Over the last several months, the ABAA Board of Directors has been diligently working on a strategic plan for the Association with the help of an independent consultant. e are now in the finalization stage, and beginning our implementation strategies. The strategic plan created by the Board is realistic, yet ambitious. We are all dedicated to the plan, not only in growing the Association to maximum potential, but also in positioning ABAA as the voice of the air barrier industry.

Part of the strategic planning process included reaching out to our membership to get your thoughts on how we are doing. We thank those of you who took the time to respond to our survey- this is a valuable resource. Here are some of the things we heard: one- ABAA was originally seen as an organization that represented manufacturers. Since air barrier contractors now represent the largest membership cohort, this is no longer the case. Two- industry participants (members and non-members) are unclear of the value proposition for becoming an ABAA member. And three- the Board needs to be more visible in its communication and representation as the leaders of ABAA.  These items raised a concern for us.  We then identified some of the key opportunities and challenges ahead of us:  how do we best grow?  How do we balance advocacy-education versus skill-education?  How do we best use what resources we have?  What’s next, and who’s next?  And how do we best serve our membership?

In terms of opportunities, ABAA board members felt ‘setting the standards for air barrier installation and assuring compliance with standards’ was the top opportunity facing the organization.  The second is to ‘be the voice for the industry’.  And the third biggest opportunity is to ‘leverage existing relationships across the US’.  From these discussions, the 5 Pillars of Focus were developed.  They are: Credibility & Quality- to ensure continuous improvement and promotion of all education training and quality assurance programs.  Membership – provide more active venues of participation in order to retain existing members and attract new members.  Voice- become recognized by the U.S. building construction industry as the authority on all things air barrier by 2014.  Governance- Adopt, implement, and review nonprofit governance best practices on an annual basis, and formalize a new committee structure by 2012.  Finance & Administration- provide the organization with the financial and administrative resources to fulfill ABAA’s strategic goals.

More information will be presented on the direction of the Association at our upcoming national conference in Chicago on April 10-12, 2012.  As you may be aware, this is our first national conference and we are very excited to bring it to you.  We look forward to hearing more of your thoughts at our session ‘Your ABAA and its Plan – Come with Your Input’, which will be presented on Day One.

See you in Chicago!

Alec Minné
Chair, ABAA