That's All, Folks -- NFRC Bids Farewell to Charm City

The NFRC Summer Membership Meeting concluded this morning following the Board of Directors Meeting.

As the attendees went their separte ways, NFRC’s Board Chair, Joe Hayden from Pella Corporation, reflected on the events of the week.

Hayden said he was encouraged by the progress NFRC made during the meeting and added that he looks forward to conquering the challenges that still lie ahead.

Perhaps Hayden's own words sum it up best:

As the 2009 Summer Membership Meeting has now come to a close, I once again find myself very appreciative of all the hard work and dedication put forth by everyone involved. Following are specific thoughts on the past week, in no particular order:

• I was very pleased to see the strong attendance for these meetings. With the current economic conditions, I know it can be difficult to justify the time and expense to travel to and participate in a week-long event like this. Thanks so much to everyone who attended and participated.
  
• Similarly, I was very pleased to welcome 25 first-time attendees and 14 new member companies. This is truly a testament to NFRC’s past success and strong potential for the future.


• The presentation at Monday’s opening session by Sgt. Tom Morrissey of Hunter Douglas, Inc. was truly inspiring. Tom, thank you so much for taking the time to come and share your amazing story with us. We’re all truly blessed to have heroes like yourself in our midst, fighting and sacrificing to keep the freedoms we all enjoy, and too often take for granted.
  
• The work on development of rating procedures for attachments continues to progress very well. I must say I’m very impressed with how well the attachments community has “stepped up to the plate” to make this all happen. They have proven very well that they are dedicated to developing a fair, accurate and credible rating system for their products and their industry.
  
• Progress in development of the CMA Program continues to be steady. All the pieces seem to be coming together as we move toward the launch of the pilot program, likely in mid September. Stay tuned for more information on that.
  
• Excellent progress was made on finalizing the 2010 edition of NFRC’s technical documents. We are well on track completing this task at the Fall Membership meeting in San Antonio.
  
• To no surprise, the discussions during the week showed that, although we’re getting things done, we still have much work to do. There are still some unanswered questions and needed direction with regard to rating of attachment products, some “opportunities” were identified with regard to thermophysical properties of materials, as well as a in few other miscellaneous areas. Yes there is work to be done, but I have absolutely no doubt that this organization will rise to the challenge, as we’ve done so many times in our 20 year history.
  
• Speaking of which, I hope everyone will plan to attend the next membership meeting this Fall is San Antonio. As always, we will roll up our sleeves and get the work done, but we will also take some time to celebrate NFRC’s 20-year anniversary. So, be there or be square !!!

For those of you who have been following the Summer Meeting on-line, I would like to invite you to offer your thoughts & feed-back on this new service. Do you find it useful and worthwhile? What could be done to make it even better? Please give this some thought and then e-mail your comments to membership@nfrc.org.

Lastly, and as always, I must acknowledge the stellar job done by NFRC Staff in making these meetings run as smoothly as they did. Their efforts behind the scenes often go unnoticed, but they are greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in San Antonio this Fall. Until then and as always … THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO !!!

Cienian Sees Value in Relationships

Mike Cienian of HunterDouglas addressed the Board this morning and expressed his gratitude for its recognition of the opportunies that have been spurred by growth in the attachments industry.

Cienian said he is strongly encouraged by the proceedings during the week and added that he looks forward to working with NFRC even more closely in the future and building a mutually rewarding relationship.

Cienian cited his conversations with various NFRC members as one of the primary benefits of attending the meeting. He added that networking during the week provided a unique opportunity to improve awareness of how attachment manufacturers and window manufacturers can combine their knowledge and skills to better serve consumers and the fenestration industry in general.

CMAST Demonstration During Board Meeting

Charlie Curcija of Carli, Inc. provided a live demonstration of CMAST during this morning’s Board meeting.

Curcija described and demonstrated CMAST’s ease of use and the multiple benefits it provides users. These include client-based and Web-based functionalities, including the ability to maintain libraries of component data, define projects, assemble components and to calculate whole-product ratings.

Version 1.1 of CMAST will be released by October 30, 2009. NFRC is currently putting the final touches on the CMA Pilot Project and invites all interested parties to participate.

Board Rules on CMAST, Cerfitication Labeling Deadline

Joe Hayden with Pella Corporation and NFRC’s Chairman of the Board greeted remaining attendees and opened NFRC’s Board meeting promptly at 8:00 a.m. today.

The group quickly undertook its business, which included reviewing many items brought forward from the week’s committee meetings.

All items brought forward were approved with little discussion. Especially notable items of interest include the following:

Accreditation Policy Committee: Motion to revise NFRC 701.03, 2009 was approved.

Technical Interpretations Policy: Motion to approve TI, 2009, 03 was approved.

Certification Policy Committee: Reported being on target meet all IA inspections by end of the year and is accepting questions on Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) certification.

Research and Technology Committee: A motion to extend delivery dates on five research projects, including Window 6/Therm 6 was approved.

Technical Committee: A motion to approve NFRC 100, Section 5.6 Spacer Simplification Rule ballot passed. This involves adding Spacer Grouping Path III language to be implemented and published immediately as an addendum to NFRC 100.

A motion to approve posting the results of the validation and verification study of CMAST, including Window 6/ Therm 6, for the CMA Pilot Project on the NFRC Website passed. The purpose of this action is to provide NFRC members one week to review the study and to solicit their feedback. The one-week deadline may be adjusted.

Ratings Committee: A motion calling for a change in the number of decimal points used on the NFRC label will be turned into a ballot was approved. Also, a motion to have all NFRC 700 Product line ID’s re-balloted was approved.

Finally, a motion to approve suspending the certification labeling deadline of dynamic glazing products as of March 1, 2010 and bringing the topic forth to the Board during the November meeting to determine a mandatory deadline was approved.

PAMA Hopes to Gain Recognition Through Sponsorship

The Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) is confident it will gain plenty of favorable exposure by sponsoring the NFRC meeting.

John Gant of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics and Michelle Sahlin of PAMA, said they were motivated to become silver sponsors for three key reasons:

1.) To demonstrate a commitment to NFRC because it’s the right organization to develop ratings for their products

2.) To gain favorable exposure to the NFRC membership so they can become more aware of PAMA’s efforts and to invite them to learn more

3.)To gain further recognition with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and other notable organizations involved with the awning industry

“We saw the opportunity to be a sponsor as a great way to boost our recognition,” Gant said. “It looks like it's working out very well for us.”

We're Back...

Welcome to the fourth and final day of NFRC's Summer Membership Meeting.

The Board of Directors will meet from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.

Be sure to check back often to get all the details of the proceedings -- as they happen