SBCA - Arizona
 SBCA - Arizona (SBCA-AZ)
c/o Keith Azlin, Chapter President
U.S. Components, LLC
3131 S Country Club Rd • Tucson, AZ 85713-4048
520/882-3709 • 520/882-7996 fax
Email Keith
SBCA and Chapter Membership Application (699 KB)
SBC INDUSTRY NEWS FOR JUNE 28, 2010
SBCA – Arizona a Hit with Structural Engineers Association
This spring, SBCA’s Arizona Chapter provided a tour and seminar for the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA). Attendees were able to tour a member’s manufacturing plant and attend a technical presentation that contained several topics including design responsibilities, QC and even solar issues. Feedback from the event showed it was time very well spent:
“The tour was great. It gave a great understanding of the process and generated a lot of questions from the group.” Fredric W. Sobottka, P.E., Beauchamp Engineering.
Founded to provide education in the marketplace, the Arizona Chapter continues its mission to increase understanding and acceptance of structural building components, which benefits all members in Arizona.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS APPEARING IN STRUCTURAL BUILDING COMPONENTS MAGAZINE:
November 2009
This year, Arizona Chapter members have been working on several items. Following the City of Peoria’s request for SBCA input with regard to adding solar panels to roofs and building permit requirements, the chapter and staff have been working on code and solar panel technical issues. The goal is to find solar industry technical contacts, gather all current application facts available, and develop a formal industry recommendation/plan of attack to deal with installation issues.
In response to the position taken by Arizona School Trust to prohibit the use of wood trusses in new school construction, the chapter is working on developing a series of educational programs and plant tours for this group, architects and engineers on structural building components.
To encourage SBCA members across the country to come to BCMC 2009 in Phoenix, the chapter initiated the BCMC Housing Stimulus Rebate program, pledging $5,000 to this component manufacturer rebate program and urging its fellow SBCA Chapters to accept the challenge. Proving its support of BCMC, the Arizona Chapter also won the 3rd Annual BCMC Chapter Contest, which recognizes the chapter with the highest percentage of member locations attending the show.
June/July 2009
Educational matters were high on the agenda at the Arizona Chapter's April meeting. Members continue to work with the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA) and its local chapters on presentation and tour requests. A mailing to architects and engineers on the education available from SBCA - Arizona is in the works. In addition, the chapter is working with staff on materials for specifiers that promote the benefits of using components.
Also in April, members and staff worked on a presentation for the City of Peoria on how to apply solar panels to roofs and how they should proceed in handling solar panel installation permits/approval. The county governmental agency overseeing the Phoenix area has asked local solar companies to work with SBCA to determine a best practices plan and possible testing that could be performed to assure best practices. This is an excellent example of how being proactive and involving SBCA on a local issue can produce results that will be applicable to communities across many states.
April 2008
The Arizona Chapter was pleased to sponsor two educational events for the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona (SEAoA) in January. Held in Tucson and Phoenix, the lunch and dinner meetings, respectively, drew many engineers from across the state. Featuring Kirk Grundahl, P.E. of WTCA staff, the focus of the presentations was “Current Issues with Structural Building Components (SBC)” and they included: ICC code development, ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 2 Design Responsibilities, Structural Building Components Research Institute (SBCRI) testing facility and system testing, and an open discussion of SBC-related applications, design and/or code issues.
At the brief chapter meeting following the second presentation, the members quickly addressed any outstanding chapter business. The chapter board will investigate the options for doing a mailing to building designers, to offer educational information, publications and an SBC subscription. It was also agreed that the chapter elections would be moved to the next meeting on April 16.
June/July 2007
Prior to its annual golf outing in March, the Arizona Chapter elected its officers for 2007. Keith Azlin of U.S. Components stepped up as President, Chad Lilleberg of Schuck Component Systems moved over to Secretary, Jeff Methier of Foxworth-Galbraith Truss Co remained Treasurer, and a new chapter member joined the officer rotation—Perry Lowe of Trussway accepted the position of Vice President.
