|
Every two years SPFA holds a nomination and election for new members of its Board of Directors (BoD). The nominations are in and the election has opened, with a closing date of July 31, 2020. The main difference this year being that the election is taking place in the face of COVID-19 challenges. What more perfect time to show the commitment and dedication to the organization and the industry by these candidates than in the midst of the most uncertain and impactful time of our lives. According to SPFA Executive Director Kurt Riesenberg who is impressed with candidates' eyes on the future, “I’ve known these people for some time, and I commend them for stepping up during a time when most other people are inwardly focusing upon their businesses and their lives during this horrible COVID pandemic. That’s real leadership. Thank you to every single one of you, and it will be my pleasure and honor to serve with you.”
The SPFA Board of Directors is comprised of the following (15 Voting Positions):
• President (Executive Committee)
• Vice President (Executive Committee)
• Treasurer (Executive Committee)
• Immediate Past President (Executive Committee, Ex Officio/Non-Voting)
• Six(6) Voting Contractor Seats
• Six(6) Voting Non-Contractor Seats (from any other category of membership)
• Ad-Hoc Non-Voting Members TBD
Voting for the candidates is conducted by the Voting Representative for each SPFA Member Company. One company, one vote. Ballots were delivered via email to the Voting Rep on July, 8 2020. The email was from Election Buddy, SPFA’s national digital election platform. If you are the Voting Representative to SPFA and have not seen this email, please search your inbox for Election Buddy. Three additional reminders will be automatically distributed to SPFA Voting Representatives that have not yet voted. Deadline for voting is July 31, 2020, 11:45pm ET. For questions or information, please contact John Achille, SPFA Past President, and Chairman of the Nomination/Election Committee, or Kurt Riesenberg at SPFA.
|
February 1 – 4, 2021
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, TX
The Sprayfoam Show 2021 is the largest annual convention and trade show dedicated to Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) in the United States. Bringing together industry participants in insulation, roofing, specialty applications, and related equipment, the event will span four full days and include educational sessions, a 65,000-square-foot exposition hall, professional certification programs, the annual Industry Excellence Awards luncheon ceremony, annual Golf Tournament, VIP events, and an entertainment-filled Close-Out Event Party. The event is expected to draw approximately 1,500 attendees from all regions of the United States and abroad. The sprayfoam industry grows domestically and internationally every year and The Sprayfoam Show is the signature event bringing together the sector’s professional community.
|
If OSHA receives a complaint and it does not meet the criteria for an on-site inspection, the agency might simply call the employer, describe the alleged hazards and follow up with a fax or letter. The employer has five days to respond in writing to the allegations, identify in its written response any problems and the corrective actions taken or planned.
|
The Virginia Department of Labor and Industry's Safety and Health Codes Board has adopted an emergency temporary standard (ETS) containing the first state-level safety regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an announcement by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. The new standard went into effect July 27, with related training requirements starting Aug. 26 and Sept. 25.
|
In June, the SPFA Safety Committee added two new sections to the SPFA Model Written Safety Program.
The first section provides a written Silica Exposure Control Program. This addresses the recent OSHA National Emphasis Program on respirable crystalline silica dust in the workplace, using information from SPFA’s 2018 respirable silica dust webinar (presented by OSHA staff) and the OSHA Publication 3902 . This new section should be of special interest to contractors that offer concrete jacking service, where respirable dust from cutting and drilling is a common hazard. The second new section offers a written Contagious Disease Control Program. While it addresses many common contagious diseases in the workplace, it includes specific guidance on controlling exposure to COVID-19. This is important for everyone as we get back to work.
The SPFA Model Written Safety Program is offered at no charge to SPFA members and can be downloaded from the SPFA Members Only website. For more information on this document and the activities of the SPFA Safety Committee, contact Rick Duncan, SPFA Technical Director at rickduncan@sprayfoam.org.
|
LB Spray Foam, LLC – Forest Lake, MN
Palmetto Spray Foam – Charleston, SC
|
The past several months have been a challenge unlike anything we have ever seen. During that time SPFA has treaded water like many of our members but the workload has continued, focused both on regular business, but also the increasingly complex workload to guide the industry and our sprayfoam community through this pandemic. If you are working and have not yet renewed your SPFA membership, we really need your support right now. Please check in with us below on reports of interest to you and upcoming information that can help your business!
SPFA PCP Certification COVID Deals: SPFA recognized that the pandemic would have an immediate effect on some member companies by forcing them to stay home from work. While this is potentially disastrous to project schedules and company finances, SPFA wanted to offer valuable education and training materials to members. The intent was to take the PCP exam-prep courses normally offered at the annual convention, and reformat them quickly for online delivery. Several members familiar with these programs dedicated their evenings and weekends to recording the delivery of the SPFA PCP exam preparatory slides, and SPFA loaded these onto a new online education platform rolling them out for free access to SPFA member companies and any company that had an employee enrolled in PCP for no charge. With normal member pricing for these courses at $250 each ($350 non-member), SPFA has already effectively waived the fees for 94 member-users – that is about 30 new users per month. These people have taken advantage of the increased ease of access and consumed multiple levels of SPFA PCP prep courses from the comfort and safety of their homes. SPFA has for years offered online enrollment and 24/7 remote testing into the PCP program, which continues. For a special COVID-19 deal on enrollment and testing, please contact SPFA Certification Director Kelly Marcavage. As an SPFA member or PCP enrollee, don’t miss this chance to get a bunch of free education before the opportunity is gone! Even if you are just curious what the program entails, go through the courses to remove the testing intimidation – if it’s on the test, it’s in the prep materials. You can do this, and earn a new top-level industry credential in no time.
