MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Webinar: AMCA COVID-19 Guidance for Large-Diameter Ceiling Fans

Jan. 5, 1-2 p.m. EST

PRESENTERS:

• Liangzhu (Leon) Wang, PhD, P.Eng., associate professor, Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University
• Paul Raftery, PhD, professional researcher, Center for the Built Environment, University of California, Berkeley
• Christian Taber, principal engineer, codes and standards, AMCA member company

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2022 AMCA Idea Exchange and North America Region Meeting

March 2-4

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Fla.

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2021 AMCA Annual Meeting: Progress on Strategic Plan Reported

Because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, AMCA held its 2021 Annual Meeting virtually, the general session on Nov. 29 and the division meetings on Dec. 7.

“This is the second (Annual) meeting in a row that we have been forced to hold virtual due to the current corona situation, and, looking back, we made a completely correct decision,” Mats Sándor, technical director, Systemair AB, whose term as 2020-2021 AMCA president concluded at the end of the meeting, said. “… Hopefully, this will be the last (meeting we have to hold virtually). And let’s all hope that the new corona mutation, Omicron, … will not be a new global problem for us to deal with.”

Sándor, who now serves as chairman of the AMCA board of directors, reflected on his time as president.

“Since the start of AMCA—1917—I am the fourth president from outside North America and the third president from Europe and the first president from Sweden, which is an honor for me,” he said.

As of the day of the meeting, Sándor reported, AMCA had 393 members, had certified 4,061 products, and had accredited 69 laboratories.

“During this year, we have also made several significant improvements,” Sándor recounted. “For example, to ensure a greater influence from our members, … we have developed a new process for developing strategies [more on that under “Strategic-Plan Update” below]. … With the aim to get closer to our regional steering committees and members, we have developed a new routine for taking board and annual meetings between regions. Recently, we have created a working group with the aim of developing a diversity-and-inclusion policy for AMCA.”

Financial Recap

Mark Bublitz, vice president, engineering, The New York Blower Co., whose term as 2020-2021 AMCA treasurer concluded at the end of the meeting, and Paul Fajnor, AMCA director of finance, human resources, and information technology, reported on AMCA’s financials.

“There are challenging things within the finances of the organization,” Bublitz, who now serves as vice president of AMCA, said. “Revenues are relatively stable, mostly because we have a captive audience: There’s certified products that need to be checked, and there’s labs that need to be accredited. … However, expenditures fluctuated incredibly, primarily because (of a lack of) meetings and travel.

“… To summarize, AMCA’s OK from a financial perspective,” Bublitz concluded. “… The reserve is up; it remains within the targeted scope. Capital investments are on hold, pending economic stabilization. We can expect expenses to increase—travel’s starting to open back up again. Meeting income: We will obviously strive to balance expenses, but we will have to pay extra-close attention as we get back to normal because it was a big interruption in cash-flow streams. … And then we should expect some hybrid expenses—like the things we incur to run today’s meeting—to remain indefinitely; the world has changed, and AMCA’s changed with it.”

Fajnor shared preliminary 2020-2021 and projected 2021-2022 financial results. For the numbers and analysis, see the video recording of the general session of the 2021 AMCA Annual Meeting in the members area of the AMCA website (click “Video of the 2021 AMCA Virtual Annual Meeting”). Fajnor’s report begins at the 0:13:30 mark.

A motion to accept AMCA’s 2020-2021 financial statements as presented passed.

Nominating Committee Report

Jim Meats, PE, vice president of marketing, Loren Cook Co., whose term as 2020-2021 AMCA vice president and chair of the AMCA Nominating Committee concluded at the end of the meeting, presented two candidates for the AMCA board of directors: Jye Teoh, general manager, Kruger Ventilation Industries Asia Company Ltd., and Brett Vake, vice president of customer experience, Twin City Fan Companies Ltd., both of whom were elected.