At the chapter meeting in April, the members reviewed the WTCA Board resolution requesting that chapters participate in home builder association (HBA) code committee meetings. A good discussion ensued on the importance of understanding the local code environment and the potential negative consequences of not staying informed. Since Arizona is fortunate in having only three local HBAs—north, central and south—volunteers were enlisted to attend the upcoming meetings and report back to the chapter at its July meeting.
Highlights of the chapter’s recent education work included a request from the City of Tempe for Truss Technology Workshops for code officials. Several members volunteered to assist and help customize a presentation for that jurisdiction. In addition, the chapter is continuing to pursue its relationship with the East Valley Institute of Technology and assist in developing a course on basic construction.
March 2007
At its January meeting, the Arizona Chapter agreed upon a $2500 donation to Carbeck to receive Fire Performance of Wood Trusses CDs to distribute to fire departments throughout the state. The members intend to use their time during the current economic downturn to step up their contact with fire departments. Yuma, Drexel, Flagstaff and Tucson have all requested additional CDs and a seminar is being planned for Flagstaff.
Among the other current marketplace issues addressed, immigration was touched upon as was plant safety. The chapter’s interaction with the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) was recounted. Though the representative from EVIT was unable to attend the meeting, the group discussed ways to assist the school’s program on the construction trades. They will offer to teach one or two classes on our industry and provide a truss plant tour. The chapter will also consider sponsoring WTCA’s Technical Assessment Online Tests (TATO) for interested students to measure their aptitude at the end of the semester.
The date for this year’s chapter golf tournament was set for April 6. As an incentive to encourage more component manufacturers to join the Arizona Chapter, a free one-year chapter membership will be included with a nonmember’s golf registration fee. The next chapter meeting will be held after the golf tournament on April 24.
September/October 2006
Development of the Arkansas Chapter took another step forward in June. An organizational meeting was held in Fort Smith to hammer out the key issues and procedural matters. Bylaws, membership and dues are in the process of being acted upon. Education will be the watchword of the new chapter.
The day after the meeting, an educational session was conducted for the Code Officials of Arkansas (COAR) under the auspices of the WTCA - Arkansas. Twenty-five building officials attended the program at Capital Structures and received continuing education credit. The chapter development team is looking forward to offering a program at COAR's Jacksonville, AR meeting in October. Another chapter development meeting will be held in conjunction with this event.
March 2006
At its January meeting, the Arizona Chap-ter discussed its work with the ITT campus in Tempe and working with WTCA/WTCA-AZ staff on work force development issues. Very active in education and workforce issues, the Arizona Chapter continues to build strong relationships with local schools. Members also discussed ways to better utilize the WTCA/WTCA-AZ Work Force Development (WFD) web site in the local market. WFD will fill a need when speaking at schools, careers fairs, with building officials and the like. The members proposed adding a short presentation on the WFD site that gives an overview of the structural components industry since many job seekers are unfamiliar with all that our industry has to offer.
The members approved a $1,000 donation to the Carbeck Structural Components In-stitute. Furthermore, the chapter left open the possibility of additional donations this year for specific projects that may be of particular interest to them. This includes testing on sawdust as well as projects associated with the new research and testing facility under construction in Madison, WI.
The chapter officer elections were postponed until the spring meeting. More information on the summer golf tournament will be available then too. The next meeting date was confirmed as April 19.
September/October 2005 SBC Magazine
The Arizona Chapter held its quarterly meeting on July 20 at its usual location, the La Quinta in Phoenix. Having switched its meeting dates this year to coincide with the Southern Nevada Chapter, the members agreed to continue this schedule in 2006. This change is a tremendous help to WTCA staff members attending the meetings back-to-back. As such, the WTCA-AZ meetings next year will fall on the third Wednesday of the quarter: January 18, April 19, July 19 and October 18. Central to the discussion at this meeting was the Arizona Revised Statutes regarding workers’ compensation benefits and illegal/undocumented aliens. The chapter is awaiting an answer from USCIS before it takes its next step. Members also reviewed the Rail Consumers Advocacy Program and commented on its value. Under educational programs, the chapter is actively pursuing a relationship with the local ITT-Tech campuses and working with WTCA staff to partner efforts on ensuring that WTCA’s Work Force Development (WFD) web site has a solid number of résumés and hence membership value. In addition, the chapter’s next Truss Technology Workshop program was scheduled for August 13. A program on inspecting installed wood trusses was planned for the American Society of Home Builders (ASHI) and all chapter members were invited to attend. The next chapter meeting was set for October 19.