SPFA COVID-19 Website: SPFA recognized very early that the volume of COVID-related information was going to be huge. The only answer was a microsite with the flexibility to handle that volume of information and constant changes, and regular addition of important event notices. The site is available at www.spfacovid19.com and offers recent related news, legislative summaries, partner resources and federal/state guidance. Notably the site also links to a number of Inc. Magazine and US Chamber of Commerce webinars to give perspective and ideas for our members – small business challenges and solutions, entrepreneurship, motivation, creativity and more.
Technical Services: SPFA Tech Services and members acted quickly to update the SPFA Contractor Model Written Safety Program over the past two weeks. Notably one of those changes was inclusion of silica-related documentation for anyone dealing with concrete drilling, cutting or SPF injection for leveling. The other section is new focusing on Contagious Disease Control Program. As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, the SPFA Model Written Safety Program is offered at no charge to SPFA members and can be downloaded from the SPFA website in the Member Only Section. This document, especially with the regular updates and increasing value, is estimated to be worth over $900.00 if purchased and custom designed for an SPF contractor customer externally. Tech services has been front and center on COVID-related issues and questions from members, but also on the normal duties of SPFA business like termite codes, ASTM standards, new Life Cycle Assessment Updates further demonstrating SPF’s unique performance, and more. If you have a tech question or issue please direct it to SPFA Tech Services Director Rick Duncan.
Industry Promotion: SPFA has been active on a number of industry coalitions both representing SPF interests, and also picking up the information that other experts have to share, which makes us better and allows us to bring more value to you. One of the most significant recent rollouts focuses upon SPF roofing. SPFA is a member of the Back to Work on America’s Roof Coalition in the United States that enjoys direct participation from all Executive Directors of every major roof-related trade association, including NRCA. Participating in this group SPFA was able to have a role in the Back to Work on America’s Roofs initiative, and extend the information and benefits to our members. There is a press release attached, and a social media/digital badge for you to use to show you stand behind this program. More information, policy positions and social media / digital badges are available for download from SPFA’s COVID-19 website.
SPFA Events: Ready for some exciting news? While SPFA was out in front on PPP and other government funding sources to help keep the members’ lights on and employees paid, that initial report and recorded webinar is still available on the SPFA COVID-19 website. But there have been a number of topics that have arisen and needing our attention, and so many industry related events have been cancelled. Plus, the SPF industry needs an opportunity to reconnect and re-engage as we chart our course to COVID recovery – which is going to happen. SPFA will be announcing dates for an upcoming digital event that will deliver timely and helpful information, such as how to manage your company’s liability as you send workers back to the office or jobsite, what kinds of guidance is available from OSHA and our other federal partners to work as safely as possible, how are remote/digital inspections keeping construction projects moving, and discussions on how companies in our industry are turning the challenges of today into opportunities for business growth tomorrow. We will also be building in a way for manufacturers to show that they are here to help contractors through this difficult time. This event will be formally announced in July and taking place late-summer, and is being referred to as the Sprayfoam Show 2020.5. Stay tuned! We are also in 100% full planning and rollout stages for the Sprayfoam Show 2021 in San Antonio (Feb. 2021). There is much speculation about what will need to happen for the show to go on, but we along with World of Concrete, the International Roofing Expo, and the International Builders Show, are all committed to doing what is necessary to have this string of spring shows happen. Changes will need to be made to formatting, layout and procedures, but we are a GO and exhibitorships, sponsorships and speaking topic abstracts are starting to be accepted in the next two weeks. Please stay tuned for announcements on the SPFA 2020.5 digital event, and The Sprayfoam Show 2021!
OSHA PPE Presentation for SPF: Notably during this presentation from OSHA to the predominantly ACC and sprayfoam industry audience, OSHA acknowledged that due to SPF’s unique installation requirements the activity likely falls into the lower (caution) risk categories. This should come as uplifting news for the industry and our customers. Now that does not mean professionals in this industry should lower their COVID defenses in any way, but with the extensive respiratory and skin PPE required for an SPF installation, the ventilation, the requirement for occupants and/or other trades to be vacant during and after installation, and the small crew capable of handling an SPF installation, the industry has so many unique benefits that should spur confidence and demand among customers. Even though you are benefitting from these unique aspects of an SPF jobsite – the workers still need to be very cautious when around others, extra cautious around customer interactions, traveling to or from the jobsite, taking breaks, visiting bathrooms, disinfecting equipment and PPE, keeping hands sanitized, and wearing a face covering when sharing any space with someone 6 feet away or less, etc. Professionals also need to be extra cautious in the event an elderly worker or customer is present, or if the worker has a pre-existing condition (heart, lung, diabetes, etc) that may open them up to greater exposure and consequences of COVID-19. Protecting customers is paramount, but so is protecting your people. According to OSHA: Tasks that allow employees to remain at least 6 feet apart and involve little contact with the public, visitors or customers. Note: For activities in the lower (caution) risk category, OSHA's Interim Guidance for Workers and Employers of Workers at Lower Risk of Exposure (page 7) may be most appropriate. Download the latest OSHA Guidelines for Construction Industry below to share with your teams.
