>>2015 Sprayfoam Convention and Expo Exhibitor Registration Open!
Booth spaces are filling up fast! Visit our website to download the full exhibitor brochure, registration forms, and floor plan. On this page you will also find information on the site hotel (Hyatt Regency) and a link to reserve rooms. Here's the floorplan showing the layout of the booths and the available booth (in green). Please click on the floorplan to be directed to the most up-to-date version.
To reserve your space, fill out the SPFA Application/Contract for Exhibit Space on pg. 10 and 11 of our Exhibitor Brochure. Mail completed and signed application along with payment to:
Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance
3927 Old Lee Highway, Suite 101B, Fairfax, VA 22030
Fax to: 866-275-5537
SPFA is currently accepting proposals for technical presentations. If interested, please email the session title, presenter biography, objectives and brief description. All submissions will receive careful consideration and the Convention Committee hopes to announce selections soon.
Conference Coordinator Emma Bennett and the team at YES, LLC have been brought on board to manage Sprayfoam 2015. Email emma@sprayfoam.org or call 605-470-0707 for more information on exhibits and sponsorships.
>>SPFA Elects New Board Members
SPFA recently held its Board of Directors election for the 2014-2016 term. Below are the results, following the runoff election for a board seat that was won by Tom Sojak of Gaco Western. SPFA is excited about addressing industry issues with this new complete board. Please congratulate these members when you see them:
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President: Mr. Dennis Vandewater, Sadler Coating Systems (IA)
Vice President: Mr. John Achille, Coastal Insulation (NJ)
Treasurer: Mr. Richard Spiess, Innovative Insulation Solutions (IL)
Immediate Past President: Mr. Robert (Bob) Duke, Carolina Comfort Foam
BOARD MEMBERS
Contractor Officer Seats (6):
Ms. Bonnie Strickler, Puff Inc. (VA)
Mr. Ron Winkle, Western Pacific Roofing (CA)
Mr. Larry Ash, United Thermal Systems (NY)
Mr. Tyler Fiske, Anchor Insulation (RI)
Mr. Bryan Heldreth, RPC (VA)
Ms. Tiffiny Flaim, Biofoam Inc. (IL)
Non-Contractor Officer Seats (6):
Mr. Joe Stockdale, Bayer Material Science (TX)
Ms. Mary Bogdan, Honeywell (NY)
Mr. Mitch Clifton, NCFI (NC)
Mr. Mac Sheldon, Demilec Inc. (TX)
Mr. Nick Pagano, Graco Inc. (MN)
Mr. Tom Sojak, Gaco Western (WI)
>> SPFA Completes Environmental Product Declaration for SPF 
As a continuing step toward effective product and environmental stewardship, SPFA and Underwriters Laboratory Environment (ULe) conducted the necessary steps to complete an SPF Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which further validates the 2012 release of the SPF Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This Declaration, along with the LCA, are recognized by sustainability experts as additional verification of a product’s environmental performance. The EPD is maintained on the ULe website, available at www.sprayfoam.org/technical. The LCA is available there, as well.
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>>ASHRAE Proposes Alternate Compliance Path for Existing Buildings in IAQ Standard
Source: ashrae.org
Recognizing that the ventilation rate procedure in its indoor air quality standard may be difficult to apply in existing buildings, ASHRAE is proposing an alternate compliance path.
Proposed addendum b is one of six addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2013, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality currently open for public comment from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5, 2014. To comment or learn more, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.
>>Airflow 100: A Review of Air Velocity Testing Methods
Source: bpi.org
Industry studies have shown that 70% of residential systems have improper airflow. Airflow measurements are among the most daunting tasks in the industry, During this free webinar -- Tuesday, October 21, 11 a.m. (EDT)-- learn the wide variety of measurement methods and the benefits of each. Dig into the science behind good airflow measurement, as well as the importance of considering air density corrections. The ins and outs of picking the correct tool for the measurement task or application will also be covered.
>>Dr. Joseph Lstiburek to Speak at Upcoming Events, Sept. 30 and Oct. 2
Source: bpi.org
Building Science Corporation's Joseph W. Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng., Fellow ASHRAE, will be a speaker at two upcoming events at the new ROXUL Energy Design Centre. The Sept. 30 event will be at the JW Marriott Chicago and participants can earn up to 15 AIA credit hours. The Oct. 2 event will be at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel and will have the same number of AIA credits available. Click here to register for either.