August 2003
Bridging the Gap: WTCA’s Arizona Chapter and the Phoenix Fire Department
Using the Carbeck Structural Components Institute (CSCI) Fire Education Program can be fun and rewarding. It is also a benefit for your chapter, and more importantly, for the fire service. Providing firefighters with truthful information they can use for pre-fire planning and decision-making on the scene of a fire can mean preventing injury or illness, or even saving lives.
Keith Azlin, President of the WTCA-Arizona Chapter, recently used the CSCI Fire Education Program on CD, The Fire Performance of Wood Trusses, for an educational presentation at a meeting with the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD). Following the presentation, the chapter members took the opportunity to talk with the PFD fire fighters. Azlin and a couple of members were having a casual conversation when one of the fire captains walked up and said, “This CD is great!” He continued by explaining, “I’ve been telling my superiors for three years that the information they have about trusses is untrue, that the way this kind of construction is perceived by the department isn’t correct. This program is what I have been looking for. After three years I have something that disproves the old information and confirms that what I have been trying to explain is correct.”
The Arizona Chapter meeting was so well received that the membership has plans to meet with PFD regularly. For Azlin, it was really great to see what a big impression the CD can have and it has opened doors between the truss industry and the fire service in Arizona. Azlin and the WTCA-Arizona membership have taken the first steps on the path to a long relationship with the PFD and many more educational programs in the future.
June/July 2003
In April, the Arizona Chapter held a very good meeting with the Phoenix Fire Department (PFD). Following an education presentation, the discussion covered many pertinent topics. The meeting went so well that the PFD was invited to the Arizona Chapter meetings on a regular basis. Indeed, a fire education committee will meet following the regular chapter meeting. Both the chapter and the PFD have been very pleased with the development of this relationship and expect many educational programs to follow. In other news, the chapter held an exciting golf tournament on May 9 at the Sheraton San Marcos in Chandler, AZ. Not only was the event enjoyable for current chapter members, but also new members could join and play for free, making it a fun way to pursue the chapter’s membership drive. In fact, the WTCA-AZ was the leading chapter in the WTCA Fourth Annual Membership Drive in May, and attempted to maintain its lead throughout the spring.
May 2003
The Arizona Chapter is expecting a good turnout for its golf tournament on May 9 at the Sheraton San Marcos in Chandler, AZ. The cost is a mere $65 and includes lunch, greens fees, shirt and cart. As an extra incentive to attend the outing and join the chapter, members of WTCA-National who sign up to join WTCA-AZ will receive one complimentary entry fee. In addition, the chapter’s membership committee will be following up with all potential non-member attendees. As another vehicle for reaching members and non-members, the chapter is investigating the possibility of starting a web site. In other news, WTCA-AZ has become a proud sponsor of the Carbeck Structural Components Institute (CSCI). The chapter has donated $500 and will be distributing “The Fire Performance of Wood Trusses” CD to fire departments in Arizona.
April 2003
The Arizona Chapter held a productive meeting in February. The chapter officers for 2003 were elected. Keith Azlin will serve as Chapter President, John Neatherton as Vice President, Charlie Ballard remains as Secretary, and Jeff Methier begins a term as Treasurer. The chapter has also decided to return to monthly board meetings. These chapter board meetings will be held on the second Thursday of the month, and all chapter members are invited to attend. General membership meetings will be held on the second Thursday of the quarter, and will be open to all members and prospective members. In addition, the chapter has begun planning for this year’s educational sessions. Once again, the chapter is mailing flyers to the local municipalities to drum up interest for Truss Technology Workshops. Since this always generates a considerable response, the chapter expects to have another busy season of educational workshops. Last but not least, the chapter has already begun discussing ways to capitalize on being the host state of this year’s BCMC show.
