Industry News & Announcements

>>SprayWorks Equipment Group Donates $5,000 for Wounded Warrior Project 
Source: sprayworksequipment.com
SprayWorks Equipment Group successfully reached its goal -- to donate $5,000 to Wounded Warrior Project, and raising awareness of the veterans who work in the sprayfoam and coatings industry. All proceeds from Warriors We Love were donated to the nonprofit organization Wounded Warrior Project, and will support a full range of programs and services for this generation of injured veterans and their families. Supporters of the campaign included Polymac Machinery Corp.
"We’re so grateful for having the support of our customers, which in turn allows us to support such a great cause." says owner, James Davidson. "Wounded Warrior Project is an organization that is close to our hearts – with legions of veterans working in the sprayfoam and coatings industry." 
 

 >>Accella Aquires Both Burtin Polymer Labs and Premium Spray Products
Source: accellapolyurethanesystems.com
On Sept. 9, Accella Performance Materials, a manufacturer of polyurethanes and recycled rubber products, announced the acquisition of Premium Spray Products, a manufacturer of sprayfoams for insulation and roofing as well as specialized polyurethane systems for niche applications. Premium Spray Products, based in Marietta, Georgia, and Regina, Saskatchewan, will continue its product line and customer service as part of the Accella family.

Premium Spray Products President Mac Hess, who will stay on with Accella, said, "We are very excited about the potential to leverage the technical, financial and personnel resources from Accella across North America. This is truly a great cultural fit to bring the best value and opportunities to customers and employees alike. We are very pleased to become a strategic part of Accella, singularly focused on spray polyurethane systems and coatings. We expect little or no change to our operations and customer service moving forward, and with enhanced investment and resources from Accella."

On Sept. 10, Accella announced the acquisition of Burtin Polymer Labs and Coating and Foam Solutions, a manufacturer of sprayfoams and coatings for insulation and roofing as well as specialized spray elastomers including the Bullet Liner brand for truck bedliners and heavy duty coatings. Burtin Polymer Labs and Coating and Foam Solutions are based in Cartersville, Georgia, and will continue to provide high performance products as part of the Accella family.

Burtin Polymer Labs owner, Claudio Burtin, said, "I am very pleased to see this great combination come together. Accella is a great home for our employees and technologies, which will bring expanded opportunities for our customers and employees alike. Accella is investing in and developing the ‘best of the best’ in polyurethane technology and service."

For more information, visit www.accellapolyurethanesystems.com.
 

 >>Huntsman Mississauga Site Celebrates 42 Years Without Injury
Source: huntsman.com
The Huntsman Polyurethanes facility in Mississauga recently celebrated its 42nd birthday – without a single recordable or lost-time injury. Huntsman associates and contractors have worked safely at the site since its founding in 1974. The PEEL site currently holds one of the highest safety records in Huntsman. "The associates at PEEL have kept the safety record intact by making safety their No. 1 priority," said Ray Jackson, Plant Operations Manager. "When you truly have a good leadership team from the top down sending the same message on safety, it gets the results that we are all striving for," added Jackson. "The PEEL site holds this record through continued support from these groups all cascading the same message."

The Mississauga site, which maintains a production capacity of 35 million pounds, manufactures insulation products for appliances and construction.  

 

>>Compliance Path Based on Use of Filtered Recirculated Air Proposed for ASHRAE Residential IAQ Standard
Source: ashrae.org
A new optional credit for improving filtration combined with ensuring sufficient air flow through filters is being proposed for ASHRAE’s residential indoor air quality standard.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2013,Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings, is the only nationally recognized indoor air quality standard developed solely for residences. It defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in residential buildings.

Eight proposed addenda to Standard 62.2-2013 are currently open for public comment. To comment or learn more, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews. 

 

>>Google's Big Local Search Change: Implications and Tips for Home Performance
Source: bpi.org /  Peter Troast 
On August 7, Google dropped another bombshell. This one affects all local businesses, but has important implications for companies providing home performance services, from HVAC to insulation to healthy home.

 
>>OSHA's Confined Spaces Ruling Impacts Home Performance - Webinar, Sept. 24
Source: bpi.org 
Learn about the OSHA regulation and best safety practices in attics and crawl spaces to help prepare your company for compliance. The webinar will be Sept. 24 at noon (EST). 

