Thanks to Everyone Who Attended NADCA’s Annual Meeting!

NADCA’s 32nd Annual Meeting wrapped up in Ft. Lauderdale on March 10, and what an amazing event it was! Held at the fabulous Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the event was packed with education, training, certification, and networking. Featuring 12 sessions led by influential and inspiring presenters over three days, it was an event to remember.

With conference sessions designed to help companies stand out from the competition, to certification training and exams, to plenty of opportunities for networking with peers, attendees were enthusiastic and engaged. From the opening keynote with Jason Gardner, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and combat leader who spent nearly three decades in the SEAL Teams, with nine deployments across the globe; to the very last session of the event, “COVID-19: Clear Understanding of Chemical Applications in Duct Work,” attendees gained valuable knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in the air duct cleaning industry.

Professional certifications help businesses stand apart in a sea of competitors. Not only can certifications jump-start careers for individual technicians, they also build professional credibility, recognize competency, and show commitment to the profession. NADCA’s Annual Meeting provides one of the most convenient ways to get certified — it’s a one-stop-shop for certification training and exams, since attendees can participate in the pre-conference training course and sit for their Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) or Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) certification exam right on-site. At this year’s Annual Event, 47 attendees sat for the ASCS certification exam and 14 took the CVI exam.

With a pandemic that can’t be ignored, many sessions were built around education and tools for managing air duct cleaning businesses during these extraordinary times. On Tuesday, sessions like “How Duct Cleaning Fits into IAQ Practices in Facilities;” “Pivot or Divot, Shifting your Business to Survive;” and the afternoon keynote, “COVID-19 and Ventilation Systems;” kept attendees entranced. Wednesday also featured several pandemic-related sessions like “UV High Intensity Lighting,” “Using Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to Create Healthy Indoor Environments,” and finally “COVID-19: A Clear Understanding of Chemical Applications in Duct Work.”

But it wasn’t all about COVID-19. Other sessions included “Bidding on Commercial Projects,” “Filtration/Fresh Air Make-Up,” and a special panel session on “Tools to Educate and Market the Value of Certification to Customers.” 

Attendees also got a first look at the latest findings of NADCA’s 2nd energy study that included the impact of duct cleaning on energy consumption and HVAC performance, as well as a greater understanding of the physics of dirty ducts; and the 2021 edition of ACR, The NADCA Standard, that includes everything techs need to know for assessing HVAC systems, evaluating and verifying the cleanliness of system components, preventing job-related hazards, how to restore HVAC systems to a specific level of cleanliness, and more.

Naturally, several things were accomplished on the business side of the association as well. NADCA held elections for its Board of Directors during the event. Long-time board member, Mark Zarzeczny, ASCS, CVI, was re-elected President and Chairman of the Board. Also elected were April Yungen, ASCS, CVI, 1st Vice President; Jim Castellano, ASCS, CVI, 2nd Vice President; Mike Dexter, ASCS, CVI, Treasurer; and Paul Keller, Jr., ASCS, Secretary. NADCA also officially welcomed Michael McDavid and Clint Orr as its newest members of the Board of Directors. 

A Final Word

Our Annual Meeting is always a great event, and it’s something many of our members really wanted. In fact, so many members were eager to reunite and experience an in-person conference with long-time friends and colleagues, that the NADCA Board of Directors decided that the desire of members to get together, making personal, face-to-face connections, wasn’t something that could be ignored. So, we put our heads together and started planning.

As we went about planning the event, the one thing we were certain of was that the health, safety, and well-being of the NADCA community HAD to be our highest priority. So, we put together a plan to provide the best possible safety measures available. We closely monitored the coronavirus pandemic, including the Broward County, Florida restrictions and public guidelines. In addition, NADCA, along with the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, fully committed to implementing conscious and intentional processes to not only combat the virus, but to also promote best practices for staying healthy at the event and beyond. All sorts of protocols were in place to protect attendees, staff, and volunteers, including:

• Daily self-certification questionnaires required for entry.
• Temperature checks conducted consistently before and during the event. 
• Masks were REQUIRED for all attendees inside the hotel, in the meeting/convention space, and outdoors. 
• Limited number of attendees/registrations.
• Cancellation of select social events, such as our welcome reception and golf outing; and no onsite exhibit hall.
• Strict adherence to social distancing requirements throughout the event. 
• Hand sanitizer stations throughout the conference and common areas.
• Food and beverages provided in a contactless manner (i.e., pre-packaged food, pre-packaged silverware, no self-serve buffets).
• Sanctuary seats where attendees could rest assured that their seat and their space was safe and untouched by other attendees. 

We are humbled that so many of you put your trust in us and sold out the venue (socially distanced, of course). While hosting an event during a pandemic was a tough decision for our Board of Directors, and we really had no idea what to expect in regard to attendance, turn-out was truly phenomenal, and we are so incredibly appreciative. Thank you for attending!

Mark Your Calendars! 

NADCA’s 2021 Fall Technical Conference is September 16-18, 2021 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, NC, and the 33rd Annual Meeting and Exposition will take place March 20-22, 2022 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora Colorado.