After using ANATROLLER robots, I’ll never go back to manual labor.” Robotics Design Inc. makes three robots to serve duct cleaners of all sizes, and every robot since the equipment line was launched in 2001 continues to be the critical equipment for every job its users perform. The robots brush, coat, seal, spray and paint, as their unique modular design allows them to hold almost any needed accessory. The “Cadillac” of the family, known as the ARI-100, was made specifically to resolve every single challenge faced in the duct after long periods of discussion with the industry. The result is an 8-kg. robot that cleans ducts from 8.5-inches x 6.5-inches to 7-feet x 7-feet or more; can climb 5-foot obstacles and sharp slopes without flipping over; and flips itself over back and forth on command, thanks to its symmetrical design and articulated arm. The robot also
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Industry News
moves in all four directions, allowing cleaners to reach tough corners in square ducts and clean entire duct sections in a single trip, without having to adjust bristle length for changes in duct size. The 100-foot cable length reduces the number of access holes that need to be made, while its small size ensures that access holes are small. It can also seal access holes. The robot carries 45 kg., and can carry in a vacuum for isolated ducts or ducts where external vacuums would cause asbestos or other unacceptable contaminants to be blown into the air. It clamps onto heavy pieces of insulation and debris to carry them out. For the largest jobs, the robot is an invaluable time-saver that consistently ensures perfect work.
D U C TA L E S
The best choice for commercial jobs and for duct cleaners is a modular robot that fits into 3.6-inch x 6-inch ducts called the ARI-50. It carries 20 kg. and weighs 5 kg., and despite a stationary arm, has all the advantages of the ARI-100. It’s the only option for professional air-brushing in small ducts and ducts of all shapes. The only effective solution acclaimed by residential cleaners is the ANATROLLER ARI-10, a magnetic robot that climbs walls with HD cameras and a 100-foot stainless steel cable, which is helps the robot navigate thin ducts full of twists, turns and drops found in homes.
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With all the advantages of efficiency, safety and versatility, ANATROLLER robots were born to be the solution to lead governments to trust in the advantages of duct cleaning to deliver the service the exact way that they want, and move from questioning the duct cleaner’s honesty to simply comparing the job to the set standard. This would make the enforcement of that standard as law far easier than one that seeks to incorporate countless tools and methods. It is necessary to prove to the government that what duct cleaners do is in fact a professional trade, and that involves moving past decades-old equipment. Technology has changed, and HVAC professionals must change with it to help the industry move forward.
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Your Business
By Kim Karagosian
A
CR, The NADCA Standard, is for assessment, cleaning, restoration and to help market your business. But what messaging, marketing techniques and tools can you use to market your business?
1.
First we do an Inspection
2.
Then we create Work Plans
3.
Next we put in place Engineering Controls
4.
Then we perform Cleaning and Restoration Procedures
Messaging idea 1: Establish your company as the authority
5.
Lastly, we Verify Cleanliness
Our company follows ACR, The NADCA Standard, which establishes minimum performance requirements for assessing new and existing HVAC systems, evaluating the cleanliness of HVAC system components, determining the need to clean and cleaning and restoring systems to a verifiable cleanliness level
Messaging idea 2: Create a branded proven process Grab your company logo and use the sections of ACR, The NADCA Standard, for discussions and proposal writing to help visualize the project process. This can turn into a branded proven process that you use for your company, derived from The NADCA Standard. 15
Messaging idea 3: Use ACR as part of your quality assurance description
they are the underpinning of the company culture. One core value to consider embodying is EXPERTISE. For example, your employees follow best practices, pursue growth opportunities and continual development. They learn from and teach each other. Showcasing that your company uses ACR as a means of education will further put your organization in the forefront. We use the HVAC Industry’s Standard, ACR, The NADCA Standard, as a training aid for employees.
Our company uses the HVAC Industry’s standard requirements, ACR, The NADCA Standard, to improve the quality of services we provide.
Messaging idea 5: Use scare tactics
Messaging idea 4: Showcase your expertise and dedication to professional development. Every company should embrace core values, words that reflect what is truly important to the organization. These are not values that change from time to time, situation to situation or person to person, but rather
Not all HVAC companies use ACR, The NADCA Standard, as a basis for their work, but our company does, and would like to provide you with a copy of it.
Start Now! You have some messaging ideas, so now what? Here are featured marketing promotions that you can start doing today.
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Your Business
Many successful campaigns stem from trial and error. Test your messaging and different marketing mediums to see what works the best and engages your clients and prospects.
Online Promotions 1. Put an image of ACR, The NADCA Standard, on your website with the messaging, “We use the HVAC Industry’s Standard requirements, ACR, The NADCA Standard, to improve the quality of services my company provides” 2. Link to ACR, The NADCA Standard, on the NADCA website with the messaging, “We use the HVAC Industry’s Standard requirements, ACR, The NADCA Standard, to improve the quality of services our company provides. Click here to download your complimentary copy and always make sure you are working with a company that follows the HVAC Industry’s Standards.” 3. Dedicate a page on your website that discusses your assessment, cleaning and restoration process and that it is derived from the HVAC Industry’s Standard requirements, ACR, The NADCA Standard.
The <YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE> Proven Process, Derived from ACR, The NADCA Standard: 1.
First we do an Inspection
2.
Then we create Work Plans
3.
Next we put in place Engineering Controls
4.
Then we perform Cleaning and Restoration Procedures
5.
Lastly, we Verify Cleanliness
Social Media Looking for content for your Facebook, LinkedIn and twitter feed? Tweet and share content from ACR, The NADCA Standard, and direct them back to your website! Twitter messaging idea: Did you know that it’s recommended that HVAC systems be cleaned as part of a proactive energy management program? Find out more: www.YOURWEBSITE.com
Facebook & LinkedIn messaging idea: Tip of the day – When should an inspection be performed? Inspections shall be performed before and after HVAC cleaning and restoration projects. It is also recommended that routine inspections be performed as part of a proactive energy and indoor air quality management plan. Learn more: www.YOURWEBSITE.com
DID YOU KNOW? In a live poll during NADCA’s 2014 Annual Meeting & Exposition, 80% of attendees said they currently have ACR Standard and/or NADCA affiliation messaging on their website.
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Your Business
Enewsletter and Emails Looking for ideas to share with your current clients and prospects? ACR, The NADCA Standard, has the content to share and place in sections like “Ask an Expert” or “My Tip of the Week!”
In Proposals Highlight that the process will been done per ACR, The NADCA Standard.
In Person or Direct Mail In a letter, or inside of the ACR, The NADCA Standard, cover, place a message and send it to your prospects. Messaging idea: <YOUR LOGO>
<YOUR COMPANY NAME> is a NADCA member and follows our HVAC Industry’s Standard. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) is a not-forprofit trade association that serves the HVAC inspection, maintenance and restoration industry. We wanted to provide you with a copy of ACR, The NADCA Standard, to help you with your project bidding. Contact us anytime with questions. <YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION> 17
Finally, you have the messaging and marketing ideas, but what tools can you use to help with your promotions? 1. Email technologies, such as Constant Contact, iContact, Mail Chimp, and Vertical Response, manages and sends out your email communications. They also help you see who is opening your emails, clicking through them, and opting out of your communications. Hint: The people opening your emails are the first ones you and your sales team should be contacting to see if there are any projects you can work on. 2. Social media tools, such as Hootsuite and Buffer, manage and measure your social network presence and engagement. In addition, you can schedule messages using these tools and see what your competitors are doing by using filters. 3. Screen capture tools, such as Jing, quickly capture images and text on your screen that you can turn into images and use in presentations. 4. Design websites, such as Wordle. net, create visually appealing word clouds that you can use in your presentations and website, when appropriate. 5. Live polling tools, such as Poll Everywhere, add interactivity to your staff meetings and large presentations to prospects. Your audience can text their responses to your poll questions and see real-time results on your screen. Many successful campaigns stem from trial and error. Test your messaging and different marketing mediums to see what works the best and engages your clients and prospects.
DID YOU KNOW? In a live poll during NADCA’s 2014 Annual Meeting & Exposition, 70% of attendees said they currently mention that their company adheres to ACR, the NADCA Standard, when talking with current customers and prospective clients.
NEED MARKETING HELP? If you have any questions, or want to explore what opportunities Association Headquarters’ Marketing and Communications inhouse agency can help your company with, contact Kim Karagosian, Senior Director of MarCom at Association Headquarters, at kkaragosian@ahint.com or on Twitter at @kim323 and @AssociationHQ.
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Your Business
I Need a Lot of Initials After My Name, Don’t I? By Bob Baker, BBJ Consulting Service Every so often, there are debates about initials representing degrees, licenses and certifications, and which ones, if any, ‘belong’ behind a name. Usually these discussions start during a standard or guideline committee meeting where part of the topic is education, training and skills needed to properly carry out some activity. These discussions sometimes grow beyond the committee meeting and are debated through email strings, online discussion groups and probably even tavern brawls. Eventually participants exhaust their arguments or grow tired of the topic and direct their thoughts to other subjects and the debate goes away; for a while. Several things seem apparent related to these debates: •
Nothing is ‘finally’ resolved; the debates seem to repeat the same issues.