September/October 2002
This spring the Arizona Chapter again held a remarkably successful presentation for AZBO, the organization for Arizona Building Officials. Seventeen different municipalities were in attendance, and chapter members presented for eight hours. The Chapter also continued to conduct Truss Technology Work-shops across the state with the most recent scheduled in Prescott. At its July meeting, chapter members spoke at length about the WTCA Legislative Conference in May. In addition to showing the PowerPoint® presentation prepared by WTCA to summarize the results of this trip to Capitol Hill, Chapter President Curt Cress and fellow member Keith Azlin recounted what they had learned firsthand during their trip as members of the WTCA delegation. Another prominent topic of discussion at the chapter meeting was fire issues. Chapter members agreed they are in a position to make a difference, and that they will act to educate the fire service on the facts regarding the fire performance of trusses. In their educational efforts they will make use of the training materials being developed by WTCA. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for October 11.
April 2002
At the February meeting, the Arizona Chapter discussed the IBC. Some discrepancies have been found with regard to live load requirements. Since the IBC/IRC is in the process of being adopted by most of the cities in the state (with the notable exceptions of Phoenix and Tempe), the chapter will continue to examine this issue. A different controversy that was discussed involved a design/engineering firm that began creating truss design packets for homebuilders to submit to the city. Since this raises several glaring issues, including questions of liability, accuracy and repair, the chapter will continue to investigate this situation and create a position letter in response.
Also at this meeting, John Griffith of Turb-O-Web delivered an informative presentation that was well received. Planning continues on the upcoming all-day seminar for AZBO (Arizona Building Officials) in Prescott on April 25.
March 2002
In January, the Arizona Chapter sponsored a Risk Management Seminar. Conducted by Kent Pagel, WTCA’s legal counsel, the all-day event was a quite a success. The audience of component manufacturers learned several ways to control or limit their liability exposure. Thanks go out to all chapter members who were able to attend and show their support of this chapter-sponsored event. The attendance of out-of-state guests was also appreciated. The next chapter-sponsored event will be a Truss Technology Workshop for the Arizona Building Officials (AZBO) in April.
CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS APPEARING IN WOODWORDS MAGAZINE:
September 2001
In June, the Arizona Chapter met in Chandler, AZ. The meeting featured a change in leadership as a new president, vice-president and secretary were chosen. Special thanks go out to the former officers who worked so hard to keep the Arizona Chapter going smoothly. In August, the Chapter sent out its yearly newsletter. If you are interested in a synopsis of the year’s accomplishments and did not receive your copy, please contact Chapter President.
The Chapter has formed an education committee to increase the number and quality of the Truss Technology Workshops given in Arizona. Work is being done to personalize the TTW programs so that they more effectively take into account the particular circumstances and needs of the truss industry locally.
August 2001
The Arizona Chapter held elections at its spring meeting on June 8. The new officers are: Curt Cress of Schuck Component Systems, President; Keith Azlin of U.S. Components, Vice President; Charlie Ballard of Ballard Truss, Secretary; Terry Lillard of Sun State Components, Treasurer; and three additional Directors: Jeff Campbell of Triangle Truss, Pat Bushell of Desert Truss and Paul Lewis of Glendale Truss. The chapter also decided to change from monthly to quarterly meetings, which should produce a higher turnout for each meeting.
January/February 2001
The Arizona Chapter continues to present Truss Technology Workshops. The most recent locations include Phoenix, for an abbreviated TTW with the ICBO Arizona Chapter, the City of Peoria and the City of Surprise. The Chapter is also reviewing a document put forward by the City of Surprise on “Wood Truss Standards.” The Chapter appreciates the opportunity to comment on this draft proposed by the city. Moreover, the Chapter is deciding whether or not to develop its own standard document for wood truss standards for use when, and before, cities may request it.
