Fenestration Industry Veteran, Roland Temple, Retires

As reported at the recent NFRC Fall Meeting in San Antonio, Roland Temple has retired.

Roland was a long-time NFRC advocate, Board Member, and Certification Policy Committee (CPC) Chair; and his guidance will be sorely missed.

His departure leaves two leadership voids; namely a General Interest Category Board Seat and the CPC Chair.

The Fall Meeting Is in the Books

That will do it from beautiful San Antonio. We'll see you all again next April in New Orleans.

In the meantime, be sure to check NFRC News Now at least once a day - we've gone 24/7, and this is the best place to get information about NFRC and the fenestration energy performance business!

Closing Thoughts from the Chair

Well, the 2009 Fall Membership Meeting has now come to a close, and as always I find myself amazed and appreciative of all the hard work and dedication put forth by everyone involved. As usual, many of the debates over the past week were very spirited. I know that in some ways this can be a source of frustration, but as I’ve stated in the past I take this as a sign of a truly healthy and vibrant organization in which everyone is genuinely committed to “getting it right.” If we didn’t really care about what we’re doing, these debates would be far less passionate, but where’s the fun in that? So, I again extend my appreciation and congratulations to the hardest working and most dedicated people I know … the members and staff of NFRC.

Following are specific thoughts on the past week, in no particular order:

· Clearly the major topic of interest this week was advancement on rating procedures for attachments. It’s obvious we have much more work to do, and in particular the issue of appropriate reference products needs to be settled. However, despite the challenges we faced this week, I believe we continue to make excellent progress at a rather remarkable pace.

· IG certification is also a topic of great interest as the July 1, 2010, date approaches. I want everyone to know that the Board is hearing all the comments and concerns being offered, and the Board will give each item its due consideration. However everyone also needs to know that at this time, the July 1, 2010, date is unchanged, and all participant are strongly encouraged to continue marching toward that date.

· Completion of the 901 AEP procedure is truly an historic milestone in our history and evolution. This effort has been underway for as long as I can recall. Granted we have not yet achieved the ultimate goal of a consumer-friendly AEP rating, but the approval of the revised 901 is a major step in reaching that goal.

· The CMA Program continues to make advancements. The current pilot program is providing us valuable information for final adjustments as we move into the full program in early 2010.

· I very definitely have mixed feelings about bidding farewell to Roland Temple. In one sense I’m very happy for him and wish him all the best as he enters into retirement. On the other hand, I really wonder if NFRC will ever be the same without him. Roland, you are truly one of the unique, even special, individuals who helped NFRC become the success that it is today and will be in the future. You will be sorely missed and leave behind shoes (actually boots) that are simply too big to ever fill. Best wishes to you and Neville as you enjoy your retirement. Thanks for all you’ve done, and God Bless !!!

· Lastly, I hope everyone enjoyed all the 20-year celebration festivities. Since the Thursday morning Board meeting ran a little long, we didn’t get a chance to review everyone’s responses to my “homework” assignment about sharing their favorite memories over NFRC’s first 20 years. So, here they are:

o The Alaska Board meeting that got “moosed."
o In 1992 we had 400 people in New Orleans as the first label requirements were pending. At that point we knew NFRC would work and last!
o The dinner during the Miami meeting. Great food, drink, entertainment – and cigars.
o The rotating bar at the hotel in Arlington, VA.
o The music and beautiful people and scenery in Quebec City.
o Meeting in Berkeley, CA when manufacturers threatened to lynch Nehemiah.
o Forming the NGRC – the National Gumbo Rating Council.
o The sunsets in Hawaii.
o Nehemiah, John Hogan, and Gary Curtis keeping us on our toes.
o The all you can eat snack shack in Tempe, Arizona.
o Sailing trip with whales in Hawaii (Big Island).

As you can see, most of these memories are tied into the places where we meet. Here’s hoping that many of you made new favorite memories here in San Antonio.

I look forward to seeing you all again in New Orleans next Spring. Until then, and as always … THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO !!! (And also, Happy Holidays!)

Board Applauds Roland Temple's Service

At the end of the Board of Directors meeting, Chair Joe Hayden announced that NFRC Board Member Roland Temple of AZS Consulting is retiring. Hayden thanked Temple, the winner of NFRC's first NFRC Member of the Year award in 2008, for his years of dedication and service to NFRC and lamented that he can’t be replaced.