•
Most participants have pretty strong commitments (close to passionate) to their positions.
•
Since it keeps coming up it is probably an important matter.
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To date, I have kind of sat on the sidelines and observed these discussions/debates as I have not had any strong feelings one way or the other. Today, after reading the latest string relating to one of these discussions, an ad came across my desk for a Webinar titled, “What You Need to Know About Advancement And Professional Development Through Certifications”…for ‘only’ $127.00. Reading that made me realize that it is a subject that I have both some thoughts about and opinions that are only partly formed and that I need to think through. So, I decided to write this and share my thought process.
Why put initials behind your name? I can think of three reasons why someone might want to add initials behind their name on correspondence (there are probably others, but, I will stick with those): 1.
Pride of Accomplishment
2.
Needed for Trade
3.
Perceived to add ‘value’ to your name and reputation
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Pride I believe this is a reason that should not be a subject for debate. We live in a society that values and aggressively protects individual freedom. If an individual has achieved something they are proud of and want to advertise that accomplishment to the world by placing initials after their name; that is their right. Rather than trying to prevent them from doing so, I believe, we should defend that right and oppose any one who would try to limit it. Having stated that position, I admit that we may have opinions about and even be amused by what some individuals choose to list as accomplishments. That will vary greatly from individual to individual. There are some who would consider any initial short of NL (Nobel Laureate) as ‘unworthy’ while others would proudly list KD (Kindergarten Diploma). That wonderful diversity is part of what makes the USA such an interesting and delightful place to live. At the same time, we do not have any obligation to make any policy, rule or standard that gives one individual an advantage over another 18
Your Business
simply because they decide to list some initials after their name. Just as it is their right to choose how they represent themselves, it is our right to decide how we feel about their choice. Hopefully we will be decent enough to not hold them up to public ridicule if they make choices we would not.
Needed for trade This is also pretty clear. It is determined by law or regulation. For example, one needs a certain level of professional qualification (or certification) to practice medicine (MD, RN…). There are many other professions that require a license that is granted by a government authority such as a state professional licensing board. The regulations that set up these requirements are normally very specific about what experience, knowledge (established by one or more tests) and other competencies an individual must demonstrate to obtain the license. Although one can always debate if the requirements for the license are overly strict or not strong enough, they are what they are and can only be changed through a regulatory process and not in some committee meeting. As a result, when we create a new standard, we can either be silent on the licensing requirements or refer to current regulations. The standard or guideline cannot change a licensing requirement. We cannot create a standard that says, “If you take Joe’s three day course; you can cut hair.” The individual must obtain a Barber License from the state even if they do complete Joe’s course.
Perceived to add value This is the area where all the debate, discussion and controversy tends 19
Everyone puts the initials that they feel will enhance their image/standing in whatever industry they are involved in and the marketplace sorts it all out. Again, it is a free country; you should be able to do what you want and no one can stop you. Others may think you are silly, overly impressed with yourself or an outright fool, but, in the final analysis, it is none of their business. to show up and I ask, why? To me, it is pretty simple. Everyone puts the initials that they feel will enhance their image/standing in whatever industry they are involved in and the marketplace sorts it all out. Again, it is a free country; you should be able to do what you want and no one can stop you. Others may think you are silly, overly impressed with yourself or an outright fool, but, in the final analysis, it is none of their business. However, many feel driven to make it their business. This most often comes up during development or revision of industry standards and guidelines. It somehow seems totally logical and appropriate. If a Consensus Body is going to work to come to agreement on how various tasks are best completed, it follows that they should also make some effort to come to consensus on providing guidance about what knowledge, skills, abilities and/or qualifications individuals need to perform those tasks. Thus, after
defining tasks and their performance standards, the committee will often strive to develop a description of those who are able to properly carry out the task. I suggest that is about as easy as finding the Holy Grail was of old. I think it is proper for a standard or guideline to list what licenses or other qualifications are required by law or regulation. Those developing the standard may feel that the bar to obtain the license is set too low (or high) and they may be right. However there is no arguing with the facts. The license requirements were set by a governmental authority (hopefully through some type of consensus process) that was legally empowered to do so. As a result the requirement has the force of law behind it and no one can argue with that simple fact. So it is defensible and not a matter of opinion or judgment to cite the lawful requirement.
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Your Business
It is an entirely different story with all of the many other degrees, certifications, certificates, etc. out there. The people who have earned, worked for, purchased or otherwise acquired those documents are proud of them or for some reason would like to see others recognize them as significant accomplishments or important credentials so they will advocate to see them mentioned in as many forums as possible. The pressure on a consensus body to include at least some qualification criteria beyond those prescribed by statute is intense. The problems are two-fold: 1.
2.
Very few consensus bodies, if any, have the time or resources to completely and fairly evaluate (or even identify) all of the credentials that are available. Thus any list will be incomplete and may leave out some really appropriately credentialed person who is extremely well qualified to do the job. Even if a committee were able to secure a complete list of all the credential holders and their qualifications, it would take an additional massive effort to determine that the subject skill sets are really necessary to successful completion of the task or job.
Some argue that it is OK to consider credentials that are academic in nature. There is some sense in that because educational institutions go to great lengths to ensure that persons who are given diplomas or advanced degrees have really obtained the body of knowledge consistent with the degree. However, the challenge here is to validate that the degree is really needed to successfully complete the task. D U C TA L E S
The committee that is developing a standard for Underwater Basket Weaving (UBW) may be tempted to mandate that only those with an UBW degree be allowed to weave baskets underwater. However, there are probably many individuals out there who are extremely proficient at underwater basket weaving, but, do not hold a UBW degree. Is it defensible to deny them the right to weave away? There is another argument and that is one often advanced by organizations that fund and support standards development projects and also offer various certifications (and possibly even training that can help individuals qualify for those certification). They assert correctly that without the revenues from certification and training activities, they could not afford to support standards development as the revenue from sales of the standards alone does not offset the expense of developing them properly. I support that position; however, feel there is a risk for an organization that chooses to follow that path. If they are perceived as being less than totally ethical in choosing the certifications that will be permitted or recommended in the standard, persons who do not have the named certifications may object so effectively that the standard is never accepted and becomes part of the Standard of Care in the industry. That is tragic as all of the development expense and effort would then be wasted. One way out of this is for organizations to seek acknowledgment of their certification process by a third party and thus gain a perception of high quality and rigor. That is a good idea as this is exactly the mechanism
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that has proven successful in the standards world. In North America, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) are perceived to add credibility to a standard when either of their seals is attached. This is because both organizations have established high standards, enforced them for decades and as a result, have huge memberships composed of large and high quality organizations, companies, and government agenciesâ&#x20AC;Śthey are recognized; almost universally. This level of perceived credible endorsement does not yet exist in the certification world. Both ANSI and CSA also offer or endorse certifications; however, their endorsements are not yet seen as necessary by the vast majority of entities offering the various certifications. In addition, some point to the Council of Engineering & Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB) or some other endorser as setting their certification aside from the herd as something special. Even though one or more of these boards may enforce very rigid criteria, even the largest has only a couple dozen members so none have achieved the level of broad based support and recognition that clearly sets them apart.
Evolution, Not Revolution Gaining credibility is something that normally takes time. ANSI was formed in 1918 and CSA during World War II, so each has had decades to demonstrate the objectivity and quality that has led to their visibility, acceptance and respect. Some of the organizations that certify various organizations that offer certifications today may be seen as the essential 20
Your Business
path to credibility 50 years from now; none have that status today. An interesting parallel can be seen by looking at the auto repair industry as compared to HVAC service industry. In the 1970s, a certification body called Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) was formed and supported by manufacturers and others. Few, if anyone cared. The organization struggled to keep going as few mechanics or their employers saw any advantage to taking the time, effort or expense to become ‘certified’. The public did not know or care. Today, few, if any auto service or repair organizations will employ personnel who are not ASE Certified in one or more areas. Over time, the public has come to perceive ASE as meaning quality and demand that evidence of knowledge, skill and ability. NATE (the ASE for the HVAC service industry) is in almost exactly the same position as ASE was in the 1970s. Will NATE certification be demanded in the future? Call me in 50 years and I will let you know. Changing the perceptions and behaviors of the public takes time. There are exceptions. ASHRAE started a certification program around ten years ago and ASHRAE Certifications are already widely accepted and valued in the building and HVAC design, operation and maintenance community. This is because ASHRAE, with some 53,000 members and chapters in 132 countries around the world, was already seen as the dominant influence over the building environment. In addition, since it is a 21
Professional Society as opposed to a Trade Association and has a broad membership base of engineers, academics, manufacturers and consultants, it is perceived as being more objective and balanced than some who offer certifications as their only, or major, activity.
congratulations! If they fail it may be, ok, a disaster or something in between. Hopefully, their standard will not be rejected as a result nor will complaints rise to the level of litigation; good luck on whichever path is chosen. 2.
Conclusion This has hopefully been an interesting discussion, however, it leaves us with two burning questions: 1.
