The Board

Well the latest edition of USGNN came out today and it had the Marv Stover resignation from the NFRC Board on it.

Of course they are not going to replace him.. I mean the elections are JUST AROUND THE CORNER.. you know in NOVEMBER. Yet last year when Kate Offringa resigned, in June, they quietly replaced her....

Consistent.

Plus you have to wonder when Marv really resigned- love that timing, right after the last election- almost like they kept him propped up to get another year of utter and total board dominance.

Anyway LOVE that transparency gang. I am sure Kristine and Potomac are in full alert mode right now spinning like crazy.

Plus they also had the blurb about the 30K for education to CWI and Gary Curtis. Still not grasping why NFRC could not do this "education" themselves.

Oh well.. the beat goes on.

Where's Marvin Stover?

Hey Kristine, Leonard and the gang at Potomac.... where's Marvin Stover?

Let's see he is not on the NFRC letterhead anymore and evidently does not work for Mikron anymore.

So he's off the board right? So when does the NFRC Board put another one of their own in for him? C'mon are you vetting candidates? Is Harriet Miers available?

See if the NFRC were serious about the commercial process a true commercial supplier or someone with commercial ties would get that spot-

Or maybe someone who cares a ton, like Tom Culp?

Nope, you can almost guarantee that it will be someone who is controllable by the powers that be. Heck Kristine you should take the job- you already set all the policy...

Amazing that transparency...

Still Plugging

I can't let another week go by without at least blogging something....

So...

The Hoops have been good.. some good upsets but at the end of the day teams like UCONN and BC are good- question is how Memphis, UCLA and Texas will fare...

Baseball is just around the corner. awesome.

On NFRC, not sure theres much to write about- today I am melancholy... I think maybe Potomac is winning... heck they make 100k+ and I don't.

I am sure I will get my second wind, plus other shoes will fall I am sure, but today, amazingly, for the first time since I have started this whole issue, I am not into it. I really believe that trying to take on a machine like Potomac is unhealthy- I mean you can never get anything published because they are everywhere, probably threatening the lives and careers of anyone if they dare print a dissenting or in some cases the REAL VIEW!

Heck you can't look any further than to last August and the Atlanta task group meeting, Potomac put out a release about the meeting and it was like a fairy tale- but they have the power- I have a blog.

I won't give up.

I've made it

Some people need the Hollywood Walk of Fame to say they have made it... others need just a pat on the back... Me? Well I got mine... yes Potomac Communications, also known as the NFRC had me in their little newsletter. Leonard, Kristine- THANK YOU.

Now maybe they'll think of me commission wise huh? C'mon guys I am getting you business here!

Anyway in the latest NFRC Update- and if you are a member it should've been e-mailed to you- if not you can see it on their website at www.nfrc.org in the message from the Chairman, my debate with Jim Benney was mentioned.

Marcia Falke wrote (at this point I am assuming she wrote, though I would be willing to bet it should be by-lined POTOMAC Communications) a piece on the swirling controversy at NFRC. She tried once again to clarify their beloved 501c3 status. Believe me we KNOW, we have been hit over the head with it a million times.. you serve the public we get it... but while they take potshots at the poor wretched 501c6's they always convienently leave out our biggest bone of contention...

HOW CAN YOU SERVE THE PUBLIC WHEN YOU ARE SERVING YOURSELF?

That will be a question that will never be answered by Potomac. Or maybe they will, but they will do their $100,000 spin on it and ignore the facts that how can the PUBLIC take seriously a group that can implement costly procedures that BING BING BING board members and other NFRC elite PROFIT because of....

No they'll just keep hammering and that's fine- I am used to it. But before you throw some of those 501c6's under the bus, because "they will do whatever their membership wants" keep in mind that may be true, but the Boards of those groups and the "elite" members of those groups do not have the power of an ATI to get programs in, so they can profit.
Yep NFRC serves the public by allowing more costs to be loaded in the programs when they are NOT NEEDED!

Plus labs only pay $400 for its membership and makes a lot of money. You gotta love that! If I was a testing lab, man I would be Mr NFRC....

Then in a bizarre interview with John Hogan's best friend architect from Seattle, Potomac tries to bring up the whole responsible party issue. Of course the whole interview and questions are slanted (what you think your reading balanced journalism in the NFRC update?) and the answers make little to no sense.

On the responsible party, basically our interviewee says "legally" it won't fly if you make the architect responsible- so that means it will fly legally to make some one else? Gee thanks for the idea- I guess Contractors all over the country now need to consult their lawyers... and you know what, that is exactly what a good program like this needs... lawsuits... lots of them. Yep the DOE will love lots and lots of lawsuits. Architects, Contractors, Manufacturers.... get your lawyers..

Will that happen? Who knows- but do you think if the Architects feel that they are legally free of this that everyone else is just going to take it?

NO WAY and if they do shame on them.

Ah another fun day at the ranch.

March Madness

I plan on taking a few days to enjoy March Madness.. unless of course Potomac Communications comes out with their sickly slanted version of what happened at San Diego.

Believe me after the release I saw them come out with after the Atlanta task group meeting, I can only imagine what they will put out after this one. Everything was quiet news wise- no stories except a innocuous one on USGNN, so maybe nothing happened that Potomac could slant...

Anyway for $100,000+ a year that's their job. You gotta love that a group that is "serving the public" needs such a high powered and expensive PR firm... hmmm maybe because they need the spin? I mean why else do you need such an animal? Someday someone more connected than me will start to look into this whole setup and ask questions that may actually get answers... until then I'll keep hammering away- though I am sure eventually I will get a letter to stop.. but I am serving the public.... same as them.. just for a lot less money.

