The
EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) and the
Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) have agreed to advance the exterior insulation and finish system industry.
After several months of discussions, the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, Falls Church, Va., and the EIFS Industry Members Association, Atlanta, have agreed to use the combined strengths of both associations to advance the exterior insulation and finish system industry effective March 1, 2009.
The move began with the retirement of EIMA’s long-time Executive Director Stephan E. “Steve” Klamke. The EIMA Board of Directors then decided to undertake a strategic review to enhance the support and operations of the association. The board developed an outline for desired association management services to support its future initiatives. AWCI was a logical choice, and the two associations agreed on the terms.
EIMA will relocate its headquarters to the AWCI office building in Virginia. EIMA will continue to operate as an independent association and will be governed by the current EIMA Board of Directors. Its focus will continue to be expansion of the EIFS industry.
The two associations already have a broad overlap of members, and each association brings its relative strengths to the table.
“EIMA’s expertise in product technology, codes and standards in combination with AWCI’s industry education programs and association management skills are a perfect marriage,” said EIMA President David Boivin.
“Members of both organizations have worked well together for a long time, and we plan to further build on this relationship,” said AWCI President Jim Keller.
EIMA contributed greatly to the development of AWCI’s EIFS—Doing It Right educational program. A combination of the AWCI/EIMA manufacturer members (BASF Wall Systems, Dryvit Systems Inc., ParexLahabra Inc. and Sto Corp.) along with AWCI, founded two insurance providers, AWCI Insurance Company and AWCI Risk Retention Group, to assure the availability of commercial general liability insurance for EIFS contractors.
“Collectively, we have provided great support to contractors, suppliers and manufacturers in the EIFS industry,” said AWCI Executive Vice President/CEO Steve Etkin. “We look forward to this new commitment of working even closer together to advance the industry.”
As part of the new working relationship, EIMA will continue as an independent association and will use the expert marketing, management and reach of AWCI, according to Peter Balint and Bill Kasik, both members of EIMA’s Executive Board of Directors.
ABOUT EIMA
Founded in 1981, the EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) is a national non-profit technical trade association composed of leading manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and applicators involved in the exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) industry. For information, contact EIMA at (800) 294-3462,
eifsinfo@eima.com or
www.eima.com
ABOUT AWCI
Founded in 1918, AWCI is a non-profit trade association representing more than 2,200 contractors, suppliers, dealers and manufacturers in the wall and ceiling industry. The mission of the association is to provide services and undertake activities that enhance the members’ ability to operate a successful business. For information see
www.awci.org