Should standards we develop include either a recommendation or requirement that only persons holding a given certification or range of certifications be allowed to do that work? I will give a qualified “Yes,” meaning the sponsoring organization must be ready to accept and live with the risk and responsibility that comes with that decision. The risk is that the requirement they have established will be seen as so unreasonable (or downright wrong) that the entire standard is never accepted as part of the ‘Standard of Care’ in the industry. The responsibility is that they must make a ‘good faith effort’ to identify every credential that would reasonably qualify one to perform the necessary task or function and include all of them. However they will fail at this as there are simply too many ways that an individual can be qualified to properly perform a function; they can never completely evaluate all of them. If they succeed;
Should I include initials behind my name representing the credentials that I hold? Absolutely! If you have worked hard, invested time and money or made some significant accomplishment, you have a right to be proud of that and show the world. If enough people with the same credentials feel like you do, that set of credentials may eventually be recognized by society at large and set you apart from the herd. At the same time, recognize that there is a risk. Others will judge you by those initials. Some will say, “Wow, I did not know she was a UBW; I’m impressed.” Others may react negatively. They may be jealous that they do not have that certification. They may ridicule you because you have ten sets of initials for certifications no one has ever heard of. Still, it is your right and your judgment alone should guide you.
Have fun and enjoy; and may your certification(s) set you aside as the “expert” as which you want to be seen. This article is reprinted with permission from Indoor Environment Connections, www.ieconnections.com. Copyright © 2013 Indoor Environment Communications.
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Your Business
Custom Business Toll-Free Numbers
By Mike Palazzolo, Founder of Safety King Incorporated The following is the fourth in a series of articles on the tools that my company, Safety King Incorporated, uses to make us the Midwest’s largest and Michigan’s most experienced and effective air duct cleaning company. This final installment is focused on how on how to create easily remembered toll-free phone numbers.
In
our region we have a personal injury attorney named Sam Bernstein. He apparently decided long ago that making his name known to everyone in our area would be his strategy for growing his business. And grow it he has with a law firm he leads with two sons and a daughter who manage a large team of attorneys who are in constant view of every citizen living within 100 miles of Detroit. Most of my adult life, I have seen “Call Sam”
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ads in newspapers, magazines and on billboards featuring his smiling face throughout the Metro Detroit area. You simply can’t watch TV, listen to the radio or drive your car without seeing or hearing “Call Sam” ads. I can only imagine what his annual advertising budget must be. In recent years, Sam made a significant change in the focus of his advertising strategy. He acquired a custom business toll-free number, 1-800-CALL-SAM, and he made that number a central focal point in every ad he runs in any medium. I would venture to guess that if you asked 10 adults in southeast Michigan for Sam Bernstein’s phone number, most could give it to you instantly from memory, knowing it so well they probably think 1-800-CALL-SAM is the name of his legal firm.
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During the past year, Sam has taken his name and visual recognition to a whole new level by having billboards installed all over town that prominently display his toll-free number with his face in place of the word “SAM” in the phone number. The ads now read 1-800-CALL(familiar photo of Sam Bernstein). I’ve never heard of anyone who is puzzled by this or who doesn’t instantly know that the intended number is 1-800-CALL-SAM due to the visual familiarity he has created over the years. In some ways, none of this should surprise anyone. We’ve all seen it coming, and growing, for decades. Businesses that are in the top tier of their industry, or those that aspire to be, tend to get a memorable custom business toll-free number, a so-called vanity number, spelling 22
Your Business
on. You are just one of the milling herds of painters in your region, albeit one that comes up first in the Yellow Pages, which nobody looks at anymore. So what do you do? How can you make yourself distinctive and memorable?
out something catchy that becomes a prominent feature in all their advertising. Some companies have experienced phenomenal success with this marketing strategy such as 1-800-FLOWERS, 1-800-CONTACTS, 1-800-GO-FED-EX and 1-800-MICROSOFT. I know personally how effective this is because more than once I have suddenly realized I neglected to buy a present for someone and needed one in a hurry. My answer to this has been to take out my cell phone and call 1-800-FLOWERS, from memory, to solve the problem. Once I did this while hustling down the concourse in an airport on a business trip. The website How Stuff Works (www. howstuffworks.com), recently published an article by David Baez entitled “How Toll-Free Numbers Work.” In the article, Baez explains why vanity numbers, which spell out company information, work so well. “A 2007 study by the RespOrg 800response showed an 84 percent improvement in recall rates over numeric phone numbers from 23
billboard and TV advertisements,” Baez wrote. “In addition, 72 percent of survey participants were also able to remember a vanity number in a 30-second radio ad as compared to 5 percent when the toll-free number was numerical [source: “Consumer Recall Rates of Phone Numbers in Advertising,” January, 2008].” I think most of us know intuitively how and why this strategy works. The custom number becomes a distinctive feature of the business that sets it apart from its competitors and is easy to recall. This results in effective branding which sets companies apart from their competitors by establishing a distinctive business identity. You should be aware, however, that having the name of your industry in your company name tells people the kind of company you have, but it doesn’t contribute much in the way of branding. There simply isn’t anything distinctive or memorable about it. For instance, if you call yourself [Anyname] Painting, people know you are a painting company but there is little or no branding going
An increasing number of companies are finding that if they identify a catchy custom business number, put it on their building, trucks, uniforms, business cards, flyers and all their print, radio, TV, web and billboard ads, people tend to retain that number in memory after even a single exposure. That is indeed branding and gives people something memorable and distinctive that gets reinforced with every additional exposure. Plus, there are at least a few people who would dial your number when it comes time for the product or service you offer simply because they don’t have to look it up. It is inconceivable that this would not generate additional business as well as increase the likelihood of repeat customers. Most of the 1-800 toll-free numbers have already been snapped up, of course. But there are still lots of tollfree numbers out there with other exchanges like 888 (since 1996), 877 (since 1998), 866 (since 2000) and 855 (since 2010). Area codes reserved for future expansion include 844, 833, 822, 880 through 887, and 889. So don’t despair as there will be plenty to go around. At Safety King, Inc., we credit our custom business toll-free number, 1-800-AIRDUCT, with much of the growth we’ve experienced since starting to use it and making it the center of our branding and advertising in 2003. We lease the use of this number from its owner and now get thousands of calls per month
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Your Business
on the number during busy seasons and several hundred per month even in the slowest months. With that many inquiries, we’re able to easily convert enough of those calls to grow our business and pay for the use of the number many times over. You may think that the prevalence in our society of cell phones, most of which have long distance calling at flat rates or at no additional charge, would reduce the appeal of toll-free numbers, but they haven’t. These innovations in telecommunications have now been around for a long time and toll-free numbers have not gone away. In fact, they continue to grow in popularity evolving to much more than a way to reverse charges. Toll-free numbers are a powerful branding tool that can be treated as the theme or center of a company’s public image and a source for continued growth and expansion.
of exposure you give it. People can only dial the number if they know it or see it so you have to put it out where it will be seen, over and over again, year after year in all forms of advertising. If you’re not accustomed to a substantial advertising budget, you’ll have to adopt one to make a custom business number work for you. These numbers are not a shortcut, they simply provide a center or theme around which you can focus your branding efforts and build your public identity. With the appropriate effort, your company could become the next 1-800-Call-SAM. Happy hunting.
ABOUT SAFETY KING Safety King is the largest air duct cleaner in the Midwest and offers Licensed Affiliate status to companies in the US and in all English-speaking parts of the world. Its founder, Mike Palazzolo, is a founding member and former president of NADCA and now leads MSP Sales, Inc., a marketing company offering custom business phone numbers as well as services industry marketing consulting. For information, call 1-888-4-MICHAEL.
Identifying an available, creatively worded toll-free number for your company is as easy as visiting any number of websites such as www. phonespell.org where you can type in a word or words that you want as your phone number. After inputting the words, the site instantly shows you the phone number your word or words would spell. You can also type in a phone number and the sites show you all the words that number could spell. Once you have identified a number you’d like to have, you can go to sites like www.tollfreenumbers. com and others to find out if it’s available and how much it would cost. It’s worth pointing out that these numbers are not magic. You can’t get a beneficial effect from such a number for your business by simply acquiring it. Its value to your business is directly proportional to the amount D U C TA L E S
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Your Business
Getting Ahead With an E-Newsletter
M
arketing is essential for any business to maintain visibility in its market and generate new business. But with an already tight budget and even less available time, dedicating time and resources to developing an effective marketing strategy often falls by the wayside for many business owners doing it all. Maximize your marketing efforts by producing an e-newsletter—a low-cost and efficient way to engage customers, build relationships and generate new business.
3.
Brand your e-newsletter. Use a design that incorporates your logo and brand colors, and always keep your business in mind selecting images and writing content. Consider what you want readers to think about when they think of your business, and convey that in the design and content of your e-newsletter.
4.
Include useful information. According to the Custom Content Council, readers appreciate receiving sponsored content via print or online when they feel the content is beneficial to them. Keep your content focused on your readers and their interests, and they’re more likely to look forward to receiving communications from you.
How to Create an E-Newsletter 1.
2.
