WMA Convention Pre-Registration Deadline Approaching
September 21, 2016
Make the most of your time at the WMA Annual Convention & Tradeshow and avoid onsite registration lines by pre-registering now. There’s still time, but the deadline of September 21, 2016 is rapidly approaching. After September 21, 2016, registration will be onsite only.
WMA CONVENTION SITE – SHERATON GRAND PHOENIX HOTEL
AVAILABLE ROOM NIGHTS
If you have not booked your hotel room nights for the WMA Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Phoenix, October 9 – 13, 2016, the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel notified WMA rooms have become available and will be at the WMA discounted group rates.
Call the Sheraton directly (602) 262-2500, to make your hotel reservations.
Attention: WMA Distributors
2017 Distributor Dues Re-certification Forms are due October 3, 2016.
Annual dues re-certification forms and information on updating company changes was mailed to all distributor home office.
WMA bylaw distributor membership criteria, requires annual re-certification for distributor members.
Please note all information reported is confidential to WMA headquarters.
All dues re-certification forms and updates must be received to WMA no later than October 3, 2016 for WMA to implement updates to membership profiles before November 1st.
Should you have any questions, please contact WMA headquarters.
Thank you Distributors!
WMA ANNOUNCEMENT
WMA Welcomes New Member Amesbury Truth
As the leading provider of products in the North American Window & Door industry, AmesburyTruth has been setting the standard for quality and durability for over a century. We strive to provide not only quality window and door components, but also custom-engineered solutions that meet our customers’ specific needs. At the core of our mission is innovation. With AmesburyTruth, you always have a competitive edge in our ever-changing industry. Contact us today!
Visit www.amesburytruth.com for more information
HOUSING AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Demand Incoming
Household earnings data broke through a long period of impasse in the Census’ latest data set across a broad spectrum of workers.
Read more at BUILDER
Sale and Contract Prices per Square Foot in 2015
Looking at single-family homes started in 2015, the median prices, excluding improved lot values, range from $168 per square foot for contractor-built homes in the Pacific division to $78 per square foot for speculatively built homes in the East South Central division.
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
The Top 300 Scoreboard
New challenges await the industry’s leading home improvement retailers.
Read more at HBSDEALER
CODES AND STANDARDS
NAHB Urges EPA to Revise lead Paint Rule
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced this week that it has filed public comments on the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stating that it is “an inefficient tool for achieving the environmental and health goals of the underlying issues.” NAHB is requesting that the EPA perform a new economic analysis because of the concern that there is currently no lead test kit on the market that qualifies with the rule’s requirements. In addition, because the association believes that the new renovator recertification requirements are unnecessarily burdensome and complex, NAHB is urging the EPA to revise these requirements. NAHB is also seeking to ensure that certified renovators have the necessary resources available to them sot hat they can comply with the rule.
Read More at NAHBNow
Court Hears Crucial Case Over Access to Standards
(DWM Magazine) – On Monday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia heard arguments in the copyright-infringement lawsuit against public-records activist Carl Malamud, who is being sued by ASTM International, the American Soceity of heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the National Fire Protection Assocation (NFPA). All three develop standards used in the fenestration industry.
The suit, originally filed in August 2013, claims that Malamud and the organization he leads, Public.Resource.org, violated the Copyright Act by copying and posting standards that have been incorporated into laws such as building codes. The organizations contend that copyright protection is essential for their work because it takes a lot of money and effort to draw up codes. They also state that the standards they develop are “necessary for a well-functioning economy and a safe society.” Additionally, the organizations say they already have “policies for providing interested members of the public access to standards known to have been incorporated by reference into statutes and regulations.”
Texas Revised Energy Code Take Effect
The Houston Business Journal reports that a revised energy code for the state of Texas took effect on September 1st. The revised code is based on the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). According to the article, the last time the state adopted new energy codes was six years ago. The 2015 IECC included the Energy Rating index (ERI), and optional compliance path that allows builders who get a Home Energy Rating System (HERS) to use the rating to achieve compliance with code requirements for energy efficiency. According to the International Code Council (ICC), “Texas amended the ERI to phase in lower maximum ratings over the next six years.” The HERS rating is nationally recognized for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance. Though the Houston article points out that many home builders already meet and even exceed the requirements of the revised code, others “will need to play catch-up.”
NAHB Looks to Chile as Additional U.S. Lumber Source
NAHB met with more than 100 Chilean government, trade, and industry officials to discuss increasing exports of softwood lumber and other wood products to the United States. “We support opening up competition in the U.S. lumber market because we know that it will benefit American families who want to buy homes and U.S. builders who are seeking a steady supply of affordably priced lumber,” said NAHB CEO Jerry Howard.” These talks come at a time when the U.S. and Canada are in discussions over a new softwood lumber trade agreement. NAHB stated in its recent blog that the association “must be mindful of the U.S. housing market to ensure American consumers have access to a stable, dependable and affordable lumber supply.”
Read More at NAHBNow
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECHNOLOGY EFFICIENCIES
WMA Panel Discussion
Facilitator: Tim Lyons, Brockway-Smith, Inc.
Monday – October 10, 2016
8:30 am to 9:30 am
Join us to discover how technology has improved customer service and company productivity
Click here to learn more
about the WMA 2016 Annual Convention