December 2000
The Arizona Chapter continued to be very active this fall. Several Truss Technology Workshops were presented. The response was terrific, and more workshops were being planned. The chapter also spent much effort working against the Citizens Growth Initiative, Prop. 202, on the November ballot. If it had passed, this initiative would have had a devastating effect on construction in the state. The chapter’s general membership meeting on November 10 in Scottsdale proved to be an excellent venue for discussing all of these issues as well as future plans.
November 2000
The Arizona chapter has sponsored three TTW’s in the last two months. The first was held September 12 in Sonoita and was hosted by the Southern Arizona chapter of ICBO. Four board members and a PE represented the Arizona chapter. There were about 40 ICBO members in attendance. The second and third workshops were held on October 4 and 5, hosted by the Pima County Building Department in Tucson. Several board members and a PE represented the chapter and provided the instruction. All three workshops were on “Inspection of Installed Wood Trusses.” Those attending the workshops were excited to finally have much needed information about wood trusses.
The chapter is also heavily involved in the Citizens Growth Initiative (Prop. 202) that will be on the ballot in November. This initiative, if passed, would have a devastating effect on construction and the Arizona economy.
September/October 2000
The chapter Board of Directors continues to cover many pertinent issues and several proposals are being considered at their meetings. Alongside the issue of standardized truss details to aid manufacturers, the chapter is considering standardized details of engineering, drawing and repairs to aid builders and building inspectors. The most important political issue, however, is the growth initiatives on the November ballot. The state of Arizona is reconsidering the amount of land to set aside in trust. Since further limiting growth would have a definite impact on chapter members, ways of informing employees about the impending vote were discussed.
August 2000
Chapter members continue to attend meetings of the state organization of Structural Engineers. A Truss Technician Training is tentatively in the works for January 2001. The chapter is also working on the next of the three Truss Technology Workshops for this year. Following a successful workshop in Flagstaff, several counties have been contacted and have expressed interest in holding a TTW.
May 2000
Several Arizona chapter members met on March 3 to discuss the development of a Level I & II Truss Technician Training, a committee to work with the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona and a truss technician seminar committee.
March 2000
A WTCA-AZ general membership meeting was held on February 17 with Kirk Grundahl from WTCA presenting. WTCA-AZ is focused on becoming a direct resource for building municipalities in the state. While beginning to work toward this goal, the Chapter will be presenting a Bonding and Lien seminar on March 16.
December 1999
At their October 28 meeting, the chapter discussed outreach and visibility in their area. They are developing a promotional letter to send out to potential chapter members and are considering sending out promotional and education materials in conjunction with the letter.
November 1999
The chapter held a membership drive meeting on July 29. The October 1 meeting focused on reviewing the chapter bylaws and forming committees to work on current industry issues.
August 1999
Several members of the Arizona Chapter met with WTCA staff member Jim Vogt on June 11 in Scottsdale, Arizona, to discuss various design responsibility issues pertaining to truss manufacturers and building designers. The meeting preceded Jim’s presentation on design responsibilities to the Structural Engineers Association of Arizona at the SEAOA annual meeting. The SEAOA presentation was attended by approximately 50 engineers from around the state and focused primarily on the content of the WTCA document, WTCA 1-1995, Standard Responsibilities in the Design Process Involving Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses. In addition to the WTCA 1-1995 document, each participant also received a copy of the Commentary to WTCA 1-1995 and Engineered Components for Efficient Framing.
June/July 1999
Enforcement of the truss marking provisions of the Uniform Building Code™ (Section 2321.4) has been suspended in the Phoenix area pending the review and recommendations of a subcommittee of the Maricopa Association of Government (MAG) Building Code Committee. Several members of the Arizona Chapter of WTCA attended a meeting with MAG on April 21st to voice their concerns regarding the impending enforcement of this provision.
At issue is whether truss manufactures will be required to mark the design loads and truss spacing on each truss, as is currently stipulated in section 2321.4 of the UBC. WTCA believes this requirement increases the chances for mistakes and that the truss design drawings should be used for all review and inspection purposes. Based on this meeting, MAG decided to create a subcommittee to further study this issue. Members of the Arizona Chapter have been asked to participate on the subcommittee and are hopeful they will be able to develop an acceptable resolution to this issue.
|