>>3M Personal Safety Division Donates Nearly 1 Million Respirators to Help Fight Ebola Virus
Source: 3m.com
3M has donated nearly 1 million respirators to help doctors and aid workers contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus disease. Project HOPE, MAP International, and Direct Relief International will distribute 3M’s NIOSH-approved N95 respirators to workers in Sierra Leone and surrounding areas. Read more here.
>>Report on Polyurethane Chemicals Released
Source: ialconsultants.com
IAL Consultants announced the publication of the first edition of its report on the markets for Polyurethane Chemicals and Products in the Americas (North America and South America).
Total production of polyurethane products in the Americas is reported to have been 3.98 million tonnes in 2013 compared with 3.84 million tonnes in 2012. By 2018 this figure is forecast to be 4.78 million tonnes, equivalent to an average growth of 3.7% p.a. over the next five years.
The polyurethane industry remains larger by far in North America, which is dominated by the USA, but expected growth rates are strongest in the developing South American market, at 4.7% p.a. over the forecast period. Download the full report here. >>What to Expect from Congress this Fall
Source: ase.org / David Caughran
Congress returns from August recess with a number of items on the docket and only a few legislative weeks remaining before both Chambers leave town again for the campaign trail. Work on a Continuing Resolution (CR), funding the government through at least the midterm elections will likely dominate the two-week September session, as lawmakers look to avoid another government shutdown. While many believe that Democrats and Republicans will be able to get through a "clean" CR, without any controversial policy riders, that does not preclude more partisan brinkmanship next year if control of the Senate changes hands in November. Along with hopefully passing a CR to keep the government running, Congress will look to find a way to prevent the Export-Import Bank from closing at the end of the month, and possibly push through a bill barring new taxes on Internet access. Other big ticket items such as tax extenders, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, known as the Shaheen-Portman bill, all loom on the horizon as well. Read more here.
>>Deadlines Fast Approaching for Polyurethanes Technical Conference
Source: americanchemistry.com
Deadlines for the 2014 Polyurethanes Technical Conference are fast approaching and available spaces in the Polyurethane Professional Development Program (PDP) and conference sponsorships are also quickly filling. Hosted by the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council, the conference will take place at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas from Sept. 22-24.
To learn more about the conference’s full program, including the more than 60 technical presentations by industry experts and government officials, visit CPI’s website.
Get the latest updates and conference news on LinkedIn and Twitter. Follow @AmChemEvents and use the hashtag #PUtech to join the conversation.
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>>2014-15 SPFA Membership Directory and Buyers' Guide Being Mailed in September
Members in good standing are listed in this publication, which is mailed out every September. This directory is also available in a digital format, which will be available soon (see last year's directory here). The convenient digital format allows users to navigate and access the directory's content quickly and easily, on the road or in the office. Use the information provided to contact fellow SPFA members and industry partners throughout the year to share ideas, ask questions, or just stay in touch.
>>SPFA Member Benefits
SPFA knows there are lots of organizations out there that would like to have you in their membership. But if you are in, or getting into, the sprayfoam business, we are the place for you. We work hard to represent you well and give you value back for your support. Click here to find out more.
 >>Sprayfoam 2014 Coverage, Award WinnersIn addition to coverage of some of the Sprayfoam 2014 sessions and events in the SPFA magazine, SPRAYFOAM Professional, there will be spotlights on some of the SPFA National Industry Excellence Award winners:
Commercial Wall Foam Winner: Domestic Insulation (See coverage in Summer 2014 issue.)
Commercial Wall Foam Runner-Up: Biofoam Inc.
Residential Wall Foam Winner: PROFOAM of Tennessee (See cover in Fall 2014 issue.) Residential Wall Foam Runner-Up: Jag Construction Inc.
Roof Foam Less Than 40,000 sq. ft. Winner: PROFOAM of Tennessee
Roof Foam Less Than 40,000 sq. ft. Runner-Up: Honeywell Building Envelope Solutions
Roof Foam Greater Than 40,000 sq. ft. Winner: Arizona Foam & Spray (See coverage in Summer 2014 issue.)
Roof Foam Greater Than 40,000 sq. ft. Runner-Up: West Roofing Systems, Inc.
Specialty Applications Winner: West Roofing Systems, Inc. (See cover in Fall 2014 issue.) Specialty Applications Runner-Up: Polyseal Insulation LLC
>>Break-Out Sessions
Speakers at the highest-attended break-out sessions will be summarizing some of their material in upcoming issues of SPRAYFOAM Professional.
