A Message from Your PGC International President

Dear PGC International Members,

It’s an honor for me to serve as the President of the Protective Glazing Council (PGC) International for the next two years. I applaud the Immediate Past President Ron McCann (Viracon) for his leadership and his enthusiasm as President of this organization over the past two years. During Ron’s tenure, PGC International succeeded in getting members to actively participate in the Technical Resources and the Marketing and Communications Committees. As PGC International President, I will continue efforts to increase member participation and encourage the growth of the organization. I also intend to work with the membership to bring more value and additional member benefits to PGC International.

Having been an active member and Board member of PGC International for the last two years, I saw a unique desire within the membership to become more active and partake in technical activities with other industry organizations. There is great momentum in the marketplace and among protective glazing stakeholders to produce technical resources for the protective glazing industry and PGC International should work to continue this trend.

For the past year, PGC International has been working with the Glass Association of North America (GANA) on the Protective Glazing Manual. This manual is a “101” level educational manual focusing on types and purposes of protective glazing products, and also includes related “best practice” information such as maintenance and storage. This valuable industry resource is currently on track to be released by the end of March 2010.

PGC International members have presented at a number of industry organization events, such as the Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration (SWR) Institute, the GANA Glass Fabrication and Glazing Educational Conference and exhibited at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Every Building Show. PGC International will continue to work with these organizations in the next year and will look for more opportunities to educate architects, specifiers and government representatives on protective glazing products and uses.

The Technical Resources Committee under Bhaskar Adusumalli’s (TRACO) leadership is taking an active stand by reviewing and updating international standards that affect member companies, such as those by ASTM International. Committee members will partake in the regular update and re-approval processes on ballistic, blast, fire, hurricane, safety, security and seismic standards. This committee is also working on Product Selection Guidelines to aid architects and specifiers in selecting the proper protective glazing products for different applications.

The Marketing and Communications Committee, under the leadership of Scott Haddock (GlassLock, Inc.), is working to increase participation in the PGC International speaker’s bureau, delivering more informational papers to the industry and looking for opportunities to further the exposure and influence of the organization. Additionally, they are in the process of planning the PGC International 2010 Spring meeting. This committee is currently coordinating with the Explosives Standards Working Group within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an attempt to set up a partnership on the spring meeting’s agenda. Representatives from DHS are expected to be on the meeting agenda along with PGC International members.

As you can see, PGC International is an increasingly active organization with efforts underway covering all of the different aspects of protective glazing. I look forward to serving as your President along with Scott Haddock (GlassLock, Inc.) and Darrel Smith (International Window Film Association) continuing to serve as the Vice President and Treasurer, respectively, and Jim Stewart (Tremco, Inc.) serving as Secretary. I’m particularly excited to welcome new additions to the PGC International Board of Directors: David Kaliser (CPFilms, Inc.); Larry Livermore (Architectural Testing, Inc.) and Jon Johnson (Arch Aluminum and Glass Co., Inc.).

I welcome your comments and suggestions on how to make the Protective Glazing Council International more beneficial to you and your company and how to increase its efficiency and effectiveness within the protective glazing industry. If there are any improvements which you think can better meet the needs of our members, please do not hesitate to get involved at www.protectiveglazing.org or contact me at usowell@glasswebsite.com.

 

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