 

>>First President of UFCA, Ray Clausen, Passes Away
Ray Clausen, founder of Great Lakes Systems in Michigan and first president of Urethane Foam Contractors Association (UFCA), died Sept. 7, 2015 at the age of 82. UFCA, which disbanded in 1986, was the first stepping stone for SPFA, 

 

>>ORNL to Host First EERE-sponsored Industry Day Event - Sept. 23-24
Source: ornl.gov
On Sept. 23–24, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will host an inaugural Industry Day event, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), to foster relationships and encourage dialog among researchers, industry representatives, and DOE representatives. This event is designed to introduce new energy-efficient innovations in buildings, transportation, and advanced manufacturing and to facilitate public–private partnerships and collaborations that will enable these technologies to enter the market.

Email IndustryDay@ornl.gov and express your interest in attending, along with a brief summary of what you hope to gain from joining this event. Participants will be responsible for their own travel and accommodation cost. Registration is free.  

 

>>Explore Projects in Your State
Source: energy.gov
The Building Technologies Office (BTO) works with a vast network of public and private partners to develop and deliver new technologies and practices, accelerate existing solutions to scale, and lock in energy savings for years to come through building energy codes and appliance and equipment standards. To highlight these projects and partnerships, BTO has developed a Projects Map. Currently the map shows only those BTO projects that have been competitively-awarded through EERE’s Funding Opportunity Award process and Small Business Innovation Research initiative across the United States. These projects, combined with our core National Laboratory projects, which will be added to the map in the coming months, support BTO's goal of reducing energy use per square foot in all U.S. buildings by 30 percent by 2030. Explore BTO projects in your state. 

 

>>EPA Awards Money to Waddan Systems to Develop Air Pollutant Sensor Technology
Source: epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $100,000 to a Southern California company to develop a sustainable technology that addressed environmental issues. A total of $1.9 million was awarded to 19 small businesses nationwide.

Waddan Systems, LLC., in Northridge, Calif., received $100,000 to develop its Multi Air Pollutant Lab-On-A-Chip (MAPLOC). MAPLOC is a microelectromechanical sensor that simultaneously detects and monitors multiple hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic compounds, that will help facilitate remediation efforts and minimize air pollutant release.

Once the project is commercially viable, Wadden is eligible to apply for a Phase II contract of up to $300,000 to further develop and commercialize itsr environmentally-friendly technology for the marketplace.

Follow these links for more information about the EPA SBIR Phase I awards, the EPA SBIR Program, and the SBIR Program across the Federal Government.

 

>>Energy Department Releases the Second Quadrennial Technology Review
Source: energy.gov
The Energy Department released its second Quadrennial Technology Review (QTR), examining the current status of clean energy technologies and identifying the hundreds of clean energy opportunities to help modernize the power sector as a whole, while also helping Americans to power their homes, businesses and vehicles more efficiently. In the four years since the last QTR was released, the U.S. energy system has changed dramatically. The second QTR finds that the nation's energy systems are becoming increasingly connected through the Internet and other technologies; that the range of options available to meet the nation's energy needs is increasing; that the nation has embraced energy efficiency, but substantial efficiency opportunities remain untapped; and that breakthroughs in next-generation high-tech tools are helping scientists to innovate in clean energy. See the Energy Department news release and the QTR.

 

>>Industry Mourns Loss of Sig Hall 
With heavy hearts we share the sad news of Sig Hall’s passing on September 2, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, his children and extended family.
 
One example of the many ways Sig contributed to SPFA and the SPF industry was apparent at Sprayfoam 2014 in Palm Springs, Calif. Sig hosted the Field Exams at his Western Pacific Roofing property. For his efforts in leading his company to prepare for the event, Sig received SPFA’s 2014 Workhorse Award. (Pictured here with Bonnie Strickler, who presented the award to him.) "It’s great to get an award like this, but really the names of each one of our staff and the volunteers belong on it because they worked so hard for so long to do everything needed to get us ready," Sig stated at the time. "We have the best team and they recognized how important this would be with the eyes of the whole industry on us expecting us to deliver." This represented the very first SPFA-hosted Field Exams to be offered at the Annual Convention and Expo.

Sig was also an SPFA leader, having served on the Board of Directors and as the organization’s President. 
  • "The grief of this personal loss to our family is shared by all his friends and everyone who knew and worked with Sig." Johnny Zamrzla, business partner 
  • "Sig was a great and fair company leader, family man, veteran, friend and SPFA past president.  He will be sorely missed." SPFA Executive Director Kurt Riesenberg 
  • "Sig was a  wonderful man. He led his company and SPFA with humility charm and wisdom. Whenever Sig spoke, my ears listened intently. He will be missed by all." Gaco Western Chairman and CEO Peter Davis 
  • "Loved him like a brother!!" Joe Stockdale, Covestro