It’s hard to believe that a year has come and gone. I stand at the end of my term as
president and look back at the accomplishments of the association and industry. The
Upon taking office in July 2002, I had two main goals. The first was to somehow find
a way for AWCI to either facilitate or provide general liability coverage for our con-tractor
and supplier members due to the insurance crisis of the exterior insulation and
finishing systems industry. As the year progressed, it became clear that the only viable
avenue was to create an offshore captive insurance company for this purpose. The insurance
crisis has also began to impact general liability rates and coverages even for those
wall and ceiling contractors who do not perform any EIFS. While at this writing it is
not a completely done deal, I am almost certain that by the time this letter is published,
we will either be writing coverage or be within a few months of that goal.
The second goal was to provide the wall and ceiling contractor with more definitive
information on mold. FWCI’s second paper on mold, “Preventing Losses from Moisture
and Mold During Construction,” is currently being distributed and should be in
your hands by now. Also, AWCI is sponsoring seminars, conducted by the Chelsea
Group with monitoring by the Indoor Air Quality Association, to train and certify
contractors for mold awareness and remediation.
AWCI has also increased its membership and continued its strong financial growth,
even in a down economy. The recent convention and trade show in New Orleans was
close to records in both attendance and exhibitor participation. All in all, AWCI is in
great shape.
From Brenda and I, we say thanks. This year has been a blast. I know Ken and Elaine
Navratil will continue without a hitch. Please give them the support and encouragement
you have given us. Also, somewhere along the line, give Steve Etkin and his staff
a pat on the back for jobs well done. They are truly the backbone of AWCI.