“This year, I was very encouraged by the level of interest in serving on the board of directors,” Meats, who now serves as AMCA president, said. “We had 10 candidates that were put forward, which is an unusually large number. … Of those 10 candidates, six were from Air Movement Division companies, four from Air Control Division companies. And of these candidates, six were from North America, two from the Middle East, and two from Asia. The nominating committee looks at all of these criteria and the current mix of the board when considering candidates.”

Meats thanked all of the applicants.

“It is invaluable to us, to the future health of this organization, and for the efficient operation of the board of directors to have such fine candidates to consider,” he said.

There were no nominations from the floor.

To see the AMCA board of directors for 2021-2022, click here.

Moment of Silence

A moment of silence was held for three individuals who, as Executive Director Mark Stevens explained, had “been part of our AMCA family and passed away in the last year”: Peter Blaha, Ruskin, retired; Mark Hochstetler, Honeyville Metal Inc.; and Jack Peters, Loren Cook Co.

Executive Director’s Report

AMCA members that manufacture air-movement products outnumber those that manufacture air-control products 292 to 201, Stevens reported.

With the changes to AMCA’s bylaws that took effect April 1, “We rolled the Airflow Measurement Station and acoustic-attenuation divisions into the Air Control Division,” Stevens reminded the audience. “It didn’t have a large impact on the size of the Air Control Division because most of the (Airflow Measurement Station Division and Acoustic Duct Attenuator Division) manufacturers were already in that space.”

The Air Movement Division-Air Control Division split is fairly even in North America and Asia, heavily weighted toward Air Movement in Europe, and heavily weighted toward Air Control in the Middle East, Stevens said.

Geographically, AMCA’s membership breaks down as follows, Stevens reported:

• Asia, 162 members (41 percent).
• North America (the United States and Canada), 157 members (40 percent).
• Middle East, 36 members (9 percent).
• Europe, 31 members (8 percent).
• Mexico, five members (1 percent).
• South America, two members (1 percent).

In North America, companies certify an average of 16.8 product lines through AMCA, up from 15.7 in 2008. In Asia, companies certify an average of 5.9, up from 5.3 in 2008. In the Middle East and Europe, the average number of certifications is 5.4, up from 3.5 in 2008, and 1.9, up from 1.4 in 2008, respectively.

“This is an indicator of how firmly attached members are to AMCA, and, by that, I mean that, if in that region, if certification is necessary in order to do business in the market, you expect certifications per company to be very high, in that it’s very difficult to leave AMCA because of the market requirement for certification,” Stevens said. “… (In the) Middle East and Europe, of course, there’s no requirement for certification there, so, at least in my view, in staff’s view, (that is where) the attachment to AMCA is the most tenuous, or least firm.”

In Asia, Stevens added, growth in certifications per company is outpacing the steady growth in membership seen over the last dozen years, which is “really good news.” He said this trend also is being seen in the Middle East.

Laboratory accreditations, which Stevens called “the bellwether for certifications” and “a bellwether for the health of the association,” began “tapering off a little bit” in 2021, a development he attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he believes laboratory accreditations are “going to pick up again in the next year.”

For more of the executive director’s report, see the video recording of the general session of the 2021 AMCA Annual Meeting in the members' area of the AMCA website. The report begins at the 0:32:30 mark.

Strategic-Plan Update

Stevens said he is “pleased as heck” by how the development of AMCA’s next three-year (2021-2024) strategic plan is progressing. The process, he said, began with a survey, the respondents to which represent a “pretty good cross-section” of AMCA members, one “weighted towards the C-suite and the director/management position,” individuals “responsible for steering their own companies.”

Thirty-six percent of AMCA’s members in the Middle East, 32 percent of its members in Europe, 22 percent of its members in North America, and 5 percent of its members in Asia responded to the survey.

Fifty-two percent of the respondents represent the building-ventilation market, 9 percent the industrial-process market, and 39 percent both markets.

Thirty-nine percent of the respondents represent the Air Movement Division, 29 percent the Air Control Division, and 32 percent both divisions.