See more details on the session "OSHA Is at My Jobsite -- What Do I Do?" by Joseph E. Bolduc, MBA, CSP in the Summer 2014 issue.
See more details on the session "Intumescent Coatings and SPF" by Roger V. Morrison, PE, RRC, Deer Ridge Consulting, Inc. in the Fall 2014 issue.
Also, many of the slides from the presentations are available here.
>>SPFA Publishes Membership Brochure
Available on the SPFA website, the brochure highlights some of the various benefits of membership and activities of the organization as it pursues its mission to represent SPF professionals in areas of technical and environmental leadership, government advocacy, professional certification, industry promotion and outreach, and delivery of a world-class convention and expo. Please check out the brochure if you have been considering joining SPFA and support our mission to serve you. For more information or to access the application to join, please click here.
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>>Certification Candidates Have New Testing Opportunities
Anyone looking to become PCP Certified has many opportunities to do so. It seems that new Exam Prep Courses and Testing Sites are being added to the website weekly and soon we’ll have online courses. See the list below for the new additions to the fall schedule.
Our goal is to make this program available to every qualified SPF Professional, regardless of geography!
For more information, please contact Kelly Marcavage, SPFA PCP Certification Director, at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org or 571-748-5003.
>>SPFA PCP Exam Prep Courses and Exams
New locations are frequently added for SPFA PCP Exam Preparatory Courses, Written Examinations and Field Examinations, so be sure to check www.sprayfoam.org Certification Calendar of Events for the most complete list.
September 10 -- Auburn Hills, MI
Hosted by Huntsman
September 15-19 -- West Haven, CT
Hosted by Spray Foam Nation
October 14-16 -- Waukesha, WI
Hosted by Gaco Western
Contact Karen Wolfenberger at kwolfenberg@gaco.com
October 15-17 -- Houston, TX
Hosted by Lapolla
Contact Shana Rand at srand@lapolla.com
October 21-24 -- Marietta, GA
Hosted by Premium Spray Products
January 26-27, 2015 -- Albuquerque, NM
Hosted by SPFA
Ongoing -- Webinar SPFA PCP Refresher Courses for Previously Trained SPF Professional
Hosted by Gaco Western
Contact Karen Wolfenberger at kwolfenberger@gaco.com
More details for each location are available on our website – www.sprayfoam.org. If you would like more information on the PCP, please contact Kelly Marcavage, SPFA PCP Certification Director, at kmarcavage@sprayfoam.org.
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 >>3M Names Jose Varela Vice President of Personal Safety DivisionSource: 3m.com
3M has named Jose Varela vice president and general manager of 3M’s Personal Safety Division. In this role, Varela will oversee 3M’s global safety business and more than 40 major platforms, including respiratory protection, hearing protection, fall protection, protective eyewear, head and face protection, and reflective materials.
Varela previously served as managing director of 3M Brazil. He also brings a wealth of experience and global business leadership due to his roles in finance, sales, operational planning and supply-chain management for 3M’s operations in APAC, Latin America and Canada.
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>>EPA Proposes to Replace and Reduce Harmful Greenhouse Gases
Source: epa.org
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to prohibit the use of certain chemicals that significantly contribute to climate change where safer, more climate-friendly alternatives exist. This is the agency’s second action aimed at reducing emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a class of potent greenhouse gases, under President Obama's Climate Action Plan.
This action is estimated to reduce greenhouse gases by up to 42 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2020, equal to the carbon dioxide emissions from the annual electricity use of more than 5 million homes.
Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program evaluates substitute chemicals and technologies that are safe for the ozone layer. The proposed action would change the status of certain high-global warming potential (GWP) HFCs that were previously listed as acceptable under the SNAP Program to be unacceptable in specific end-uses based on information showing that other alternatives are available for the same uses that pose lower risk overall to human health or the climate.
The HFCs and HFC-containing blends affected by the proposal are used in aerosols, motor vehicle air conditioning, retail food refrigeration and vending machines, and foam blowing.
EPA will accept comment on the proposal for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
>>ASHRAE/IES Propose Adding Verification Requirements to Energy Standard
Source: ashrae.org
Multiple compliance options to ensure verification of delivered building envelope performance are being proposed for the ASHRAE/IES energy standard.
