Attendees Gather for Asheville Open Quarterly Meeting

Another great Open Quarterly Meeting (OQM) is officially in the books! With a total of 137 registered attendees, this Asheville meeting was a definite success. Surrounded by the beautiful Appalachian Mountains, the eclectic and picturesque town of Asheville, NC, was the perfect setting for attendees to come together for another great event.  

The OQM started with an overview by SBCA’s Executive Director, Jess Lohse, who introduced new staff and provided an update on SBCA’s strategic plan. This was followed by a panel led by Education Committee Chair, Tony Acampa; SBCA’s Director of Education, Ashley Baker; and SBCA’s Digital Resource Specialist, Laura Yasick. The panel presented on the association’s newly implemented Learning Management System (LMS), which is now live, in addition to doing a demo of the platform, showcasing the various improvements and exciting new features it offers. With the new platform, two tracks will be created within SBCA Academy: education and training.  

Wednesday started with an informational session on Quality Control and TPI Updates presented by SBCA’s Technical Director, Greg Greenlee; SBCA’s General Manager of Inspection Services, John Arne; Engineered Building Design’s Operation Manager, Zach Shepherd as moderator, ; TPI’s Executive Director, Jay Jones, ; and CCA’s VP of Component Design, Howard Gauger. In this session, the panel covered inspection requirements, best practices, quality management requirements under IRC and IBC, and details on various updates within the TPI 1 Standard. The morning continued with presentations by Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Diana Hun and Katie Copenhaver, discussing interesting new innovations their labs are working on – some of which could provide valuable resources for the building construction industry.  

Wednesday afternoon continued with breakout committee meetings, where the Membership, IT, Marketing, Management, BCMC, and Education Committees met. These committees continue to focus on providing guidance to staff on how to execute various activities and initiatives aimed at accomplishing the goals set forward in the association’s strategic plan. 

Both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings concluded with attendees gathering together to socialize and network. On Tuesday, the group went to dinner at Pack’s Tavern, where over 100 guests mingled and dined together in great camaraderie. With robust conversation and delicious food, the room was full of chatter and laughter. On Wednesday, attendees made their way to Green Man’s Brewing for a happy hour social event, where the beer and conversation flowed. 

At the Board of Director’s meeting on Thursday morning, Jeff Smith, of Builders FirstSource, was recognized for his service to the SBCA Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and for all his time, efforts, and contributions to the association over the years, due to Jeff taking an exciting new position in another industry. Roger Helgeson, President of The Truss Company, was renewed for a three-year At-Large term with the Executive Committee. Additionally, Jerry Vulgaris, Vice President of Sales for A-1 Industries, was elected to a three-year Component Manufacturer term on the SBCA Board of Directors. The meeting continued with exciting updates on the upcoming Innovative Housing Showcase in which SBCA is a co-presenter and exhibitor. SBCA will also be partnering with 84 Lumber, who will be supplying all the structural framing elements and labor, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory with using their “Real Time Evaluator” for some of the build. The National Framers Council (NFC) also reported updates on their recent charity golf tournament, where they raised almost $20,000 which will be donated to the SBCA Foundation & Endowment, in addition to the progress of the proof-of-concept magazine for NFC. 

BCMC and Framer Summit will be held in Milwaukee, WI, October 7-11, 2024, at the Baird Center. Registration is open for exhibitors and attendees; 70 companies have registered to fill 48,600 square feet of show floor space so far. 

Overall, the meeting was well-attended, full of fantastic food, great conversation and networking, informational and beneficial education sessions, and downright fun.  

Be sure to join us at the next Open Quarterly Meeting in Bellevue, WA, July 9-11!  

Questions? Contact us at info@sbcacomponents.com or visit www.sbcacomponents.com.