Roland asked us to share his favorite NFRC memory with everyone:

To All –

It has been a great blessing and pleasure in my life to have spent 20 years with NFRC. I know that I have not been associated with all of you for that long but “you all” are a part of my NFRC history. My prayers and best wishes are for your continued success. I love you all and will miss you. It is a difficult thing to pick one “adventure” as a favorite memory. However I still think that stepping out on our own was the best “adventure” of my NFRC involvement. As a result of this we have a great management team/staff. Keep up the good work.

God Bless You,
Roland

Good luck, Roland!

Board Hears Details of Virtual Membership Meeting

During the Board meeting, Cheryl Gendron, NFRC’s meetings manager, presented information on NFRC’s first “virtual” meeting, planned for July 19-22, 2010. The online meeting will take the place of the usual in-person Summer Membership Meeting.

The meeting will be conducted as a webinar, which can accommodate up to 1,000 participants. Business will be limited to committee and subcommittee sessions. There will be no task group meetings.

“Staff will be extensively testing this new process,” Gendron told the Board. “There will be a dry run a few weeks before the meeting with staff and a handful of registrants.”

This will be the first time that NFRC will conduct an online membership meeting. Gendron invited feedback on the process and encouraged anyone who’s attended online meetings to share their thoughts.

Look for more information on the Summer 2010 VIRTUAL Committee Week on the NFRC's meetings Web page.

Board of Directors Passes Motions

The last day of the NFRC 2009 Fall Membership Meeting concluded with the Board of Directors meeting this morning. After hearing reports from the Accreditation Policy, Technical Interpretation, and Certification Policy Committees, the Board turned its attention to motions presented by several other committees.

The Research and Technology Committee, chaired by Werner Lichtenberger of TruSeal Technologies, Inc., brought forward several action items. Among the actions, the Board approved motions to:

-Extend the Window 6/THERM 6 Validation Research project to the NFRC Spring 2010 Membership Meeting.

-Extend the Condensation Resistance for CMA Research project deadline until January 31, 2010.

Then, the Board passed additional motions under the Research and Technology Committee, including ones to:

-Approve NFRC 101 as amended with implementation upon publication
-Reaffirm the NFRC 103 document as a 2010 document with implementation upon publication (January 1, 2010).

Lichtenberger also reported that the Optical Properties Subcommittee is developing an NFRC 302 ballot for the NFRC 2010 Spring Membership Meeting. Major optical property submission process changes are being considered.

Nils Petermann of the Alliance of Save Energy reported that the Regulatory Affairs and Marketing committee dropped the legislative update from Monday’s session due to time constraints, but it will be posted to the NFRC Web site.

The Board then turned its attention to the Technical Committee. Among the motions it passed, the Board:

-Reaffirmed NFRC 400-2004 as NFRC 400-2010, with implementation on January 1, 2010.

-Approved the NFRC 100 Applied Films ballot document, with implementation on January 1, 2010.
-Approved the NFRC 100 Dynamic Attachment for Swinging Door (DASD) ballot

-Reaffirmed NFRC 200-2004 as NFRC 200-2010 for approval with implementation upon publication, and sunset 200-2004 at the same time.

-Approved the NFRC 901-2010 ballot and sunset the existing 2004 document at the same time (to be implemented upon publication).

NFRC Board Chair Joe Hayden described passage of the last motion as “an historic moment.”

The Board then took action on Ratings Committee business presented by JELD-WEN’s Steve Strawn, chair of the committee. Among the motions it passed, the Board approved:

-The NFRC 700 Applied Film ballot upon which may be used upon publication and mandatory on July 1, 2010. (This motion featured an amendment to add “without film” values to each of the performance rating columns).

-That the metric labeling requirement be allowed to 2 decimal places immediately and recommend that the NFRC 700 be revised to allow those requirements and to direct the metric labeling working group (chaired by J. Baker) to develop a recommendation as soon as possible and to bring that recommendation directly to the Board for final action.

-The NFRC 700-2010 Applied Films ballot, with implementation upon publication.

-The NFRC 705-2010 ballot with implementation upon publication.

The Board also approved an implementation plan for 2010 procedure.

After that action, Strawn presented the results of the Ratings Committee’s straw poll from yesterday. The Board approved a motion to the new product guidelines that the new product ratings and labeling plans be part of the new product guidelines document and these plans be approved by the BOD prior to Technical Committee or Ratings Committee work.

Good morning!

Welcome back to NFRC News Now's coverage of the NFRC Fall Membership Meeting. The Board of Directors meeting is underway, so check back throughout the day for updates.