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Determine the focus. What can your subscribers expect to find in your e-newsletter? Make sure that any content included in each issue adheres to the focus of the e-newsletter. Choose a service. E-newsletter services vary greatly, so research several e-newsletter services and their options. Compare price, template or designs, sharing options for your content and what kinds of analytics they’ll track. Some services even assist in developing your email list if you don’t already have one.
5.
Decide on frequency, and then stick to it! Will you send your e-newsletter quarterly? Monthly? Weekly? Be sure you have enough content and time to produce an e-newsletter with the frequency you choose. Maintaining consistency will keep you front-ofmind for your customers and communicates professionalism.
Regular communications might benefit from using an autoresponder—a service that automates messages, making consistent communication surrounding specific campaigns easier. For example, if a user subscribes to your e-newsletter summer series, you may opt to send a communication to that subscriber every few days with new content relevant to summer and residential air quality concerns.
BUILDING YOUR E-MAIL LIST No matter what kind of business you run, you need a way to stay in touch with prospects and customers. Most people check their email several times a day, making email an efficient way to reach them. Build an email list by: • Including a sign-up form on your website’s home page • Asking customers for their email address when you make a sale • Using an email marketing service • Including a QR code on print materials that allows readers to opt in to your e-newsletter and email communications • Requiring customers to enter their email address to retrieve an online offer
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2013 Annual Report TREASURER’S REPORT For the period January 1 to December 31, 2013 Overview
Revenues
The Association’s finances remain strong in 2013, with revenues of $1,785,164 and expenses of $1,384,189, and well ahead of the budgeted net income of ($49,321), which equates to a $351,654 swing to the positive. The Association ended the year with total net assets of $1,176,722.
Membership dues account for 46% of the Association’s revenues, followed by Certification & Training (33%). Overall revenues for 2013 were $1,785,164 compared to 2012 revenues of $1,544,562. The increase in revenue can be attributed to: Certification & Training coming in $131,796 ahead of 2012 numbers; Annual Meeting coming in $48,143 ahead; Publications at $43,270 ahead; and just over $16,000 increase in Other Event revenue.
NADCA has completed the transition from a cash basis to an accrual basis accounting system. Because the Association operated on a cash basis accounting system in 2012, revenue numbers for 2012 were inflated. That is attributed to dues revenue recognition in 2012 that should have been deferred and recognized in 2013. Year-to-year comparisons will not be fully representative of the current financial health of the Association, but the membership can look forward to the 2014 Annual Report when the year-end comparisons will accurately reflect the progression of the Association’s finances.
Expenses At 51%, Administration is the largest expense category and includes the following: management services, staffing, office space, committee expenses, legal fees, sales commission expense, credit card processing fees, insurance, postage, general design and printing, storage fees, telephone, website maintenance and hosting, and staff travel. With transition of management to Association Headquarters, NADCA has realized a savings of $211,628 over the past 18 months.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY REPORT OPERATING REVENUES
2013 2013 YEAR TO DATE ACTUAL
2012 2013 BUDGET
2012 FULL YEAR AUDITED ACTUAL
Administration
829,232
830,000
827,888
Annual Meeting
233,892
215,460
185,749
Certification & Training
584,595
432,495
452,799
Other Events
45,904
19,592
29,855
Publications
91,541
52,310
48,271
$1,785,164
$1,549,857
$1,544,562
Administration
710,487
894,863
1,037,873
Annual Meeting
325,015
328,328
249,374
Certification & Training
187,733
229,382
75,444
Other Events
68,483
61,605
101,063
Publications
92,471
85,000
64,373
$1,384,189
$1,599,178
$1,528,126
TOTAL OPERATING REVENUES OPERATING EXPENSES
TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSES 27
1
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2013 Annual Report Comparison to Budget
2013 REVENUES
Due to the transition to accrual based accounting in 2013, the Association did not have an accurate historical record of their revenue versus expense. Therefore, NADCA continued to budget aggressively in 2013, planning for deficit spending of approximately $49,321. Revenues for 2013 far exceeded the conservative budget goals, with actual results of $1,785,164, compared to a budget of $1,549,857. Expenses were closely monitored and cut at every opportunity. Actual expenses for 2013 were $1,384,189 compared to a budget of $1,599,178. Overall the Association realized a net income of $403,792.
Closing
46% Administration
NADCA increased its net assets in 2013, remains financially strong and is trending upward. The Association has the funds necessary to execute its operation and strategic initiatives and deliver a high level of support to the industry and our members.
13% Annual Meeting Certification 33% & Training
Annual Meeting Committee
5%
Publications
3%
Other Events
7%
Publications
5%
Other Events
2013 EXPENSES
More than 400 NADCA members attended the 2013 Annual Meeting held at the New Orleans Marriott where industry veterans came out to take advantage of the opportunity to learn, connect and network among the industry’s most successful and experienced professionals. The exhibit hall offered more than 30 exhibitors showcasing their equipment and services. Demonstrations were held in the exhibit hall and the attendees gathered to celebrate the Member Party in honor of the Hall of Fame attendees with a St. Patrick’s Day parade, complete with police and marching band escort.
Certification Committee The Certification Committee is tasked with developing and maintaining NADCA’s industry-leading certification programs to ensure that members are performing air duct cleaning to the highest standards and in accordance with ACR, The NADCA Standard.
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51% Administration 23% Annual Meeting
Certification 14% & Training 2
28
2013 the committee continued their development work on NADCA’s new webinar series that offers a diverse library of options available in targeted segments that may be shorter and made available on demand. Participants can now more easily identify desired areas of study and opt for the course or courses that fit their target needs.
This year the committee completed the merger of the Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) certification with the Ventilation System Mold Remediator (VSMR) certification. The new ASCS includes requirements inclusive of the previously held VSMR. This comprehensive ASCS certification demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary for both HVAC system cleaning and microbial remediation within an HVAC system and the membership certificate will indicate as much via additional text outlining the inclusion of that microbial remediation training as a part of the new certification.
Ventilation Maintenance Technician (VMT) Training Program The Ventilation Maintenance Technician (VMT) Online Training program remains as the optimum way to train entry-level technicians in a cost-effective manner. More than 275 technicians have registered for this course since it was launched in 2011, learning about basic safety, access openings, containment, tools and equipment, and how to clean HVAC systems in accordance with ACR, The NADCA Standard. The Education Committee, alongside the Regional Technical Committee, are actively working toward development of a hands-on training aspect for the VMT course offering available at the Fall Technical Conference, allowing attendees to apply those skills and theories taught by the VMT Technician Training Program. This hands-on portion is expected to launch at the 2014 Fall Technical Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
The committee has spent much of this year reviewing the work of the ASCS exam re-write sub-committee, which was charged with completion of a new ASCS exam that will be unveiled at the annual conference in San Antonio in March, 2014. The sub-committee has spent considerable time working through the existing question bank to determine if existing content is outdated, needs to be re-written, or is still applicable, and also worked to ensure exam questions reflect the revised ACR, the NADCA Standard. This committee has also worked closely with the Education Committee to review newly developed content for CEC course instruction, including the recently updated ASCS to ACR Standard training class materials.
2013 Certification Summary
Paper: The Use of U/V Lighting in HVAC System Ductwork
PROGRAM
# OF CERTIFICANTS
NEW IN 2013
ASCS
1660
265
CVI
209
33
CVC
4
0
TOTALS
1873
298
In 2013, the Education and Safety Committee charged their Position Paper Sub-Committee with the development of this paper designed to educate the industry on the technology, effectiveness, hazards, maintenance and safety precautions when dealing with UV lighting in air conveyance systems. This paper was developed by some of the nation’s top professionals on UV lighting in HVAC systems, together with NADCA’s technical team. It will be presented for the first time at NADCA’s Annual Conference in San Antonio and will subsequently be available for download at www.nadca.com. It has been selected by IICRC for inclusion in their technical publication, The Journal, and will be available in webinar format in 2014.
Education and Safety Committee Education continues to be the core of NADCA’s mission, and the Education & Safety Committee strives to maintain, update and develop new training programs that will keep our technicians and industry experts on top of new advancements in technology products, and practice. In 29
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2013 Annual Report International Affairs Committee
■ Increased sales for the Annual Meeting, the International Summit, and the specialized Fall Tech Conference by 31% in the first year of partnership.
NADCA’s International membership continues to grow with targeted marketing bringing our total International member count to 202 members from 25 countries. NADCA’s International Affairs Committee is appointed to focus on the needs and interest of members from outside the United States.
■ Increased DucTales advertising revenue by 23%. ■ NADCA’s first sponsored product webinar secured more than 200 registrants for the inaugural online event. In one year, the IR team at Association Headquarters has revitalized relationships with past exhibitors, created partnerships with new sponsors, developed new revenue opportunities, and boosted existing ones.
In 2013, NADCA President, Bill Benito, traveled to Japan to present ACR, The NADCA Standard to NADCA’s Japanese counterpart, JADCA. Benito stressed the importance of ACR and shared copies of the standard with government officials, owners and technicians at JADCA’s 25 th anniversary celebration.
