On Jan. 19 and 20, the ASSE International Board of Directors met for their first quarter meeting in San Diego. The officers and directors in attendance were President Dana Colombo, Vice President John Parizek, Immediate Past President Douglas A. Marian, Treasurer John F. Flader, Region 1 Director Jaime Valdivia, Region 2 Director Vincent Gallo, Region 3 Director Debbie Vukovich, Region 4 Director Paul A. Baker, Region 5 Director Joseph Kajak, Region 6 Director Jason Shank, Region 8 Director Daniel Rademacher, and Manufacturers’ Representative John F. Higdon, P.E.
The meeting began with a financial report from Treasurer Flader, which showed that ASSE International is in strong financial health. ASSE International Executive Director Tom Palkon then presented the 2018 budget, which was approved by the Board.
President Colombo and multiple regional directors gave reports on the key activities in which they, or the chapters they oversee, have been involved. Some of these discussions included:
- The advantages of working with, and sharing information with, local contractors, contractor associations, and vendors, and the importance of meetings and social activities that involve apprentices.
- President Colombo discussed his recent participation in a conference call to develop a new ASSE scald awareness white paper. Colombo had high praise for ASSE International Scald Awareness Task Group Chairperson Rich Prospal for the work that he and the task force have put into the successful scald awareness white papers.
- Region 4 Director Paul Baker noted the passing of Paul (Bear) Bladdick, who passed away in December. A member of ASSE since 1991, Bladdick received the Fellow (FASSE) Award in 1999, Henry B. Davis Award in 2009, and the Patrick J. Higgins Award in 2016. He was a very important member of the ASSE Michigan Chapter and he will be greatly missed.
Next up was committee appointments. President Colombo presented his proposed 2018 committee nominations, and the Board approved his recommendations unanimously. To view the full list of ASSE committees and see who was appointed to each, search the committee rosters at www.asse-plumbing.org/comm.asp.
In preparation for the 2018 Mid-Year Meeting, being held April 10-11 at the ASSE International Office in Mokena, Ill., Professional Qualifications Director Marianne Waickman is preparing a document that will define the responsibilities, scope, and purpose of each committee. The goal of this document is to help committee members better understand their roles and help focus their work, and provide information to non-committee members about which meetings they should be involved. View the Mid-Year Meeting schedule and register at www.asse-plumbing.org/midyear.
The Board then reviewed the schedule for future ASSE International meetings. The schedule is as follows:
2018 ASSE International Mid-Year Meeting
April 10-11
ASSE International Office, Mokena, IL
2018 ASSE International Annual Meeting
Oct. 15-18
Bahia Mar (Doubletree), Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2018 ASSE International Trade Show
(part of the 2018 ASSE International Annual Meeting)
Oct. 16
Bahia Mar (Doubletree), Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2019 ASSE International Annual Meeting
(co-located with IAPMO)
September 22-26, 2019
Silver Legacy, Reno, NV
After discussing the meeting schedule, Executive Director Palkon and Professional Qualifications Director Waickman gave the Board a status report on ASSE’s various programs, asked for input and guidance for future activities, and discussed the 2018 ASSE International Annual Meeting being held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Board and staff then discussed ASSE publications, including ASSE’s new magazine, Working Pressure, which will launch in March. The quarterly magazine will be distributed in print to ASSE International members and online to the public and ASSE-certified professionals at www.workingpressuremag.com. The ASSE International eNewsletter will continue to be published semi-monthly during Working Pressure‘s off-months. Moving on to regulatory matters, the Board then discussed accomplishments, goals, and targets for the acceptance of ASSE professional certification and ASSE listed products.
On day two, Jan. 12, the Board moved into a review of achievements from 2017 and goals for 2018, including strategies to market ASSE programs. The Board then shifted gears to ASSE product and professional qualifications standards, including the approval of the newly revised ASSE 1024, Performance Requirements for Dual Check Backflow Preventers.
To conclude the meeting, the Board discussed goals for 2018. A main topic was ASSE membership – who are ASSE’s members? What are the benefits of membership? How can ASSE provide even more value to each category and segment of membership?
ASSE International is a membership driven organization, and we rely on your input. If you have comments about where we are succeeding, where we can improve, or how we can add value to your membership, please send us a note at general.info@asse-plumbing.org.