Among the questions survey participants were asked were:

• Does AMCA live up to its mission? Thirty-eight percent of the respondents answered “always,” and 53 percent answered “most of the time.” It “was really good to see this, in that we’re focused on what we should be focused on,” Stevens said. Five percent of the respondents answered “occasionally,” 2 percent answered “rarely,” and 2 percent answered “never.”
• Are there enough resources in your region? An overwhelming majority of respondents from North America (97 percent) and Europe (90 percent) answered in the affirmative. Respondents from the Middle East (69 percent affirmative) and Asia (50 percent affirmative) indicated, “They want more of whatever we’re doing,” Stevens said.
• How valuable are various AMCA programs? Globally, standards and publications development ranked first, followed by the Certified Ratings Program, advocacy, laboratory accreditation, education, global recognition of the industry, system-efficiency promotion, industrial-market support, and marketing statistics. Among respondents from Asia, significantly less value was placed on standards and publications development, laboratory accreditation, global recognition of the industry, system-efficiency promotion, and industrial-market support. “When we get to the steering-committee meetings, which still need to take place for Asia, I think that this is something that we need to concentrate on as far as … is it really true that these really aren’t of much value,” Stevens said. Deviations from global averages also were seen in Europe, where significantly less value was placed on the Certified Ratings Program and significantly greater value was placed on laboratory accreditation, and in the Middle East, where significantly less value was placed on advocacy and significantly greater value was placed on education and global recognition of the industry.
• What’s your level of satisfaction with AMCA? On a scale of 0-5, with 5 being best, respondents in North America’s satisfaction level was just over 4. Respondents in Europe’s, the Middle East’s, and Asia’s satisfaction levels were just under 4. “I would’ve really have loved to see these numbers higher,” Stevens said. “When I saw these numbers, not all of them over 4, I think we got some work to do here. It is sort of a wakeup call for me … a call to action.”

Armed with data from the survey, each of AMCA’s four steering committees (Middle East, Asia, North America, Europe) met to perform a region-specific SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. The international board then used the results of those analyses to prepare an overarching strategic plan.

“To the board’s credit, … there wasn’t anything that was ignored or put aside,” Stevens said. “They really poured their attention into this. Most of the steering-committee people weren’t there to see that, but I would ask that they acknowledge the board for really making sure that they were listened to.”

The central tenants of the 2021-2024 strategic plan are:

• Certification: AMCA will expand and strengthen participation and enforcement of the Certified Ratings Program.
• Advocacy: AMCA will defend and advance members’ interests through building codes, standards, regulations, and education.
• Engagement: AMCA will improve, broaden, and focus participation and awareness of the association.
• Excellence: The AMCA board will ensure and enhance AMCA’s operational excellence and organizational governance.

Certification and advocacy are carried over from the 2018-2021 strategic plan, while engagement is an expansion of the 2018-2021 plan’s education pillar, and excellence is new, Stevens said.

The current stage of the 2021 strategic-planning process involves each steering committee using the overarching plan to devise region-specific tactics. The steering committees for the Middle East and Europe met Nov. 11 and Nov. 15, respectively.

“I had anticipated that this would only take one meeting per region,” Stevens said. “Now that I’ve gone through two regions … I don’t think that that’s going to happen. … Matter of fact, I’m certain. … We have to come back to the drawing board, particularly in light of the fact that we need to work towards regional self-sufficiency.”

The steering committee for North America met Dec. 15, while the steering committee for Asia is scheduled to meet Jan. 10.

Once the region-specific tactics are established, they will be sent to the international board for review and approval.

For more of the strategic-plan update, see the video recording of the meeting in the members area of the AMCA website. The report begins at the 0:45:09 mark.

Division Meetings

A video recording of the division meetings of the 2021 AMCA Annual Meeting is available in the members area of the AMCA website (click “Video of the 2021 AMCA Divisional Meetings”). Following is a list of the presentations and presenters. The times in parentheses indicate the points in the recording the presentations begin.

Air Control Division meeting (chair: Nathan Redman, senior vice president of sales, Kinetics Noise Control Inc.)

