CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE
Doug Walker presented the committee report. There have been no new applicants since the last meeting, although several are still pending. To date, there are 11 Certified Companies, and three pending applications. The committee has approached Ted Johnston to step in as program auditor for Glenn Purdue, who is retiring. Ted has accepted and will coordinate with Glenn and the committee to being taking over the audits. A refocused marketing plan is being developed to reach out to prospective companies.
CONVENTION COMMITTEE
Kevin Baron presented the committee report. The 2019 Convention & Tech Fair in St. Petersburg, FL will have nearly 200 attendees, one of the largest non-Hawaii conventions in the past 15 years. A contract was signed with the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, CA for the 2020 Convention & Tech Fair, March 10-14. The committee will begin looking at cities on the east coast for the 2021 Convention and plan site visits for later this year.
ELECTION COMMITTEE
Donna Harris presented the committee report and reminded 2020 Board candidates to submit their Board applications or Lifetime Achievement Award nominations to Pat O’Brien by the June 30 deadline.
GPRIMAGING COMMITTEE
Mark DeSchepper presented the committee report. Conversations with Decipher software are still in progress, and the contract continues to be reviewed with Glenn Purdue.
A GPR Certification class in 2019 will be held just prior to the Operator Certification course in Clearwater, FL at St. Petersburg College on November 8-9. Rick Norland will serve as the instructor. Motion was made and seconded to accept Rick Norland as a Certified GPR Operator pending successful completion of the written and practical tests.
MANUFACTURER COMMITTEE
Greg Lipscomb presented the committee report. There are 24 exhibitors at the 2019 Tech Fair on Thursday, March 14. Lunch will be provided, and a raffle will be held for those completing a booth visit card.
The committee reviewed potential locations for a manufacturer site visit in 2020, and options will be discussed with the Convention Committee and the new President.
MARKETING COMMITTEE
Jami Harmon presented the committee report. A new, updated marketing presentation based on the old ‘”Diamond Advantage” presentation will be developed and submitted to the American Institute of Architects for Learning Unit credit approval. Similar presentations for GPR and polishing will also be developed.
A proposal from the Facebook group “Concrete Cutting Brotherhood” was reviewed. The group was promoting their branded apparel items, such as hats and belt buckles, and wanted CSDA to purchase these items to be used as giveaways. The committee determined the images do not reflect CSDA’s professionalism and values and will find other ways to collaborate with this group.
The committee will establish goals and budget for 2019 by the June meeting. The decision was made not to exhibit at the AIA show this year.
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
Dan Dennison presented the committee report. The committee is focusing on reducing the number of resigned members and will be reaching out to those who have not yet paid their 2019 dues. Committee members have volunteered to contact these members and discuss membership with them.
Different committee members will arrive a day early to each of the 2019 committee meetings to visit some of the local contractors in each location and discuss the benefits of CSDA with them and invite them to the meetings.
The deadline for paying 2019 dues is April 1, and renewals are on track with last year’s numbers in terms of number of members, however the overall amount collected from dues is down about $10,000 from YTD 2018 and $100,000 from the budgeted amount for 2019.
NEXT GENERATION COMMITTEE
Kellie Vazquez presented the committee report. The committee wants to focus on recruiting new members, setting up a women’s panel and refocusing the mission statement.
POLISHING COMMITTEE
Bruce Ferrell presented the committee report for Jessica Ledger-Kalen. Initial data analysis from the Ra, Rsx and Rq testing sessions in 2018 is returning, but the committee is waiting on more data analysis to come back before making a final recommendation. Early results show that Ra does not work as a stand-alone testing value. They will continue to collect real-world data and further refine the results.
The Polishing 101 class at 2019 World of Concrete was a success, and the new instructor Craig Cowan will return for a second class in 2020. The second class, Testing Methods of Polished Concrete will be revised and refined for 2020 so that both classes can be offered at the next show. Concrete Polishing 101 drew 18 students while Testing Methods had only one student signed up and was cancelled.
The ST-118 and Concrete Polishing specifications will continue to be revised and reviewed.
The polishing manufacturers were asked to volunteer to find polishing job stories for upcoming issues of Concrete Openings.
SAFETY COMMITTEE
Matthew Finnigan presented the committee report. The Construction Employer’s Association (CEA) proposal for silica data submission and testing has been reviewed, and Glenn Purdue found significant issues with the agreement. The committee will work on a revised agreement and submit to CEA.
Scripts for the Wall Saw, Flat Saw, Core Drill and Wire Saw safety videos are being reviewed and updates will be completed by the June 12 meetings in Reno.
New TSTs are being developed on marijuana, UV protection, respirators, electrical grounding and social media. A Best Practice on securing wall saw openings is also in development.
Matthew Finnigan is stepping down as the committee chair and Bennett Jones will be taking over.
STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS COMMITTEE
Mike Orzechowski presented the committee report. The Hazard Communication Standard Best Practice has been approved and will be released via the CSDA website and members will be notified through an email campaign. The committee is drafting a new Best Practice on securing wall openings.
The committee’s goal for the next year will be going through each of the existing Best Practices, Standards & Specifications and Tolerances and review for any needed updates.
TRAINING COMMITTEE
Patrick Harris presented the committee report. It was determined that a job description was needed to help define the role and responsibilities of a CSDA Instructor. This job description will be completed by the next meeting. The committee is actively searching for new instructors for all classes, both primary and secondary.
The dates for 2019 training courses were finalized. The 101 courses will be held at ICS, Blount in Portland, Oregon, October 14-18, the 201 Operator Certification courses will be held November 11-15 at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, Florida. A GPR Certification Course will be held November 8-9 at St. Petersburg College in Clearwater, Florida.