I can’t believe that my year as AWCI president has rushed by so quickly (along with the years I sat on the board of directors), but I can’t say I wasn’t warned. Patrick Boyd told me to get ready for the fastest four years of my life, and he was right.
I have to thank my family and all the people at F.L. Crane & Sons for allowing me to pursue this opportunity of a lifetime. Thanks also must go to the entire membership for having the confidence in me to do the job.
As I mentioned in my speech at the AWCI convention, I was lucky to have someone like Jimmie Crane take the time to bring me along in the role of president. He introduced me to many people, which allowed me to get involved with the committees that make up AWCI. I learned a lot from many educational sessions and networking events and made plenty of friends while I was at them.
I hope every member company takes a close look at its staff to see who might be groomed as the next active AWCI person. It is a tremendous opportunity.
Take advantage of the many things that the AWCI offers its members. We have the EIFS—Doing It Right program, which has put many qualified people on job sites. We have developed an educational seminar, Steel—Doing it Right, that teaches estimators, field mechanics and foremen to properly install load and non-load cold-formed steel structures. We are in the process of developing the Stucco—Doing It Right program to help all of our contractors get up to speed on the current standards pertaining to the ASTM and code requirements. The Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry publishes a paper each year focusing on the hot topic in construction for that year.
In closing, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank my Executive Committee, Steve Etkin and his entire staff who all give tirelessly of their time and energy to make the AWCI the great association that it is.
