We are well into fall and headed into winter—where has the time gone? Somehow the successful AWCI’s Industry Executives’ Conference & Committee Week was a few months ago, and we are well into full planning mode for AWCI’s Convention & INTEX Expo, March 22–26, 2020, at the Paris Las Vegas. AWCI’s largest event is always popular and well attended, especially when we are in Las Vegas. Be sure to get it on your calendar, register early and get your travel plans locked in! Check out https://www.awci.org/events/awci-convention for more information.
Experiencing AWCI’s Convention & INTEX Expo is just one of many benefits of belonging to AWCI. Networking, local events through our network of chapters, education programs designed for our industry, technical guidance and hearing from nationally recognized speakers add to the value, just to name a few.
I have personally taken advantage of many of these benefits and look forward to continuing to do so in the future. For me, one of the AWCI benefits that I find among the most valuable are AWCI’s forums. A forum is a group of people who either work for or own a construction company of similar nature and do not compete with each other. That is an essential aspects of these forums. The membership makeup of a particular forum ensures that its members do not compete with one another. Each group has members from all over the country who share experiences and ideas along with best business practices in a confidential environment. What is said in a forum stays in that forum.
I belong to a forum that consists of women business owners in our industry who discuss issues they face in the business world. The experience has been invaluable for me—and one of the best experiences I have had as a member of AWCI. I believe others in the group would say the same. We would welcome new members to our forum, so please reach out if you are interested in collaborating with other woman business owners going through similar business experiences.
Forums typically meet during AWCI’s fall conference and the convention in the spring. Many of the forums also meet outside of the planned AWCI meetings, and some even go to each other’s offices across the country. Your forum will be as strong as you make it.
One of my key initiatives as AWCI president is to strengthen and expand our forums. We are working to further develop forum guidelines so expectations for membership and participation are clear, as are the opportunities and benefits. I believe it’s important to have forums centered on topics of importance to our industry and to do our best to accommodate the growing demand of members who want to engage in the forums.
We will be rolling out a renewed forum program in time for our convention in March. In the meantime, if you are interested in possibly joining a forum, have suggestions to make forums even better or just want to be kept informed, please reach out to AWCI’s Mike Stark at [email protected].
With the holidays arriving soon and the end of 2019 quickly approaching, I wish you, your family and your business a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
P.S. If you are in the giving spirit before the end of the year (or anytime), please consider contributing to the Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry at www.awci.org/foundation.
In addition to being 2019–2020 president of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, Nancy Brinkerhoff is CEO and president of Ironwood Commercial Builders in Northern California.