Social Media NADCA continues to increase its presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. NADCA’s Twitter followers jumped from 275 in 2011 to 705 in 2013, an increase of more than 150%. LinkedIn continues to be the most active social media forum for NADCA, with 383 group members and a very dynamic discussion board. Topics range from NADCA-specific certification and renewal questions, to EPA activity, to job-specific information exchange.
NADCA continues to enjoy a mutually beneficial partnership with our Italian industry associates, AIISA. In 2013, 53 NADCA members came from our partnership with AIISA.
Industry and Public Relations Committee The Industry and Public Relations Committee undertakes a wide array of initiatives each year for the purpose of generating business opportunities for NADCA members and growing the association. In 2013, NADCA engaged in campaign project work with Association Headquarter’s MarCom (Marketing & Communications) team. The result of those campaigns has been measurable, targeted growth and value beyond the dollars invested.
We continue to drive people to www.nadca.com across all of our projects, in an effort to increase the visibility of the association and educate the industry. NADCA’s partnership with MarCom resulted in an increase of 76% in web traffic in just one month during the release of ACR, The NADCA Standard.
The Industry Relations team went to work brainstorming with the NADCA board and client team to develop an assets inventory and honed in on new products requested by the membership. An in-depth and insightful market evaluation was conducted to uncover the organization’s total universe of growth potential.
Articles and News Releases NADCA continues to utilize several public relations initiatives in order to promote the activities of the association and the advancement of the industry. Strategic partnerships with Brandpoint, NAPS, and MarCom have resulted in a range of releases and article topics including: Tips On Using Ozone On Your HVAC System; Keep Your Home Clean and Comfortable and Save; Indoor Air Pollution; Increase Energy Savings With Properly Maintained HVAC Systems; How to Clean Air Ducts and more than 15 other specially developed and targeted news releases.
With a renewed focus of the value NADCA brings to its industry partners, the IR team reached out to past, current and new supporters. The Industry Relations team instilled confidence and displayed transparency among supporters in an effort to underscore NADCA’s commitment to creating mutual success. NADCA supporters now have a voice within the organization. The results speak for themselves: D U C TA L E S
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For the first time ever, NADCA has surpassed 1,000 member companies! This is a tremendous accomplishment that was met with focused content marketing, increased member value and ROI (return on investment), and the diligent work of the Membership Committee and staff in assisting pending members with completing the join process, mainly with the completion of their ASCS certification.
By September 2013, NADCA secured over 70 media placements in several top industry and consumer publications, including Buildings Magazine, The RSES Journal, ACHR News and Green Builder. NADCA established relationships with five trade publications which featured NADCA news in their publications multiple times. NADCA experienced a great public relations success when the Association was featured in Family Circle magazine in early November. The article, which appeared as a “healthy homes” quiz included clean air stats and facts from an interview with NADCA member Richard Lantz, ASCS, reaching Family Circle’s audience of over 4.2 million!
2013 NADCA Membership Summary Membership reached an all-time high in 2013 with 1022 members, an 8.6 % increase over 2012 membership numbers.
Commercial Activities NADCA allocates a portion of their Industry & Public Relations budget to participation and exhibition at several industry events. With booths at the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) and ASHRAE’s Air-conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration (AHR) Expo, NADCA harnessed opportunities to reach target individuals and companies across the industry, including mechanical engineers, specifiers, facilities managers, air conditioning contractors, indoor air quality specialists and other key industry segments.
# OF MEMBERS
Regular Certified
731
Associate
44
International
182
Supplemental
50
International Supplemental
11
Affiliate
4
TOTAL MEMBERS
1022
Membership History
NADCA has been working to restore and rebuild relationships and in doing so, has entered in to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with three organizations this year: IICRC; IAQA; and IKECA. These agreements allow our associations to offer reciprocal support and benefit in the areas of education, marketing and promotion. It also ensures that the executive management teams are in communication with regard to scheduling and direction of the association so that all opportunities are maximized.
# of
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
905
918
878
917
934
915
941
1022
Members
■ In 2013, 44 companies had their membership terminated for not meeting membership requirements (non-compliance with ASCS certified staff or lack of proof of insurance). This compares to 118 terminations in 2012, 41 terminations in 2011 and 27 companies terminated in 2010.
Membership Committee The Membership Committee is tasked with enhancing member benefits and promoting those benefits to current and prospective members in order to increase and retain membership. The Committee also oversees NADCA’s growth strategy and member surveys. 31
MEMBER TYPE
5
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
# of New Applications
207
175
193
189
186
168
# of New Members
157
132
121
137
132
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2013 Annual Report continue their service. Their willingness to share their time and expertise with others serves to prove they are committed to their service as a NADCA director.
As of December 31, 2013, there were 59 pending member companies. Pending companies can remain in pending status for a maximum of six months. During this time they are required to provide proof of insurance and have at least one individual pass the ASCS examination. At the conclusion of the six month period, all pending companies who have not complied with the qualifications of membership are terminated. Should they wish to pursue membership again in the future, they must initiate the application process from the beginning.
Regional Technical Advisory Committee (RTAC) The Regional Technical Advisory Committee (RTAC) supports NADCA members through regional training conferences and direct technical assistance.
Technical Conference
Leadership Development Committee
NADCA brought in a record number of attendees at “Coming Up For Air,” the 2013 Fall Technical Conference. The event was held September 26–28 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia. Registration increased almost 40% over 2012 record numbers, with more than 130 technicians and industry professionals in attendance! The Fall Technical Conference is designed to help industry members become the best they can be by offering certification, training and hands-on application to all levels of technicians. Coming off the two-track program success in 2012, the committee opted to continue that format and again offered both the Technician Track for those who are new to our industry, and the Advanced Track for industry professionals wanting to develop a greater depth of knowledge and a more comprehensive skill set. An exciting addition to the educational line up this year included the opportunity for vertical lift training. Vertical lifts were brought to the hotel and positioned outside the venue so technicians could simply walk outside for training. More than 50 individuals attended and came away with their certification cards.
The Leadership Development Committee is charged with identifying qualified candidates who are interested in serving on NADCA’s Board of Directors. This Committee identified a slate of highly qualified candidates to fill four open positions on the 2014–2016 Board of Directors. The following directors were elected to serve three-year terms beginning in March 2014: Regular Director: Kevin Uilkie of K.M. Facility Services, LLC in Glendale, AZ. Mark Zarzeczny of Schoen Duct Cleaning in Beverly, NJ. Re-elected to a third term on the Board of Directors is Michael Vinick of Duct and Vent Cleaning of America, Inc. in Springfield, MA. Re-elected to a second term on the Board of Directors is Mike White of Clean Air Systems of LA, Inc. in Shreveport, LA. NADCA again used electronic ballots for this vote. All members without an email address on file were sent the ballot via fax and/or USPS. Ballots were sent to each regular NADCA member’s primary email address on file through ballot voting software company, Big Pulse. Electronic ballots maintain a higher level of accuracy and protect the integrity of the process.
Standards Committee The Standards Committee is tasked with developing NADCA’s standards – primarily, ACR, The NADCA Standard for Assessment, Cleaning & Restoration of HVAC Systems. The ACR Standards Committee released their revised Standard at the General Business Meeting during the 2013 Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. This update offers a re-organized version that maintains the quality,
NADCA members can be confident they will receive exemplary levels of support and participation from these newly elected board members and those returning to D U C TA L E S
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deemed necessary. The efforts of this committee go a long way toward protecting the integrity and value of NADCA membership and the dues investment.
integrity and technical detail of ACR 2006, while adjusting the flow of text to reflect a sequence consistent with the work flow of an actual HVAC cleaning and restoration project. ACR, The NADCA Standard is available for free at www.nadca.com. To date, more than 2,400 people from 75 countries have downloaded the free pdf, and more than 2,000 hard copies of the booklet have been sold or given away at industry educational sessions. Committee members continue to present ACR sessions at industry events and pursuit of promotional opportunities for this NADCA Standard continues.
Strategic Planning NADCA’s strategic plan sets the direction and establishes priorities for the Association. It defines our view of success and prioritizes the activities that will make this view a reality. The strategic plan helps to guide committees, board members and executive management toward fulfilling the initiatives outlined in the plan, thereby achieving the short and long term goals of the Association. NADCA has maintained a focus on the directives of the plan and has continued to deliver measurable results that can be tied by to the strategic mission of the organization. NADCA’s Board of Directors has scheduled a strategic planning session in 2014 in order to evaluate their current direction and determine what changes, if any, need to be made in order to maintain the forward movement of the organization.
In 2013, another sub-committee was formed to develop a dryer exhaust duct performance standard. This committee has worked closely and with great dedication to formulate an extremely technical and effective Standard for the benefit of NADCA members. The Standard for Measuring Residential Dryer Exhaust Duct Performance will be released at the General Business Meeting during the 2014 Annual Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Bylaws Committee
Management Review
In 2013 the Bylaws Committee initiated one minor revision to the NADCA Bylaws. This document specifies how the Association is to be governed. A copy of the bylaws can be found in the Member section at www.nadca.com.
