This past year was a busy one for AAMA and the industry, with vast change and progress. As a result of much hard work, AAMA has come out of 2018 with a lot to show for it. What was of most interest to our members and readers is displayed in the top five news articles and top five blog posts from 2018.

Top Five News Articles

Latest North American Fenestration Standard Published: At the beginning of the year, the latest edition of NAFS was released, sparking much interest. This standard was the result of a multi-year effort by AAMA, Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA). The updated 2017 standard replaced the 2011 edition of the joint standard.

Development of Installation Standards: In April, coverage of the AAMA Southeast Region winter meeting included this reporting on the status of code referencing of AAMA flashing standards and work of the FMA/AAMA/WDMA Installation Committee.

AAMA Releases 2017-2018 Market Studies, Offers Forecast of Fenestration Industry Trends: In early May, the much-anticipated, newest version of the AAMA market studies was released. This full report only comes out every two years and often takes over the industry media news cycle upon its release.

AAMA Awards Members for Leadership, Marketing, More During 81st Annual Conference: During our first conference of the year, AAMA leaders were recognized for their hard work and leadership at the annual awards banquet.

Dean Lewis of AAMA Passes Away: Closing out on a much more somber note, March brought with it the passing of Dean Lewis, former AAMA Technical Manager, Training and Education. Lewis spent 45 years in the fenestration industry and was 69 years old.

Top Five Blog Posts

Lake Tahoe Proves Perfect Place for Summer Conference: This Trade Secrets blog from June reviewed highlights from the AAMA Summer Conference out on the west coast. 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.

81st Annual Conference in the Sun in Orlando: A Trade Secrets post from February was written by Rich Walker, all about how much the annual banquet awards meant to him. “These are the members who are leading conference calls, taking on positions of leadership in committee and task group work and ultimately implementing change and improvement for all in our industry,” he wrote.

What Do You Need to Know About Complying with the New Prop 65 Labeling Requirements? Over on the Member Edge blog, a post previewed an AAMA webinar about strategies for complying with the new Prop 65 labeling requirements. This webinar provided an overview of Prop 65, reviewed the new labeling requirements focusing on challenges faced by fenestration manufacturers and delivered solutions for compliance.

What Can the Industry Do About the Current Skilled Labor Shortage? While this Trade Secrets blog technically ran on December 29, 2017, it got a lot of clicks in 2018. The topic of the labor shortage was a popular one throughout the year as those in the industry sought solutions.

Member Shout Outs, Accomplishments Abound This Spring: In May, this Trade Secrets post commended several member companies for the good deeds and excellent work they were doing in the first half of the year, including a Habitat for Humanity mission, a plant gaining OSHA’s highest level of recognition for workplace safety and health excellence and more.

That’s all for 2018! Thanks for relying on AAMA as an industry news source. We’ll see what catches our readers’ eyes this time next year.