– Ken Gieseke, Chair, NFBA Board of Directors
With hopes that you, your coworkers, and your families enjoyed a wonderful holiday, I now join members of the NFBA staff and board of directors in wishing you all a richly satisfying 2015. With the launch of the new year, we know that the 2015 Frame Building Expo is right around the corner, and our excitement is mounting! We will be gathering February 18–20 in Louisville, Kentucky, for an expo that builds on and improves the features of successful expos of the past.
Expo Highlights
Educational sessions on a wide range of topics in four tracks have been targeted to meet the needs of specific groups within our industry:
The Management, Sales and Marketing track is for business owners, presidents, CEOs, operations managers, safety and compliance managers, code officials, and industry professionals interested in education on leadership, business operations and business development strategy.
The Crew Training track is for builders, crew members, trainers, site supervisors and trade students.
The Technical and Product Knowledge track is for builders, crew members, site supervisors, designers, architects, engineers, suppliers, building-material dealers, trade students, code officials and industry professionals interested in learning the latest technical information on building practices and applications.
The Expo LIVE! sessions are for attendees seeking tips and insights directly from product experts in a brief time frame. This year’s sessions cover the use of trim flashing, fire-retardant treated wood, insulated metal panels and faux-stone panels, as well as tools for material managers.
You’re sure to find sessions that will put you at the cutting edge of the industry and benefit you, your company and your customers.
In addition to the popular “OSHA 10-Hour Workshop on Construction and Safety” (which gives attendees the opportunity to secure the 10-hour card), we’re offering a new intensive workshop, “Five Ways to Grow Your Business Profitably,” presented by K. P. Persaud, an expert executive business coach with a background in engineering, plant management, and corporate management.
Wednesday, February 18
Dave Dravecky, former Major League pitcher with the San Francisco Giants, will lead off the expo with his inspiring keynote presentation “The Worth of a Life: Dave Dravecky’s Story.” Dave will share what he has learned about the meaning of success and how to find encouragement through adversity.
Breakout sessions that day will cover the art of drafting, the uses of steel and small-diameter timber in post-frame buildings, accounting and financial statements, and job-site safety. Another session will look at the forthcoming second edition of NFBA’s Post-Frame Building Design Manual.
At noon the trade-show floor will open. Get your pitching speed clocked at the pitching station, sponsored by H & H Metal Products. Then circulate through the informative exhibits, take in the Expo LIVE! sessions, and enter the prize drawing. And if you’re not already an NFBA member, be sure to attend the NFBA membership demo (12:30–1 p.m.). The demo will also be offered on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
Safety programming is always a key component of the Frame Building Expo. A new feature of the 2015 expo is the Honeywell demonstration of safety products and fall-protection equipment, to be held on Wednesday at 1 p.m. The demonstration will showcase equipment for suspension trauma and confined space entry and rescue; temporary and permanent anchorage connectors; temporary horizontal lifeline systems; suspension, restraint and fall prevention systems; and descent-controlled devices. Personal protective equipment—including hand, head, hearing and eye protection; footwear and clothing; welding and respiratory protection; and first aid and eye wash—will be on display. Learn how these safety products can protect your workers (whether owners, operators, first-line supervisors, or maintenance professionals) on the job.
Part 1 of the “OSHA 10-Hour Workshop on Construction and Safety” and the “Five Ways to Grow Your Business Profitably” workshop will be offered on Wednesday afternoon. The enjoyable Plyco Reception closes the day, with complimentary entertainment, food, and beverages provided by Plyco Corporation. Be sure to take advantage of all these opportunities for learning and networking.
Thursday, February 19
Thursday opens with part 2 of the two special workshops and also NFBA’s annual business meeting. Hear firsthand about upcoming NFBA projects and initiatives to expand the post-frame market, and learn how NFBA has been serving you in the past year. Morning and afternoon breakout sessions will cover a wide range of topics: improving your sales process, preparing for an OSHA visit, considering issues related to green building, controlling condensation, using polymer products in agricultural facilities and bracing long-span trusses.
The NFBA awards luncheon is always an inspiring event, recognizing recipients of the NFBA Building of the Year Awards, the Crew Foreman of the Year Award, the Rural Builder Hall of Fame Award, the Bernon G. Perkins Post-Frame Industry Award, and participants in the Gail Miller Recognition Program for Excellence in Safety. (An additional fee and advance registration are required for the luncheon.)
Following the luncheon the trade show will open, and chapters will hold their meetings. You can learn about your own chapter’s plans and also about successful programs of other chapters. Members of the NFBA Board of Directors will be attending these meetings, allowing you the opportunity to talk with them one on one. Note the times below, and plan to attend the gathering of your local chapter. Participating in these meetings is a great way to strengthen your chapter!
• Atlantic Northeast Chapter: 1–2 p.m.
• Heartland Chapter: 2:15–3:15 p.m.
• Boone and Crockett Chapter 3:30–4:30 p.m.
