The AABC 58th annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona was fantastic, with the best attendance in recent memory! The venue was enjoyed by everyone attending, and AABC’s management team, CAM, did a wonderful job in scheduling and managing all the sessions and activities.
Awards
During the meeting, we added a new name to the AABC Hall of Fame, inducting Ted Cohen posthumously. Ted’s contributions to AABC were many and included:
- AABC President, 1990-1992
AABC Standards Committee, 4th Edition
AABC Member for 45 Years, 1968-2013
Championed the creation and launch of TAB Journal in 1991
I was honored to be able to present this award to Ted’s son, Howard Cohen, who was very proud of his father’s accomplishments in AABC and heard from many of us how Ted’s leadership touched our lives.
This year’s recipient of the AABC Outstanding Service Award, created for those who make significant contributions to AABC’s success during the year, was Jeremy Johnson of American Testing Inc. In addition to fulfilling his responsibilities as a new member of the Board, Jeremy chaired the marketing committee, gave multiple presentations, co-authored a published article and volunteered his time for AABC at AHR Expo.
Technical Program
We were joined at the Annual Meeting by ASHRAE President-Elect Dennis Knight, P.E., CxA, FASHRAE. I would like to thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to provide a welcome message, as well as present a technical session, “The Role of TAB on the Testing of HVAC Systems.” If only all TAB specifications were like his, our industry would be much better for it!
Other presentations in the strong technical program covered airflow measuring stations, CO2-based demand control technologies, visualizing real-time contamination ventilation, the evolution of the TAB professional, marketing strategies, AABC’s forthcoming fume hood standard and certification, and more! For anyone at member companies who were unable to attend, please go to the AABC member portal to access complete video recordings of all of this year’s (and prior year) presentations.
The meeting was a lot more than just gaining technical knowledge however – as always members had a great time during social activities where many old acquaintances were remade, and new friends found. These included a great Welcome Party, the largest golf tournament in years, an offsite night of arcade outing, and a wonderful Annual Closing Reception & Celebration.
Looking Ahead
Something I have been focusing on during my presidency is AABC’s Mission and Vision statements:
Mission: AABC establishes industry standards for total system balance of building environments, and is the only Association that exclusively certifies independent agencies. Members receive certification, technical training, continuing education, marketing, business resources, professional networking, and industry advocacy.
Vision: AABC members are the trusted Total System Balance providers of choice for every
building owner and design professional.
During the General Business Session in Scottsdale, I challenged those in attendance—particularly the company owners—to think about whether they are keeping AABC’s Mission and, especially, its Vision in mind as a guide to operating their companies. Are you ensuring that your employees have the proper training to provide Total System Balancing to every building owner and design professional in your area of operation? Are you striving to improve your company and your services so that AABC remains the premier organization for test and balance professionals?
I mentioned that we had excellent overall attendance this year, but we can still do better. Special thanks to the new member companies in attendance this year: Davis Nguyen of Test & Balance Group (Hawaii), John Bryan of JM Test & Balance, Inc. (Florida), and Jeremy Merrill of United Test and Balance (Colorado). In all, there were 65 AABC U.S. agencies, two Canadian agencies and two international agencies in attendance. As a reminder, each certified agency is required by the AABC Policies and Procedures to attend either the Annual Meeting or the AABC TAB & Cx Seminar at CxEnergy each year. Agencies who do not meet this requirement next year may have their certificates withheld in 2025.
In closing, I would like to say thank you for being a member of AABC, and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, October 9-11, 2024.
Gaylon Richardson, TBE, CxA
