Dear ,
As I write this, I am on the airplane just leaving Indianapolis...what a wonderful and inviting city! DeckExpo 2009 was amazing and everyone who attended had a great time. I have not missed a DeckExpo and the energy and excitement of this show was very refreshing. It was something I had not noticed since the very first show in Atlanta. Do you remember the Atlanta show? We were all excited to have a show just for the deck industry. With Indianapolis, I believe it is the anticipation of what is to come in 2010. The energy was invigorating and contagious and carried through the show floor and into the surrounding areas. In speaking with the vendors of DeckExpo, they were all happy with the attendance and questions being asked. As for the attendees, we were able to see new products and ideas and now have several months to get them worked into our business for next season. We were also able to partake in my favorite DeckExpo activity, which is networking with manufacturers and builders alike. If you have not experienced the benefits of this activity, you are truly missing out. I think next year, in Baltimore, we will see even more manufacturers with new product offerings at DeckExpo. Typically, we see the new products after the first of the year, but I feel the manufacturers see the value of using DeckExpo as a sneak preview, allowing us an even better chance to stay ahead in our markets.
For those of you who were not able to attend DeckExpo I wanted to give a brief update to some of the happenings of NADRA. First, the NADRA booth was one of the busiest of the whole show. A huge thanks goes out to those who helped make all this happen. It is amazing how much time and effort it takes to pull together a show but the effort really paid off. I also would like to thank everyone who helped sponsor the show. Our main sponsor, fiberon, was there once again supporting our industry and helped make the show possible for the Association. I also want to thank all of those who donated items for the silent auction, which was a success again this year. The annual meeting was on Wednesday evening and the Board of Directors shared some of the items that NADRA has been working on and ways the association is growing and changing. We also held an election to fill five vacant board positions. I would like to thank Bob Lett, Tim Gillis, Kim Katwick, and Brent Fournier for their time and contributions to NADRA and the members. Your passion and efforts will be hard to replace and your time was well served. I also would like to welcome the new board members Bill Ross, Bobby Smith, Gary Daley, Rich Phillips and our new associate board member Robert Heldenreich. I look forward to working with you all and the unique talents you bring to the board of directors. I was the fifth member elected to the board and I thank those who voted for me and look forward to serving you again.
I think most of us had more than one moment of excitement followed by two of worry in the past year. However, with each month of 2009, the industry has seen small steps forward. With each step forward, we get closer to understanding the new market that we now belong. We have had to rediscover how to actually be sales people again and review our procedures to provide the type of service and products the customers now request. We no longer have the upper hand in the market and that can sometimes be scary. However, with it also comes an excitement and a challenge to learn to thrive. 2010 will not be without challenges but we now are better equipped to handle them. Thank you for all your support over the past year and I look forward to working with you between now and DeckExpo 2010! This is the time to get involved in NADRA email today and ask me how: shawn@nadra.org
Happy Selling,
Shawn Miller
President
North American Deck and Rail Association
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DeckExpo 2009
Bill Ross, Fiberon @ the NADRA Booth, DeckExpo 2009
NADRA would like to thank DeckExpo 2009 Main Event Sponsor, and newly appointed Board of Director, Bill Ross, Fiberon, for sponsoring this years Annual Meeting & Cocktail Party!
This year's annual meeting was a great success! NADRA members, employees of members & prospective members all piled in starting around 5pm after the show ended on the first day. Our expectations were exceeded when over 200 industry professionals showed up for the annual meeting & cocktail party.
Everyone enjoyed cold beverages and warm hors d'oeuvres for the first hour. NADRA members signed in and picked up their ballot as voting took place among the membership. Nominees for the NADRA board of directors (bios can be found at www.NADRA.org) got things started with a brief speech, introducing themselves. Once the ballots were collected, the meeting began while the tellers counted the ballots.
To view a full recap of DeckExpo 2009 from a builders perspective, check out letter from PA NADRA Chapter President, Matt Breyer...
Fellow Remodelers & Deck Builders,
I had the pleasure of traveling out to Indianapolis, Indiana at the end of October for The Remodeling Show/DeckExpo. For those of you who were unable to attend, I thought I'd share a brief report on the event. If you were able to make it, I'm sure you would join me in confirming its value.