"Uncontrolled air leakage has long been an unquantified variable in load calculations for buildings large and small," Chris Mathis said. "It has also been identified as the ‘weak link’ in many otherwise well insulated building enclosures. These newly proposed envelope testing, inspection and verification procedures are intended to not only help deliver better performing building envelopes, but also should help reduce errors associated with envelope air leakage in equipment sizing calculations."
Addendum l is one of 14 proposed addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, currently open for public comment, Sept. 5-Oct. 5. To comment or learn more, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.
>>EPA Seeks Comments on Potential Revisions to its Risk Management Program
Source: epa.gov
On July 24, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Request for Information (RFI) to seek comment on potential revisions to its Risk Management Program (RMP) regulations and related programs to modernize its regulations as required under Executive Order (EO) 13650: Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security.
During the 90-day comment period, EPA asks for information and data on specific regulatory elements and process safety management approaches to enhance public health and safety, and aid local fire, police, and emergency response personnel to prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies. The information received will be used when reviewing chemical hazards covered by the RMP and to determine how this program should be expanded to improve chemical facility safety. The RFI does not commit the agency to rulemaking.
To view EPA’s RFI and provide public comment, visit http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/eo_improving_chem_fac.htm
The public will have 90 days to submit written comments online, www.regulations.gov (the portal for federal rulemaking), or by mail.
>>Papers Sought for International Conference on Energy and Environment in Ships
Source: ashrae.org
Papers are being sought for a conference on ships and on land facilities that focuses on the state of the art and challenges related to environment, HVAC, energy security and health and safety among other topics.
Organized by ASHRAE, the Hellenic Navy, the Technical Chamber of Greece and the ASHRAE Hellenic Chapter, the International Conference on Energy and Environment in Ships takes place May 22-24, 2015, in Athens, Greece.
Abstracts (400 words in length) are due Oct. 13, 2014. If accepted, papers are due Jan. 26, 2015. Submittal information can be found at www.ashrae.org/Ships2015.
>>EPA Seeks Feedback from the Public on Proposed Label Options for Safer Products
Source: epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is redesigning its Design for the Environment Safer Product Label to better convey to consumers that products bearing the label meet the program’s rigorous standard to be safer for people and the environment.
"We want consumers to be able to easily find safer products that work well," said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "The agency wants to hear from the American people on which designs will help people identify household cleaning and other products that are safer for families and the environment."
The agency is also seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders, including the chemical and product manufacturing industry, retailers, consumers and environmental organizations. This input will help inform the agency’s selection of a new label.
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>>Webinar: How to Set Profitable Hourly Rates
Source: bpi.org
Improper labor pricing is the #1 killer of small businesses today. Setting your hourly rate based on what everyone else is charging might work when you are small (with little overhead) but it won't work when you start to grow!
Featuring Tom Grandy of Grandy & Associates, this webinar -- Wednesday, September 24, at noon (EDT) -- walks the contractor through the detailed process of setting proper hourly rates based on your real cost of doing business. Grandy will cover all the basics of profitable labor pricing using a Sample Company and 10 filled in worksheets. You can then use the same worksheets to input your numbers to find out what you need to charge. Most companies are aware of the basic overhead costs; however the two HIGHEST costs of doing business (cost of non-billable time and equipment replacement costs) are often left out.
FREE for GoldStar Contractors. $50 for all other registrants. Click here to register. Approved for a total of up to 1.5 BPI CEUs.
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>>Energy Department Invests $6 Million to Increase Building Energy Code Compliance Rates
Source: energycodes.gov
The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has awarded $6 million to fund projects that will:
--Measure current residential energy code compliance rate using a methodology that provides statewide results with 90% reliability.
--Implement an education, training, and outreach program designed to increase residential building energy code compliance.
--Measure the post-program residential building energy code compliance rate using the same methodology employed in the pre-program study.
The projects will investigate whether investing in education, training, and outreach programs can produce a significant change in residential building code compliance rates. If these activities do produce significant change, non-government entities, particularly utilities, could be influenced to make substantial investments in similar programs.
>>Standards for Uniform Data Collection and Transfer in Home Performance Updated
Source: bpi.org
The Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI) announced that updates to its BPI-2100-S-2013: Standard for Home Performance-Related Data Transfer (HPXML) and BPI-2200-S-2013: Standard for Home Performance-Related Data Collection have been published and are now available on the BPI website.
Version 2.0.0 of the data standards includes additional data elements, technical improvements to HPXML, and revisions to existing data elements. A list of changes for this version can be found in Annex C of BPI-2100.