• Air Control Division Advocacy: Aaron Gunzner, senior manager, advocacy, AMCA (0:02:58).
• Air Control Division Publications & Standards: Shruti Kohli-Bhargava, manager, publications and standards, AMCA (0:21:32).

Joint division meeting

• Education: Lisa Cherney, education manager, AMCA (0:39:23).
• Industry Content: Scott Arnold, manager of industry content, AMCA (0:58:01).
• Certified Ratings Program: Charlie Meyers, Certified Ratings Program manager, AMCA (1:04:11).
• AMCA Laboratories & Lab Accreditation: Tim Reilly, Laboratory Manager, AMCA (1:17:59).

Air Movement Division meeting (chair: Marcel Kamutzki, P.Eng., president, Daltec Process Fans)

• Air Movement Division Advocacy: Michael Ivanovich, senior director, global affairs, AMCA (1:32:11).
• Air Movement Division Publications & Standards: Joe Brooks, PE, director of publications and standards, AMCA (1:55:14).

A Message From President Jim Meats ...

Addressing the ‘Great Retirement’

The last 18 months have presented challenges with which AMCA members are all too familiar. If you haven’t been affected by labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and/or commodity-price increases, count yourself among the lucky few.

Those of us who have been in the industry for a while know these concerns eventually will subside—hopefully, sooner, rather than later.

One issue that does not receive as much attention, yet confronts us all, is the “Great Retirement.” We are at a point in time in our industry where a considerable number of our most seasoned contributors are retiring and leaving the workforce, taking decades of knowledge and experience with them. Many of these people have served AMCA in key positions on committees, boards, and task forces and shouldered a considerable workload, laying the groundwork upon which we currently are building and from which we benefit. As they go, who will replace them? Compared with the previously mentioned concerns, this one is more persistent.

There are many bright young minds coming up through our companies who are ready for additional challenges and responsibilities. It is tremendously important—urgent even—that we find ways to engage these future leaders and position them where they can best contribute. The AMCA board has been discussing this for the past few years, making it an area of focus during recent strategic-planning sessions.

I ask you, as company and industry leaders, to encourage your people—the younger ones in particular—to engage with AMCA. It is an investment that will pay dividends for your company and is essential to the continued relevance and success of our trade association.

Some of you have expressed a desire to put people forward for such roles, but are unsure where they could contribute most effectively. If that is the case for you, please reach out to an AMCA staff, board, or steering-committee member to find out where the need is greatest and where the fit would be best.

Thank you for your consideration on this important matter. I look forward to seeing many new young faces at our future meetings as we address this very real challenge.

Registration for Webinar on AMCA Large-Diameter-Ceiling-Fan Study Open

Registration for the webinar “AMCA COVID-19 Guidance for Large-Diameter Ceiling Fans,” scheduled for Jan. 5 from 1-2 p.m. EST, is open.

Based on AMCA’s recently concluded study of the impact of large-diameter (greater than 7 ft [2.1 m]) ceiling fans (LDCF) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure in a warehouse in the United States, the webinar will be presented by Liangzhu (Leon) Wang, PhD, P.Eng., associate professor in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering at Concordia University, who served as principal investigator for the study; Paul Raftery, PhD, professional researcher with the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, who was responsible for ceiling-fan modeling; and Christian Taber, principal engineer, codes and standards, for an AMCA member company, who was responsible for the warehouse model and LDCF modeling, and moderated by AMCA Senior Manager, Advocacy Aaron Gunzner, who served as staff liaison.

“AMCA COVID-19 Guidance for Large-Diameter Ceiling Fans” will examine the design and execution of the study, the results, and consequent guidance for building operators and other individuals with control over the operation of fans in large, sparsely occupied spaces.

A members-only webinar on the study was held Nov. 3 (to view a video recording, click “Proceedings from Member Only activities” in the AMCA Members Area of the AMCA website).

To register for the Jan. 5 webinar, click here.