When NADCA initiated a management change in 2012, the Board of Directors charged Association Headquarters with focus and execution of several key initiatives. Association Headquarters has provided the resources and expertise needed to accomplish those tasks, including but not limited to: completion of ACR, The NADCA Standard re-write; the ASCS bridging exam; development of the new ASCS certification; and creation of a strong alliance with fellow industry partners ASHRAE, IAQA, IICRC, IKECA, and RIA.
Ethics Committee The Ethics Committee was appointed in 2011 for the primary purpose of evaluating the Association’s logo use policies, as well as other policies related to the use of NADCA’s intellectual property. The committee works with the NADCA attorney, when needed, to police and protect NADCA’s trademarks. These efforts continue on behalf of NADCA members in order to monitor and prevent misuse of the NADCA logo for competitive advantage. The committee is also charged with reviewing allegations of unethical conduct of NADCA members. 2013 saw a lesser number of ethics complaints reported, as compared to 2012, but the committee remained active in reviewing those complaints and taking action when 33
Association Headquarters is a leader in the Association Management community. They were the first, and are one of only ten, licensees of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Certificate in Association Management Program. Association Headquarters is charter-accredited by the AMC Institute (to an American National Standards {ANSI} standard) and employs the highest number of credentialed staff members of any association management company world-wide.
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NADCA News
Associate Member Spotlight A Q&A with Thermaflex How do you appeal to such a wide range of customer understanding and interest? What is Thermaflex?
For over 60 years, Thermaflex has led the industry in creating solutions for enhancing air distribution performance. We’re concentrated on flexible duct solutions for a broad range of applications, especially in HVAC. Whether you need flexible duct for commercial or residential jobs, Thermaflex has the solution. We’ve made our flexible ducting stronger, easier to install, and our premier products are made to withstand any duct cleaning systems. Thermaflex offers the industry’s best warranty guarantee and has numerous features that promote indoor air quality (IAQ).
Why did Thermaflex become a NADCA member?
Thermaflex and NADCA have the same focus with public awareness of the dangers of indoor air pollution and the need for home energy efficiency. We made the decision to set ourselves apart from others by committing to manufacturer premier products for IAQ applications. Thermaflex provides premium flexible ducting that will meet the needs of the growing demand of professional HVAC system cleaning and we are privileged to become a member of this great association. 35
Is there any aspect of NADCA membership that Thermaflex finds particularly helpful/ useful for its business?
NADCA provides opportunities for training and education for important standards and guidelines. We are excited to broaden our knowledge on the duct cleaning industry and continue our commitment to improve products for IAQ through the membership. Thermaflex, like NADCA, promotes elite product lines to promote better IAQ and keep families breathing clean air.
What industry changes have impacted the way Thermaflex does business?
The demand for professional HVAC system inspection and cleaning has increased dramatically over the past few years, and Thermaflex recognizes the need of quality flexible ducting that contractors and homeowners can rely on. Through our membership with NADCA, we are eager to learn more about the duct cleaning industry and continue to provide products to those that have also made the commitment to excellence by being a part of NADCA.
Thermaflex offers the broadest range of flexible ducting to meet any need for residential or commercial applications. And we have fine-tuned our product lines so you have the best product choices for quality and performance. We’ve built in feature after feature that give contractors extra advantages on the job site, homeowners the advantage of IAQ and products that distributors can feel confident in.
How do you help homeowners learn about and make decisions regarding their home’s indoor air quality?
Each year, IAQ becomes a greater concern. There is no higher priority than making sure your loved ones are protected. Eliminating a threat like mold and mildew growth can bring your family a whole new level of comfort and protection. Families have an excellent start toward healthier air in their homes by installing antimicrobial, mold and mildew resistant HVAC products like those produced by Thermaflex. As a manufacturer, we do not come in contact with the homeowner on a day-to-day basis, but our partnership with NADCA will allow us to continue to learn more about homeowners’ decisions and continue to provide products that meet the ever changing market.
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NADCA News
NADCA Recognizes Safe HVAC Inspection and Maintenance Contractors of 2013
N
ADCA, the HVAC Inspection, Maintenance and Restoration Association, has recently announced the recipients of its 2013 Safety Award. As the world’s most respected authority on the inspection and cleaning of HVAC systems, NADCA presents its Safety Awards to contractors that have shown a verifiable commitment to employee, customer and community safety throughout the year.
“NADCA members have made the decision to set themselves apart from other service providers by committing themselves to the best practices in HVAC assessment, cleaning and restoration,” said NADCA Executive Director Jodi Araujo, CEM. “The NADCA Safety Award recognizes our members who have made and followed through on a commitment to safety for their employees, their customers and for the communities they serve.”
Companies recognized with NADCA’s Outstanding Safety Award* include: • AFTERDISASTER
• Duct-Clean Corporation
• Proac Corporation
• Air Duct Cleaners Inc.
• Ductworks, Inc.
• Productive Air Duct Cleaning
• Air Duct Services & Restoration BMCA, Inc.
• DUCTZ of Charleston
• Providet Service Associates, Inc.
• Dusty Ducts
• R. Carter & Associates, Inc.
• Air Gott Services, Inc.
• EnviroBate, Inc.
• Sani-Vac Service, Inc.
• Air Management Industries
• Fresh Air Solutions, Inc.
• B&F Power-Vac Furnace and Duct Cleaning
• Guardian Power Cleaning of Dallas
• Service-Tech Corporation of Cleveland, OH
• CHEMICLENE, Inc.
• Guardian Power Cleaning, Inc.
• Clean Air Systems of Louisiana, Inc.
• Hughes Environmental, Inc.
• Core Mechanical Contracting & Engineering
• LCS Kleen-Aire, Inc.
• SMS Indoor Environmental Cleaning, Inc.
• Delta Industrial Services, Inc.
• Mavo Systems, Inc.
• Steamatic of St. Louis
• Doc’s Super Vac, Inc
• Mighty Ducts
• VENTCORP
• Duct & Vent Cleaning of America, Inc.
• Mighty Ducts, Inc.
• Ventilation Power Cleaning, Inc.
• Kleen Air Service Corporation
• Service-Tech Corporation of Columbus, OH • Service-Tech Corporation of Clearwater, FL
• Power Vac America, Inc.
The criteria for NADCA’s Safety Awards are based on regulations and recommendations from the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, NADCA’s recently updated ACR Standard and other best practices. The awards are presented annually.
“This dedication to safety is one more reason that NADCA-member HVAC inspection, maintenance and restoration contractors are both the employers of choice and the service providers of choice in their communities,” added Araujo.
*Recipients of the Outstanding Safety Award are companies who have been recognized with the NADCA Safety Award for at least three consecutive years.
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NADCA News
Companies recognized with NADCA’s Safety Award* include: • Air Quality Control Environmental, Inc.
• County Environmental Company
• Dusty Ducts, Inc.
• American Engineering Corporation
• Cross Environmental Services (CES), Inc.
• Professional Abatement & Remediation Technologies
• Americlean
• Duct Doctor USA
• RHP Mechanical Systems
• Carolina Filters, Inc.
• Duct Doctor USA of Charlotte
• Central Air Duct Cleaning, Inc.
• DUCTZ North America, LLC
• Servpro of Cape May & Cumberland Counties
• Machado Environmental
• Cochrane Ventilation, Inc.
NADCA Welcomes Two Members to Hall of Fame
I
n honor of its 25th Anniversary, NADCA, the HVAC Inspection, Maintenance, and Restoration Association, recognized and inducted two of its dedicated members into the prestigious Hall of Fame at this year’s annual meeting in San Antonio: Tom Yacobellis, ACSC, of DUCTZ International and one of NADCA’s founding members, Scott Simpson, who was inducted posthumously.
Air Conditioning Systems. He has served in several leadership roles within the association, including vice president, and course designer/ national trainer to over 700 students for the Air Systems Cleaning Specialization (ASCS) certification program. Additionally, Yacobellis was the committee chairman for the 2005 revision of the Assessment Cleaning and Restoration (ACR) standard.
“Both Tom and Scott have been leaders in the industry,” said NADCA president Bill Benito, ACSC, CVI. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition for their success.”
Yacobellis is the Director of Operations at DUCTZ International, a remediation, restoration and diagnostic firm with over 80 locations, which he founded in 2007. He previously served as Vice President, Senior Vice President, and President, before taking on his current role as Director of Operations.
About Tom Yacobellis, ACSC Yacobellis has authored many important documents throughout his time as a NADCA member, including the Introduction to HVAC System Cleaning Services, a Guideline for Commercial Consumers, and NADCA General Specifications for the Cleaning of Commercial Heating, Ventilating & D U C TA L E S
About Scott Simpson As one of the founding members of NADCA, Scott Simpson was instrumental in establishing the association as a leader in the industry during a time when there was no clear standard for HVAC cleaning
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and restoration. In 1989, Simpson and 12 other ventilation cleaning contractors met in Kansas City, MO, to discuss the best ways to approach the future of vent cleaning and restoration. After reaching the conclusion that education was the most important facet to improving the stature of the ventilation cleaning industry, they developed a standard by which potential members could be educated. After establishing standards, and organizing the association, over 100 members joined within the first year. By increasing accountability and giving ventilation cleaning workers a standard to aspire to, Simpson helped lay the groundwork for what NADCA would soon become. Simpson went on to serve as Treasurer for NADCA from 19942001, while holding several other leadership roles with the association. “Members who are inducted into the Hall of Fame are true leaders of our industry,” added Benito. “Through their quality of work and dedication, they set an example that the rest of the members can follow.” 38
NADCA News
Member Spotlight Discover Blackmon Mooring How does air duct cleaning fit in with the rest of Blackmon Mooring’s services? What is Blackmon Mooring?
