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If you’d never been to Lake Tahoe before the AAMA Summer Conference earlier this month, I hope you went to the conference dinner at Gar Woods, overlooking the lake itself. It’s incredible how blue it really is! Lake Tahoe made for the perfect location for this summer’s conference agenda, full of important industry presentations and committee and task group work – but also whitewater rafting, fly fishing, golf and site seeing.

We kicked off the Summer Conference with a tribute to Rich Walker, who stepped aside in May after serving 18 of his 22 years with AAMA as its President & CEO. Members and staff signed a large card for Rich, to be sent to him and his wife, Diane. We also paid tribute to AAMA’s own Dean Lewis, and active AAMA member Mark Toth, both of whom we lost this past March. It was a tough spring, but we’re more than ready for summer.

Our keynote speaker, global economic expert John Manzella, delivered insight into current U.S. trends, stating that everything from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the U.S. relationship with China to automation and the opioid crisis are current economic impactful factors in an uncertain time. Nick Limb from Ducker Worldwide offered a presentation on results from the AAMA market study, as well as information about how the industry report is conducted and compiled. AAMA’s own Meryl Williams taught a workshop about how to use Instagram to bolster your company’s online identity. UL/CLEB Principal Engineer Robert Jutras reviewed Canadian codes and the NAFS-11 Canadian supplement and what they mean for manufacturers. Finally, Annie Perkins from Andersen Corporation gave a presentation called “Indoor Air: 90% of the Air You Breathe” as part of AAMA’s on-going commitment to educating members about the growing sustainability scene.

It was a successful event with a lot of work accomplished in a beautiful part of the country. We’ll see you all again in October for the Fall Conference in Tucson, AZ!