AMCA Returning to AHR Expo in 2022

AMCA will exhibit at, and present eight free industry sessions during, the 2022 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), which will be held Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.

AMCA will exhibit at Booth C3628.

On Jan. 31, in Room N233, AMCA will present:

• 9-10 a.m.: “HVAC Terminal System Selections: A Real-World Project Data Survey,” presented by Aaron Gunzner, senior manager, advocacy, AMCA, and Dave Morrow, managing partner, Applied Marketing Knowledge.
• 10:30-11:30 a.m.: “Living With a Skill Gap—Designing Higher Efficiency Fans With a Less Experienced Workforce,” presented by Geoff Sheard, DSc, president, AGS Consulting LLC.
• 12:30-1:30 p.m.: “Basics of Fan Balance and Vibration,” presented by Rad Ganesh, PhD, PE, director, product applications, Twin City Fan Cos.
• 2-3 p.m.: “Acoustical Design for the A/E/C Industry,” presented by Jeff Boldt, managing principal, IMEG Corp.
• 3:30-4:30 p.m.: “High Velocity Low Speed (HVLS) Fans: Updates on COVID Guidance and Federal Energy Regulation,” presented by Aaron Gunzner, senior manager, advocacy, AMCA, and Christian Taber, principal engineer, codes and standards, Big Ass Fans.
• 5-6 p.m.: “Air Curtain Technology and the Impact on Building Energy Consumption,” presented by David Johnson, director of engineering, Berner International, and Frank Cauderno, vice president of engineering, Mars Air Systems.

On Feb. 1, also in Room N233, AMCA will present:

• 9-10 a.m.: “Louver Requirements, Codes & Specifications in Hurricane Prone Regions,” presented by Michael Bulzomi, director of marketing, louvers and dampers, Nailor Industries.
• 10:30-11:30 a.m.: “Field Modifications of Fire, Smoke, and Combination Fire/Smoke Dampers,” presented by James Carlin, product manager, dampers, Pottorff.

Each of the sessions is professional-development-hour- (PDH-) eligible.

Asia AMCA Holds Technical Seminar

At the invitation of the Ningbo Civil Engineering Association and HVAC Society, Asia AMCA conducted a three-hour technical seminar at Crowne Plaza Ningbo Kaizhou Hotel Oct. 28.

Before an audience that included chief engineers of design institutes, technical leaders, and plan-review experts, Mr. Chen Yue, Asia AMCA’s China representative, gave an overview of AMCA and its Certified Ratings Program, presented basic concepts of fans, discussed specification of AMCA-certified products, and screened a video on system effect.

Mr. Huang, the chief engineer of Ningbo Architectural Design Institute, who chaired the meeting, said system effect is a new concept for many in the region and usually goes unnoticed.

Mr. Chen later said the attendees had an in-depth understanding of AMCA and its mission. He said they realize that AMCA certification provides assurance of product performance.

Jeanne Kolle Joins AMCA as Staff Accountant

On Dec. 1, Jeanne Kolle joined the staff of AMCA International in the role of staff accountant.

Reporting to Director of Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Paul Fajnor, Jeanne is responsible for invoicing, banking, accounts payable, payroll and expense reports, month-end closing, distribution and recording of credit-card statements, wire transfers, and more.

Jeanne came to AMCA with more than 10 years of accounting experience. Previously, she worked as staff accountant for the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based technical and standards-developing organization. Prior to that, she worked as staff accountant for AZ Cos., an Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based distribution center; as bookkeeper/QuickBooks ProAdvisor for ROI Business Services LLC, a Bartlett, Ill.-based tax, accounting, and business consulting firm; and as national accounts-payable specialist for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based insurance brokerage and risk-management-services firm. Additionally, she has done contract work for Heidenhain Corp., Inplex Custom Extruders LLC, and Gage Foods.

Jeanne has an associate’s degree in accounting from Harper College.

In her spare time, Jeanne enjoys cooking, reading, going on walks, and playing guitar.

Jeanne can be reached at [email protected].

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