I attended the AWCI Industry Executives’ Conference & Committee Meetings in South Beach, Fla., in September, and the many committee meetings went extremely well. This event is always a great forum for educational sessions, technology meetings and networking opportunities with peers. Seeing so many participants from around the country (and in some cases, from across the pond) volunteer their time to help and participate on various committees for the betterment of our industry is a perfect example of why the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry is so special. South Beach was a fun venue, and once again the AWCI staff did a wonderful job pulling it all together. Make sure you read the “AWCI On the Job” department on page 9 of this magazine. It has the conference news as well as pictures taken at the event.
I would be remiss if I did not mention our sponsors who reach deep into their pockets to help make it happen. USG, CertainTeed Gypsum, Flex-Ability Concepts and Plastic Components Inc. sponsored various conference events, and the fund-raising events of Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry were sponsored by National Gypsum, the Association of Wall-Ceiling and Carpentry Industries, Component Assembly Systems, Inc., BakerTriangle, the EIFS Industry Members Association, Smoky Mountain Materials, Inc. and the South Central Wall, Ceiling & Plaster Association. Their dedication to the industry is always appreciated and never goes unnoticed or is ever taken for granted. Thank you.
As we settle into the third quarter of the year, I hope that some of you are beginning to see positive change in your businesses. It would be unrealistic to think that everyone has seen or made some great strides in the last nine months. I know there still are areas of our country trying desperately to recover—and my home state of Florida is one of them.
But please don’t let go of the rope. November is here now, and something good might happen to restore our confidence in the economy. It is hard to guess how the elections will pan out since I am writing this a month before the election, but it just might be the most important vote of our business careers. I am hopeful that we will emerge united as a country with a renewed sense of pride that we are still capable of producing, building and investing in what we believe in. And, yes, you did build your company. There, I said it!
I wish you all a strong finish for 2012.
Warmest regards,
Jeff
In addition to being the 2012–2013 president of the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, Burley is president of B&B Interior Systems, Inc. in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