This year I made the sacrifice to go for the entire week. I say "sacrifice" because, well, in this difficult economy, taking ANY time away from your business's day-to-day operations is a sacrifice. However, it is an investment in your company's future... and we can't allow the current industry fear to compromise our future potential!
There was a great variety of products, vendors, and business services represented at the show- and all of them had us as remodelers & deck builders as their focus! To be honest, it was kinda nice... read on...
We would like to officially welcome the
following new Board members:
Gary Daley - DeckBuilder Custom Decks & Railings
Rich Phillips - Decks By Design, LLC
Bill Ross - Fiber Composites, LLC
Bobby Smith - DeckSouth
Bob Heidenreich - The Deck and Door Company - Associate Board Member
Welcome & thank you for your dedication
and vision to NADRA!
NADRA would also like to thank the
following DeckExpo Sponsors:
- Simpson Strong-Tie / Education
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AZEK & FastenMaster / Sponsor of ICC / NADRA Deck Construction Book
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Arch Treatment Technologies, Inc. / Booth Supplies
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Fortress Iron / NADRA Member Bags
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Breyer Construction & Landscape, PA /
Booth Transportation
NADRA would also like to thank the following Silent Auction Sponsors:
- DeckTools
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Simpson Strong-Tie - Quik Drive
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Atlantis Rail Systems
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Feeney, Inc. - CableRail™
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Wolf Distributing, Co.
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Hanley Wood
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Home Tops
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Sure Drive USA
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OHC
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Silca System
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Tiger Claw
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Absolute Distribution, Inc.
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Everflashing (Quality Aluminum)
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Woodpile Products, Inc.
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Phoenix Manufacturing
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The Luxwood Corporation
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Decks Unlimited
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Glistening Web Communications Corp. (GWCC)
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Attach-A-Deck |
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NADRA New Jersey Chapter Deck for a Soldier® Project...
The NJ Chapter of NADRA successfully completed the deck and ramp for Sgt. Minard and his family on November 17, 2009. Army SSG Michael Minard, 26 years old, was on his third tour in Iraq when tragedy struck. "One October we were out on a recon just a couple clicks north of Sadr City in Baghdad and on the way we got hit by a [roadside bomb]," he said. "It tore through our Stryker and stripped my legs apart." Sgt. Minard lost both of his legs in the explosion. While Homes for our Troops is building the house, NADRA worked on building the deck and ramp for Sgt. Minard. Several NADRA members and other builder volunteers and manufacturer's reps came together and built this deck and ramp in six days. "You would never know that the volunteers are competitors in the building industry, as everyone worked as a unified team all with the goal of giving back to someone who sacrificed so much for our country", states Jen Sheridan, secretary of the NJ Chapter of NADRA.
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NADRA would like to thank the following event sponsors...
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The NADRA Deck and Railing Product & Service Guide has proven to be a valuable resource for association members and other industry professionals who use the Internet to locate products and services for the entire deck and railing industry. This information resource uses powerful search technology that continually indexes the content of participating supplier Web sites. Users have the option of performing keyword-driven searches that mirror traditional search engines, or a category-specific search. Both methods produce the most relevant results on the Web.
The NADRA Deck and Railing Product & Service Guide also incorporates a desktop search mechanism, allowing visitors to download a free application that makes the directory accessible from the user's computer desktop. In addition, the directory has implemented Request For Information (RFI) functionality, allowing visitors to contact suppliers with the click of a button. Both features are becoming increasingly popular among users of the NADRA Deck and Railing Product & Service Guide and are a valuable business opportunity for suppliers to advertise in the directory.
Learn more here.
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About Us
The Mission of the North American Deck and Railing Association (NADRA) is to provide a unified source for the professional development, promotion, growth, and sustenance of the Deck and Railing building industry in North America so that members can exceed the expectations of their customers. |
NADRA is pleased to announce a new publication by the ICC, co-branded with NADRA: "DECK CONSTRUCTION based on the 2009 International Residential Code®" Glen G.A. Mathewson. As a bonus, the ICC was able to include NADRA's Deck Evaluation form, a technical form, for use in the inspection of decks, currently available at www.NADRA.org
Join NADRA as a new member and receive a free "Deck Construction" book while supplies last.
Also available at HERE for $40.00
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