How did Blackmon Mooring get its start?
With a broad base of both residential and commercial customers, Blackmon Mooring has been Restoring Calm and Helping Others™ in a time of need for more than 65 years. Every day, we perform basic services such as carpet, air duct, furniture, drapery and hard surface floor cleaning in over 20,000 homes and businesses a year. At the same time, Blackmon Mooring also offers single event restoration services for homeowners, businesses and insurance carriers 24/7/365. These events typically include property losses from the result of a fire, water, mold or other unusual cleaning and restoration needs. Blackmon Mooring also responds to weather related natural disasters such as localized flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires and more. For example, Blackmon Mooring serviced many businesses and homes after the recent polar vortex of freezing weather that swept across the country. Whether it is in our own backyard, or on the other side of the globe, Blackmon Mooring and affiliated companies, BMS CAT and BMS Global, will answer the call for help. If the need is there, we will meet the needs of our customers some way, somehow.
In 1948, Blackmon Mooring founders, Mr. W.G. Blackmon and Mr. Scott Mooring, began a furniture upholstery and cleaning business in Fort Worth, Texas. After the Trinity River levee broke in May of 1949, our founders were there to help clean up in the aftermath of the major flooding. It was their first foray into disaster recovery and would eventually lead to a full line of restoration services that would continue on as the Blackmon family owned business we know today. During humble beginnings of the restoration process, Blackmon Mooring identified and perfected our methods of carpet cleaning, air duct cleaning, furniture and hard surface floor cleaning. We continued to pioneer these services and also expand our company’s growth through many associations like NADCA, in knowledge, technology and training. Now, with 10 locations in Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia, as well as our affiliated companies BMS CAT with nine regional response locations as well, and BMS Global that specializes in aviation personal property services respectively, the Blackmon Mooring group of companies has reached far beyond the scope of our founder’s initial beginnings.
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As with the history of NADCA in 1989, Blackmon Mooring previously pioneered its own early developments in air duct cleaning. When I joined the company in 1985, we had already proceeded to build the technology of some of the early stages of what is known today as the best foundation of air duct cleaning standards, source removal. We helped pioneer the source removal technique and over time, indoor air quality started to become an integral part of our service lines. For Blackmon Mooring, this early foundation was driven by the need to restore systems infiltrated with smoke and soot. We then advanced through related studies that showed how cleaning air ducts was often more cost effective than duct replacement in improving the quality of our customer’s breathable air. It’s relevancy to every project we undertake, for example, is to start with the basic fundamental processing of cleaning air first, whether inside ducts or mechanical systems. It just makes sense to provide the cleanest air possible to restore homes and businesses.
Why did Blackmon Mooring become a NADCA member? Blackmon Mooring has always looked to infuse the very best in advancements in technology and methodologies for our customer’s
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NADCA News
well-being. Looking outside our own organization was also important. With advancements in technology in the air duct cleaning industry ever changing, we pride ourselves in staying on the forefront. Becoming a NADCA member gave us a great opportunity to join with others for the same common goals: To provide the very best in indoor air quality and air conveyance cleaning services. Also, joining NADCA as Blackmon Mooring grew allowed us to focus on what we do best, which is servicing our customers. With NADCA, we have the ability to gather the very best minds from other NADCA members to develop consistent performance standards, educational advancement, and cost effective training implementation for our personnel. NADCA has played a key role in keeping our organization current with the ever changing standards of this demanding industry.
Has NADCA membership benefited your business? If yes, how so? At Blackmon Mooring we not only believe, but also see the results of our NADCA membership. NADCA brings a valued credibility to our promotional advertising as well as frequent direct referrals from the NACA website. In today’s internet savvy marketplace, our client’s ability to educate themselves is often the difference between them choosing a NADCA certified firm versus a non-certified company. NADCA’s certification equates to quality and ethics, which is very important for consumers in this modern and educated world. For example, today’s standard commercial building engineer is very well educated on the operation of the HVAC systems they manage. With our primary response always being that Blackmon Mooring D U C TA L E S
will evaluate, clean and restore their systems to NADCA standards, this brings a credible service offering they can easily see as well as measure and relate to.
Have there been any advances or changes in the air duct cleaning industry that have impacted the way Blackmon Mooring does business? Within the last 28 years of my own personal experience in air conveyance cleaning processes, there have been many significant changes in the air duct cleaning industry that have impacted the way Blackmon Mooring does business. Examples of these improvements would be thorough inspection standards, improved safety standards, improved work planning, improved engineering and controls to keep the work environment cleaner and healthier for not only our own employees, but that of the home or building occupants as well. The daily standards of why and how to effectively perform services has changed a lot as well with advancements in standards to replace versus clean. For example, there have been advancements in the materials used for services such as fire rated service door openings, coil pan restoration, and other chemical related cleaning products. The recognition of materials as an EPA registered product safe for use in air conveyance systems is another example of a significant change over many years of technology development by associated NADCA vender members. Finally and foremost the definition of clean and the performance standard
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to measure clean was, for myself, a significant advancement that separates the NADCA member company such as Blackmon Mooring from the non-member. If we bid a project, our standards to perform are clear, we perform to NADCA standards and if the competitor is not within that standard then the bids are not comparable.
What’s the secret to 60 years of success? At Blackmon Mooring the secrets for success have been consistent for over 65 years and have been passed down from our original founders to the next generations of the Blackmon family: Be consistent in providing great service, support a safe and healthy work environment for our technicians and customers, provide our personnel the ability to make a better life for themselves and their families, be open to recognize outside advancements in technology that may improve our company, adapt to changing market requirements, and remain profitable year in and year out. Another most important key to any healthy organization that aims to grow from generation to generation is to always do the right thing, one customer at a time, one job at a time. With one of the most tenured employee bases of the many companies I have seen come and go in my years of experience I would say our leaderships ability to translate this down to our day in and day out 24/7/365 response teams to our customers has made Blackmon Mooring an industry leader with a successful track record that will last for many years still to come.
Learn more about Blackmon Mooring at www.blackmonmooring.com. 40
NADCA News
New ASCSs Amjad Albaik Technowatt Dubai, Dubayy United Arab Emirates Ashley Armstrong AdvantaClean Pleasant View, Tennessee Mark Barnthouse Jellco Enterprises, Inc. Ridgeland, Mississippi Robert Bierlein B.R.T. Above and Beyond Srvcs Jacksonville, Florida John Borman AdvantaClean of Orlando, Winterhaven & Clermont Ocoee, Florida
Brooks Ingrassia Duct Doctor USA Lee’s Summit, Missouri Josh Jacobsen Nicor Home Solutions Lombard, Illinois Martin Jelliffe Jellco Enterprises, Inc. Ridgeland, Mississippi Jason Kohlbeck Legacy Services Corp Rothschild, Wisconsin Brian Lilly Total Comfort Heat & Air Conditioning Inc. Ormond Beach, Florida
Austin Brady EnviroCare Inc. Folsom, Louisiana
James Ivan Litten SmashingCleaning Services LLC Dubai, Dubayy [Dubai] United Arab Emirates
Scott Brady Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, Ontario Canada
Wenjun Luo Duct Masters Vic Pty Ltd Boronia, Victoria Australia
Christopher Bryan TIES 360 Sarasota, Florida
Trey McSwain Servpro of Davie and Yadkin Yadkinville, North Carolina
Mariela Bustamante The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Chris Bustamante The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Johnathan Bustamante The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Mathew De Harder The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Nicholas De Harder The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada George Findley DuctDudes Edison, New Jersey Cary Fischer EnviroCare Inc. Folsom, Louisiana Douglas Gray Duct Dudes Lakehurst, New Jersey Michael Greene Technical Service Professional Perry, Michigan Matt Herzog Buffalo Restoration Belgrade, Montana James Hoyt Cleansweep-IAQ Brookhaven, New York
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Jamie Mease Blackmon Mooring Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Angel Moreno AC-CR Mount Pleasant, Texas Leila Morinaga PurAir Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii Robert Mulcahy
Pure Air Control Services, Inc
Clearwater, Florida Riffe Nazarian Premier Onc Markham, Ontario Canada
Ryan Nelson The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada John Newton AdvantaClean-Midlands Lexington, South Carolina Kevin Nilan Real Clean Air, Inc. Ijamsville, Maryland Erik Nix LaTello Brands LLC Pensacola, Florida Kevin Nuez Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, Ontario Canada CHARLIE OLDS
Total Building Solutions, Inc.