• Mid-Atlantic Chapter: 4:45–5:45 p.m.
Four Expo LIVE! sessions will be held, and the ever-popular screw-driving competition sponsored by Atlas Bolt and Screw Co. will lead us right up to the Christians in Construction reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (advance registration is required for this reception). We are grateful to Borkholder Buildings, FBi Buildings, McElroy Metal, Perma Column and Rigidply Rafters for their support of this event. And then from 8 p.m. to midnight, we’ll cap off the day with the festive Graber Post Buildings Reception, complete with refreshments and live entertainment.
Friday, February 20
Concurrent with the final hours of the trade show on Friday morning, breakout sessions will be held on the proper use and handling of wood products, radiant floor heat, fire-retardant treated wood, solutions to condensation problems, effective recordkeeping and training in safety, and the relation of the general-duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to post-frame contractors. Check out a new event at this year’s expo, a shearing competition sponsored by Swenson Shear. The expo closes with the exciting nail-pounding competition sponsored by Maze Nails and the grand prize drawing for two complimentary registrations to the 2016 expo, along with a complimentary hotel room for up to 3 nights at the 2016 headquarters hotel and a $250 cash prize.
I hope you share my enthusiasm about the 2015 Expo! Learn more at nfba.org.
Update from the NFBA Board of Directors
On October 1, I assumed the position of board chair for NFBA. I am honored to hold this post (and also to be the first supplier member to do so). I promise to maintain the focus on priorities that will best serve the organization.
The board of directors has kept its focus on the strategic goals set in 2014 and is able to report progress on several fronts.
Goal 1: Expand the market for post-frame construction and thus increase revenues for all NFBA members. The Post-Frame Market Initiative is the primary vehicle for accomplishing this goal, and in a changing marketplace, we will continue our efforts to adapt so that we can take advantage of the great opportunities to expand the use of post frame in light-commercial and residential segments. We will also continue our efforts to reach a greater number of architects and design engineers.
Goal 2: Develop NFBA products and services that give value to member companies and position NFBA as the primary source of information on post frame. We will continue to provide value to post-frame contractors through the development of educational tools and industry standards (see goals 3 and 4). Our revamped safety program (the Gail Miller Recognition Program for Excellence in Safety) is just one example of a tremendous value of NFBA membership, with members paying $100 for a professional evaluation that would cost $1,500 through other channels.
Goal 3: Develop the educational and technical resources needed to improve the knowledge and skills sets of contractors and craftspeople. We are developing training materials for crew members, and we are accenting safety in all parts of the curriculum. Work on an enhanced safety manual for contractors to use in developing their own safety programs is also under way.
Goal 4: Develop NFBA standards and specifications for post-frame buildings, materials, design and construction. Not to be confused with arriving at prescriptive designs for post-frame buildings, this goal aims at creating a compendium of NFBA standards for the industry. Initial areas of focus are minimum standards for gauges of steel, performance of paint systems, and construction practices.
By focusing on these clearly defined goals, we will both advance the existing strategic plan and establish a firm foundation for future growth.
Update from the Technical and Research Committee
• Post-Frame Building Design Manual The second edition of the manual will be available in early 2015.
• Seismic Response Factor
This project involves characterizing the shear stiffness and shear strength of multiple steel-clad, wood-framed shear wall constructions subjected to reverse cyclic loading; developing and validating a modeling procedure that can be used to predict the behavior of SCWF shear walls in those conditions; and providing analytic evidence to support a seismic response factor that can be used in post-frame building design. The seven assemblies that constitute the core of the test program have been completed, with very positive results. Additional assemblies will be tested in an effort to broaden the application.
• Guarded Hot Box
The T&R Committee held its October 2014 meeting at the University of Wisconsin’s West Madison Agricultural Research Station, where the hot box apparatus is located. Instrumentation calibration of the individual sensors continues, and an overall calibration of the test apparatus is planned for the first quarter of 2015. Testing of assemblies, including the post-frame work, will then take place.
• ASABE EP 484
The diaphragm research completed by NFBA in 2011–2012 has been incorporated into the current American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers Engineering Practice 484. The ASABE review committee, which includes a number of T&R Committee members, is currently reviewing the revised standard.
• Potential 2015 Research Initiatives
The T&R Committee is discussing the value of surveying NFBA members to get feedback on potential 2015 research projects that would provide immediate benefit to the industry. Among those being considered are projects in these areas: (1) perforated shear walls (determining the impact of large or multiple openings in diaphragms); (2) testing a more economical 3-hour fire-wall assembly with less gypsum than the existing 3-hour fire-wall assembly has.
Learn more about the work of both the T&R Committee and the NFBA board at the NFBA Annual Business Meeting at the Expo. See you in Louisville! FBN
Ken Gieseke is chair of the NFBA Board of Directors and vice president for marketing at McElroy Metal, Bossier City, La. He can be reached at kgieseke@mcelroymetal.com.