To view the data collection and transfer standards, visit:
>>ASHRAE/IES Publish User’s Manual for Standard 90.1
Guidance on how to incorporate changes regarding building envelope, lighting, mechanical and the energy cost budget in the 2013 energy standard from ASHRAE and IES are included in a newly published User’s Manual. ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, incorporates 110 addenda, reflecting changes made through the public review process.
>>DOE Issues Preliminary Determination of Energy Savings for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013
Source: energycodes.gov
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued its Preliminary Determination for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, affirming that the updated Standard provides an additional 8.5 percent energy savings over the previous edition. Interested stakeholders are invited to submit public comments within 30 days from publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. DOE expects to finalize its Determination later this year. Further information on DOE support for building energy codes is available at www.energycodes.gov.
>>The Building Codes Assistance Project Updates on Building Energy Codes
Source: energycodesocean.org
BCAP Newsletters are quarterly summaries of what's been happening at the Building Codes Assistance Project and building energy code progress around the nation. To access the full archive, click here. Here are some of the recent alerts from the BCAP Code Alerts released released weekly by the Building Codes Assistance Project (BCAP) and its website, the Online Code Environment & Advocacy Network (OCEAN). Code Alert Bulletins are designed to share information and support timely participation in state and local activities related to the adoption and implementation of building energy codes. The bulletins highlight immediate opportunities to influence state and local policy outcomes, indicate code status, and recommend contacts for action. Topics addressed in the current issue include:
* Ongoing General Alerts *
Clean Air Act Section 111(d) - Comments Due Soon for the Clean Power Plan Proposed Rule
* New State and Local Alerts *
Illinois - 2015 IECC Adoption Process Begins with Call for Comments and Amendments
Michigan - New Statewide Residential Energy Code Based on 2012 IECC with Amendments
* Ongoing State and Local Alerts *
California - Landmark Recycled Water Bill A.B. 2282 Passes the Legislature
Maryland - A Public Hearing to Consider Adopting 2015 IECC Re-Scheduled for Late September
North Carolina - Public Hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 9 on the Emergency Rule Regarding Low-E Window Requirements
Vermont - Revised Residential and Commercial 2015 IECC Drafts Available Now
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>>What Happens When We Start Using Less? A Few Challenges Facing Utilities
Source: ase.org / Rodney Sobin
In the United States, electric utility companies are primarily responsible for the generation and distribution of electricity. Electric utilities have traditionally depended on large, centralized power plants, usually burning fossil fuel, to produce electricity. Under the traditional utility business model utilities depend on increasing energy sales to earn a profit. However, the traditional utility model is facing challenges. In much of the United States, electricity sales have stagnated and even decreased, even as electrical devices have proliferated in our homes, schools and work places. Nationally, electric retail sales increased an average of over 2% from 1982 to 2007, but since then sales have stagnated with a slight average annual decrease of 0.2%. Read more here.
>>Updates from the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
Source: energy.gov
IEA Forecasts Renewable Power Providing More Competitive Options
California-Nevada Bikeway Wins EPA Green Transportation Award
Report: Improvements at U.S. Data Centers Could Save $3 Billion Yearly
Hawaii Energy Offers State's First-Ever Energy Efficiency Auction
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October 14-16, 2014 -- SPFA PCP Exam Prep Course and/or Exam Hosted by Gaco Western, Waukesha, Wisc.
October 15-17, 2014 -- SPFA PCP Exam Prep Course and/or Exam Hosted by Lapolla, Houston, Texas
Ongoing -- SPFA PCP Refresher Courses for Previously Trained SPF Professional hosted by Gaco Western, webinar, c ontact Karen Wolfenberger
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>>Webinar: Twitter 101
If you’re curious about how to use Twitter to grow your business, join SBA in a Twitter 101 webinar: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, 1-2 p.m. (ET).
>>Growing Your Business Webinars
To kick off fall, join SBA in a "Growing Your Business" webinar series to help your business expand and thrive -- hosted by AnyMeeting.
Tuesday, September 23, 2 p.m. (ET)
Tuesday, October 7, 2 p.m. (ET)
>>How to Integrate Print Into Your Marketing Campaign
Source: sba.org / Rieva Lesonsky
As small businesses and the media focus on online marketing, print marketing materials are often an afterthought—but they shouldn't be. Traditional marketing collateral isn’t dead, and if you’re smart, you’ll integrate it into your digital marketing efforts. Here's how.
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