Tampa, Florida
Ken Payne Colorado PowerVac Denver, Colorado
Kenneth Poole Northstar Recovery Services Austin, Texas Mark Rowe The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Mostafa Sardouk The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, Ontario Canada Barak Schnitman National Duct Cleaning Services Inc. Northfield, Illinois Siju Syriac AERIS Middle East Technical Se Dubai, Dubayy United Arab Emirates Lance Thomas
Multi-Temp Mechanical, Inc
Westville, New Jersey Chris Weber Furnace Fresh Duct Cleaning Ottawa, Ontario Canada Scott Welsh Select Mechanical Livermore, California
Brian Westmoreland AdvantaClean of Tampa Tampa, Florida
New Members AC- CR Mount Pleasant, TX AdvantaClean of North Middle Tennessee Pleasant View, TN
Premiere One Toronto, ON Canada Real Clean Air, Inc Ijamsville, MD
AdvantaClean – Midlands Lexington, SC
Select Mechanical Livermore, CA
AERIS Middle East Technical Services Dubai United Arab Emirates
Steamatic of Southern Nevada North Las Vegas, NV
BRT Above and Beyond Services, LLC Jacksonville, FL Buffalo Restoration Bozeman, MT
Technical Service Professionals Perry, MI Total Comfort Heat & Air Conditioning, Inc. Ormond Beach, FL
CleanFreak Cleaning Company Goderich, ON Canada
TRC Disaster Solutions Tulsa, OK
Colorado PowerVac Denver, CO
New Associate Members
Deluxe HVACR, LLC Portland, OR Duct Masters Vic Pty Ltd Boronia, Victoria Australia
CBIZ Insurance Services, Inc. Columbia, MD ENVIRO-AIR PURIFICATION Springfield, MO Spireon Irvine, CA
Matt Woolstencroft Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, Ontario Canada
Furnace Fresh Duct Cleaning Ottawa, ON Canada
New CVIs
Jellco Enterprises, Inc. dba AdvantaClean Ridgeland, MS
Zulu Mat Chino, CA
Multi-Temp Mechanical, Inc. Westville, NJ
New Affiliate Members
Scott Brady Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada Dave Comia Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada Paul Hannah The Duct Cleaning Specialists Woodbridge, ON Canada
National Duct Cleaning Services, Inc. Northfield, IL Northstar Recovery Services Austin, TX
Webfoot.net Dunedin, FL
Leo Radford Jumeirah Heights United Arab Emirates Sean Fitzgerald Liberty Building Forensics Group Zellwood, FL
Kevin Nuez Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada Brandan Ryan Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada Stan Santos Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada Andrew Shrigley Dave’s Duct Cleaning Whitby, ON Canada
D U C TA L E S
MARCH • APRIL 2014
NADCA News
Committee Spotlight The “Are You A Leader?” NADCA Volunteer Recruitment Session at Annual Meeting demonstrates the tremendous willingness of our members to serve NADCA Committee Chairs hosted a volunteer recruitment event at the 2014 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The event, titled “Are You a Leader,” reviewed the many committee opportunities available through NADCA and gave current volunteer leaders the opportunity to speak about how committee service has been beneficial both personally and professionally. With more than 30 new committee volunteers recruited as a result of the event, it’s clear that many NADCA members are willing to serve and have tremendous talents to share to help move the association and the industry forward. If you weren’t able to attend the Annual Meeting but have an interest in getting involved, here’s some information about NADCA volunteer opportunities.
What committee opportunities are available?
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You have new ideas to bring to the table
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You have specialized skills that can help move the association forward
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You want to help create change within the association and the industry
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You like the opportunity to network and work together with other volunteer leaders
D U C TA L E S
NADCA currently has opportunities for each of the committees listed below: • •
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Why should you consider joining a NADCA Committee?
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MARCH • APRIL 2014
Annual Meeting Committee
Plans & coordinates NADCA’s Annual Meetings Membership Committee
Focuses on member-related issues including member benefits, requirements for membership, renewals and membership growth Education & Safety Committee
Develops and oversees NADCA’s educational programming & publications including webinars, training courses and CEC approved content Certification Committee Oversees NADCA’s certification programs including development of test forms and renewal quizzes and certificationrelated policies
International Committee Focuses on international summits and the needs of members located internationally Industry and Public Relations Committee
Oversees NADCA’s marketing and public relations efforts targeted to key stakeholders and consumers
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Policies, Procedures & By-laws Committee
Reviews policies and procedures and by-laws, and makes recommendations to the Board if any changes or additions are necessary to conduct NADCA business Ethics Committee
Investigates, reviews and makes rulings on ethics violation complaints
What’s the time commitment to serve on a NADCA Committee? NADCA committees convene via conference call and vary in the time commitment required for their volunteers. Some committees may convene only twice a year, while others may have conference calls once a month. On average, committee members can expect to participate in 4 to 12 conference calls each year. There may also be specific projects that committee members volunteer for which may require additional time outside of committee calls.
GET INVOLVED WITH NADCA! For more information, or to volunteer for a NADCA Committee, go to www.nadca.com, log in under “Member Resources” then click on “Resources” and “Invite to Leadership.” You can also contact us directly at info@ nadca.com. 42
NADCA News
NADCA Committee Assignments Annual Meeting Co-Chairs:
Matt Mongiello Michael Vinick
Tommy Gwaltney Peter Haugen Rick MacDonald Jimmy Meyer MJ Palazzolo Anthony Paterno Keith Reynolds Terri Reynolds Meg Walker Cindy White
By-Laws Policies Procedures Chair:
Dan Stradford Richard Lantz Pierre Laurin Ronald Nichols
Certification Committee Chair:
Dan Stradford Bill Benito Tom Fehr Brad Kuhlmann Richard Lantz Pierre Laurin Greg Long Rick MacDonald Mike McDavid Vito Moscato Todd St. Ores Tom Yacobellis
Sub-committee: CVI Job Analysis
Chair:
Bill Benito
Education & Safety Committee Co-Chairs:
Mike White Rick MacDonald
Bill Benito Ron Gray Tommy Gwaltney Richard Lantz Kehau Mendes Dominic Menta Mark Morris Ronald Nichols Tim Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor Robert Rizen Dan Stradford Bill Tyrell Tom Wengert
Sub-committee: Training Programs
Chair:
Richard Lantz
Sub-committee: White Paper Task Force Chair:
Dan Stradford
Sub-committee: Safety Program Review and Update
Chair:
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Dan Stradford
Sub-committee: Fall Technical Conference Committee
Chair:
Rick MacDonald Mike Dexter Mike White Richard Lantz Kehau Mendes Mike McDavid Bill Tyrell Jimmy Meyer Bill LaPann Robert Rizen Bob Rousseau
Ethics Committee Chair:
Richard Lantz Kelly Dexter George Grozan Pierre Laurin Ronald Nichols Michael Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rourke Dan Stradford
Finance Committee Chair:
Michael Vinick Bill Benito Richard Lantz John Line Al Sutton April Yungen
Industry & Public Relations Committee Co-Chairs:
Richard Lantz Mark Zarzeczny
Dave Adams Jim Castellano Chad Cowan Peter Haugen Clayton Ivany Matt Mongiello James Shelley Larry Stabb Travis Tassey Chris Wilson Stephan Worall Scott Moritz
Sub-committee: Energy Research Study Task Force Chair:
Mike White Bill Benito
Sub-committee: EPA Website Update Task Force Chair:
Richard Lantz
Sub-committee: Editorial Committee Chair:
Bill Benito Richard Lantz
Sub-committee: Social Media Chair:
Richard Lantz
International Affairs Chair:
Matt Mongiello Julio Cesar Arencibia Javier Dominguez Carlos Gonzalez-Boothby Peter Haugen Pierre Laurin Rosa Lopez Rick MacDonald Travis Tassey Richard Lantz
Regional Coordinators United States
Northwest - Vito Moscato, Bill Tyrell Southwest - Matt Kelly, Kehau Mendes Northeast - Rick MacDonald Southeast - Tommy Gwaltney, Perry Bagley
Canada
Region 9 - Gary Lapstra Region 9.5 Quebec - Nicolas Charland
Oceania-Australia
Region 11 - Travis Tassey
Italy
Region 12 - Chair: Giorgio Ziragachi, Past President of AIISA; Andrea Casa, President of AIISA
China
Region 15 - Robert Nicholson
Central & South America Relations
Chair:
Carlos Gonzalez-Boothby Richard Lantz
Membership Co-chairs:
Kevin Uilkie Michael Vinick
Nelson Constanza James Cooke Tim Fico Jeff Johnson Peter Haugen Andrew McLaughlin Matt Mongiello MJ Palazzolo Mark Zarzaczny
Leadership Development Committee Co-chairs:
Bill Benito Richard Lantz Rick MacDonald
Standards Committee Chair:
Bill Lundquist Bill Benito Brad Kuhlmann Richard Lantz Greg Long Rick MacDonald
NADCA News
Industry Calendar NADCA Events NADCA 26th Annual Meeting & Exposition April 27- 29, 2015 Marco Island, Fla.
Related Industry Events ASHRAE 2014 Annual Conference June 28 - July 2, 2014 Seattle, Wash.
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Fall Technical Conference September 19-20, 2014 Atlanta, Ga
2015 AHR Expo January 21-23, 2015 New York, N.Y.
D U C TA L E S
MARCH â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 2014