OK so basketball wise I can not see how UCONN can lose.
Upset in first round- Iona over LSU

NFRC San Diego

As you know I was not at NFRC in San Diego- while many people question how I have time to do this blog, seemingly no one questions how people have time to meet for NFRC 30 times a year. (3 4 day meetings that with travel days turn into 5+ along with various task group and then if you are so honored to chosen (not elected-another story) for the board, you get a couple of retreats in there too... pretty nice gig for these folks and their "non" profits eh?)Anyway, I expected it to be quiet and really don't have a lot of feedback yet.

I really think that at the end of the day this whole thing comes down to the true definition of "Serving the Public" - Everytime I see that line in a Potomac release I think about President Clinton slamming his fist on the podium and saying "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky" See because if Potomac and NFRC were TRULY serving the public, they'd listen to it..... instead they have no desire, they have the game long figured out and they will continue to live and work the way they do. So while it is noble and appreciated that they try and rid fraud from certain aspects of the building industry- you just can not get by all of the other manuevers and actions they promote.

More on San Diego soon....

NFRC and GANA

Did you see the update on NFRC and GANA working together?

Can it be a hopeful step?

Was the NFRC sincere in its invitation?

On the surface I would say yes, but then while the glow of a smart, forward thinking, move was still shining, Potomac Communications had to come out with a Press Release trumpeting their invitation. See all that then proved was the invite was done because someone pressured them. Instead of trying to do the right thing for the right reasons, NFRC and Potomac needed to spin this "invitation" into some great altruistic offer.

Pathetic. If it was meant to be a true offer then there would be no need to have a press release.

You know I should start getting a commission check from Potomac, I mean without me they'd really have to earn that 100K they get per year from NFRC. Now it comes just too easy.

By the way, 100K per year to a PR agency. I guess "transparency" costs a lot of cash.

Another Meeting

Well we are on the eve of yet another NFRC meeting. Yes it seems like yesterday they just met in that well populated and easy to get to locale of Santa Fe New Mexico.
In actuality its been 3 months and thankfully the next meeting is not until late July giving the travel club a rest.

Not sure what will come out of this meeting but one thing I hope gets some action- the NFRC Board awarded a $30,000 grant to Gary Curtis and his "Commercial Window Initiative" for education. WHAT A SHOCKER HUH! Yes Gary recused himself (and this is not a shot at Gary, he should do what he can to support his organizations- this is a shot at the NFRC for doing what it does best, pander to their own self interests) from the vote BUT look at who the biggest sponsors of CWI are... Cardinal (2 votes on the board with Jim Larsen and their lawyer Garrett Stone- yeah gotta love THAT balance on the board) and Mikron (though Marv Stover supposedly resigned from the Board because he is not with Mikron- but there has been no press release on that and plus Marv being a past chairman made a lot of friends in the past) so Gary and CWI getting the money was a rubber stamp.

I think my blog will ask for money next since the NFRC is in such a giving mood.

How can members of this organization, who pay tons of cash stand for this?!?

Anyway, instead of using the money to improve processes and try to remove costs, they use the money to support their own and educate people about a program (non res) that has not been finalized yet.

And on the Stover thing- I guess powerhouse PR firm Potomac Communications is not able to "spin" a release on that. This is yet another board member in the last year who has quit and there has NEVER been a public mention. LOVE THAT TRANSPARENCY! (Kate Offringa resigns last summer, she is just quietly removed from all records, Ken Nittler who was outspoken and into the process resigns and he becomes a lab version of Casper, and now Marvelous Marv packs it in and despite being a past chair gets the Hoffa treatment. )

Well anyway I really expect this meeting to be uneventful. Many of the regular travel clubbers won't be there because theres been tons of meetings in the last 3 weeks and I guess a lot of these folks actually had to work this week.

Another fun day at the ranch....

BEC Recap and Transparency

Well I know its been a few days but I have been in Las Vegas at the GANA BEC show. The BEC, thanks to the efforts of many people (GANA staff, programming committee and most importantly 420 interested attendees) came off wonderfully.

Sometimes when you pump up an event a lot, you are destined for a let down, but not with this one. So if you could not make it this year, you really want to plan on being with us next year.

Of course one of the items that came up was the NFRC and I think we made significant strides in explaining our side of the issue and getting the glazing community energized and interested in the process.

Speaking of the NFRC, another one of their "communiques" came out on Saturday. Comical as always, they talk about being transparent, then they go into details from a PRIVATE board meeting... A meeting that the membership was promised in Santa Fe that they would be informed of an agenda. Yep its as transparent as brick.

Anyway, the missive was simply "perfume on a pig" as Potomac Communications tried to spin that all of sudden the NFRC has this great election process. Yeah. Let's see the "Inspection Agency" is still a part of the Fenestration division. The reason... "they do a majority of their work with the fenestration oriented companies" But don't the test labs do the same? With that bit of spin, doesn't EVERYONE involved in NFRC has significant interest in FENESTRATION!
So why am I mad, because the NFRC and their 6-5-1 election set up is adversely affected when you have people in the wrong spot. See to meet their "special" 501c3 designation, they have to be slanted on the side of the public. That's fine. So 6 board members should be General, 5 Fenestration and 1 lab. But by allowing IA's in the Fenestration, they take away the ability of the fenestration division to truly represent.
What they also fail, on purpose I am sure, to tell the PUBLIC THE SUPPOSEDLY serve, is that each Board slot has a specific designation, so that waters it down even more.
Moral of the story, nothing is changing quick.

But that will not deter us. Every day I get more determined and after listening to the glaziers who came to the BEC, I KNOW WE ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING by challenging and forcing the NFRC to be more transparent and include us.

More to come.