SPFA Membership: SPFA membership is what sustains us. As a non-profit 501c6 trade association representing this industry, SPFA unfortunately does NOT qualify for PPP or other supplemental funding. We made sure it was available to, and understood by members, but associations didn’t make the cut. That means we as your small business and small staff association are still working hard trying to make SPFA member companies successful without the safety net that was made available to your companies. You being successful is the only way we are going to keep fighting. Your success is directly tied to our existence. Please, if you’ve been working, or if you’ve been able to defer some of your salary and operating expenses with a PPP loan, or in any way have funding to support SPFA right now, we need it. There is no other org solely focused on your issues like SPFA. We will be issuing a special Commemorative SPFA COVID-19 Sustaining Member digital badge to every company that supports us this year. If you still need to renew, or are interested in joining for the first time (ask about new-member incentives) please contact Mickey Riesenberg today or download a membership form www.sprayfoam.org/about/join-spfa!
As we say around here, FORWARD ONLY. SPFA continues to work hard for its members and the industry. But perhaps more importantly we try to be a positive and driving force for our members and focus on the future. We work to deliver a path of optimism and effort that will pave the road to our industry’s recovery. Remember – your fate is in your hands, and the only limiting factor is your belief. Please join us, and support us, while we work to get the industry back on track.
-- Kurt Riesenberg
|
Not an ideal situation, but an unscheduled or unexpected shut-down of a rig can happen. If it does, this is one more quick resource available to the SPF industry from the members of SPFA to preserve your equipment. Download it today.
|
 
You have done the hard part by earning a PCP Credential, either with an individual certification (i.e., PCP Certified SPF Master Installer, Project Manager, or PCP Accredited Contractor Company). Now comes the fun part and the most important part – broadcast this distinction out to everyone!
We are here to help! Use the customized PCP Certification Mark and/or PCP Accreditation Mark and Certificate. Can’t put your fingers on the one we sent? No problem we can resend!
We have created a customized credential for all who have successfully met certification and accreditation requirements. Remember, the certification credential can only be used on personal correspondence, business card or attire the certified person uses or sends. A certification is for the INDIVIDUAL who earned it.
On the other hand, a company accreditation credential can be everywhere such as your website, vehicles, company stationery, marketing collateral! Use it to point out how you are different than your competition and why you have verification that you know how to do the SPF project efficiently and safely.
If you don’t already hold a PCP Credential – or if it is time to move to the next level, NOW is the perfect time while we are running our Quarantine Special (see below for details!)
For more information or to have your credentials resent, contact Kelly Marcavage – kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org.
|
All seven PCP Exam Prep Courses are available for FREE to SPFA Members and companies with employee enrolled in PCP. (Each course is valued at $250). If you are eligible for FREE access, you were sent information on how to access the courses. If you didn’t receive, contact certdirector@sprayfoam.org. For those who don’t fall into either category but are interested, all you need to do is enroll in PCP using this form and you can access all courses and receive the study guides for FREE! (Study Guides are valued at $50/each.)
|
Thermo Dynamic Insulation
Elm Mott, TX
Spray foam insulation installer needed for new construction & retro-fit in both residential & commercial applications.
|
SPFA is doing its part to bring awareness of open positions in the industry to our members, partners, and untapped talent pools. For every one of these positions going unfilled it’s an opportunity missed, an extra staffing challenge drawing attention away from other important priorities, or a customer perhaps needing to wait longer than they should have to.
|
The tempo of advocacy efforts was off the charts for the first several months of COVID response. SPFA has worked with our partners to secure initial and secondary federal funding, as well as the understanding needed to take advantage of them, to help member companies keep going through the disruption. SPFA has also relied upon our partnerships to direct the attention of Congress and the Administration to future-focused initiatives that stand to assist the SPF industry in our recovery – increased 25C Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credits, a 30% Tax Credit Proposal meant to incentivize residential and commercial customers to perform impactful energy efficiency upgrades to their properties, and several emerging legislative priorities focusing on worker tax credits, continuing unemployment insurance provisions, and new worker training/transition workforce development funding meant to give the industry resources that we need to train incoming construction workers. The point here is to make sure SPF industry interests are represented in multi-industry efforts, so we can benefit from the outcome in the same way other parts of industry will. To do that effectively, we need to work with other organizations to amass the horsepower to have attention and influence in a noisy world. Whether that is in construction, small business, or some benefit like a tax break for a home or businessowner that leads to demand for SPF, we are making sure these efforts benefit our industry during this special time of need.
|
|
| |
|
