RIA hosts meeting to develop Heads of Agreement statement.

Press Release Summary:



The RIA hosted a 1-day meeting of prominent industry individuals on Thursday, July 24, 2008 with Charles (Chuck) Rumbarger, CAE, facilitating the meeting discussion and assisting the group in developing a Heads of Agreement. Rumbarger said that associations are a creation of law and, to be legally compliant, they must conform to various authorities. He also addressed issues such as organizational transitions, aggregation of resources, and inter-organizational cooperation.



Original Press Release:



NTA Exploratory Meeting Heads of Agreement (HOA) Statement



The Restoration Industry Association (RIA) hosted a one-day meeting of prominent industry individuals on Thursday, July 24, 2008, in an effort to create an open dialogue for the betterment and advancement of the cleaning, restoration and remediation industry. While the participating individuals have affiliations with various industry associations, they paid their own expenses for the meeting and did not formally represent any group, but rather the best interests of the industry as a whole from their professional perspectives.

The meeting was held at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel near BWI airport near Baltimore,
Maryland. The architects of the meeting were Craig Kersemeier, WLS, Wausau, Wisconsin; and G. Pete Consigli, CR, WLS, Sun City Center, Florida. Representing the host organization was Don Manger, Executive Director of RIA. In attendance were other prominent industry individuals (listed in alphabetical order): Rusty Amarante, CR, Exton, Pennsylvania; Gary Glenn, Abilene, Texas; Bryan O'Haleck, CRS, Seattle, Washington; Dan Taylor Lynchburg, Virginia; Greg Trigeiro, Escondido, California; and Cliff Zlotnik, CR, WLS, CMH, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.

Charles (Chuck) Rumbarger, CAE, a prominent association industry executive based in Potomac, Maryland, was retained by the host, RIA, to facilitate the meeting discussion and assist the group in developing a Heads of Agreement (HOA). An HOA is a non-binding document used to outline key issues and relative meeting points normally serving as a precursor to the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The meeting attendees unanimously agreed to memorialize key points of Rumbarger's
introductory comments, which served as the basis for the facilitated discussion that followed.

Rumbarger's advice for participants included that associations are a creation of law and, to be legally compliant, they must conform in descending priority to the authorities of (1) the laws of the land; (2) the association's bylaws, which are a secondary law controlling the association specifically; (3) the board of directors, which is delegated authority by the voting members in accordance with the bylaws for the purpose of creating policies governing the association; (4) Roberts Rules of Order to manage governance issues not addressed in public laws, bylaws or policies of the association; (5) the executive committee (if any) to act in accordance with authority delegated by the board of directors; and (6) individual agents of the organization such
as officers, directors, or others who have been delegated specific authority by either the bylaws or the board of directors.

Additional issues that Rumbarger addressed for the group included, among others, organizational transitions, aggregation of resources and inter-organizational cooperation. According to Craig Kersemeier, "For many of us, Chuck's presentation was an eye-opening primer on nonprofit governance."

Consensus Statement

The group unanimously agrees that they shall promote industry collaboration in exploring mutually beneficial opportunities in the present and for the future within their spheres of influence. The group sees value in continuing discussions and expanding the dialogue that commenced on July 24.

"It was an enlightening and energizing discussion that brought out many of the opportunities and challenges facing both the industry and associations in serving their constituents," concluded Don Manger just prior to adjournment.

Note: The meeting architects agreed to utilize RIA's director of communications, Patricia L. Harman, as the media liaison for the meeting. The group unanimously agreed that no other statements, comments or communication will represent the collective opinion of the meeting participants. No further comments will be issued at this time.

The Restoration Industry Association (formerly the Association of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration) has member firms worldwide. RIA provides industry leadership, supports science, and promotes best practices for cleaning and restoration. More information is available on the RIA website: www.restorationindustry.org.

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