Change, challenge, and opportunity defined the past year, and 2017 promises to bring more of the same. Numerous factors impacting affordable housing challenge our biggest market—residential construction—and a changing political landscape presents uncertainties both in the economy and in trade. Through all of this change and volatility, however, APA’s Strategic Plan has remained sufficiently flexible to guarantee that our industry remained both relevant and effective, defining clear signposts for Association programs and priorities.
In 2016, APA maintained leadership in codes and standards work, with staff participating in the activities of 20 code, standards, material testing, and engineering design committees. We also brought our voice to Canadian standards, through our membership in the Canadian Wood Council, and through engagement with key Canadian Standards Association committees and ASTM Committees on wood and wood adhesives. APA maintained accreditation as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and maintained certification approval with domestic regulatory bodies and those in Europe, Japan and Australia.
We addressed key applications and opportunities for wood-frame systems in both single-family and multifamily construction, with an emphasis on wall and floor assemblies. We also kept a focus on opportunities for APA-member products in mid-rise construction and promoted the benefits of wood structural panels in industrial uses ranging from upholstered furniture frames to commercial transportation vehicles. APA brings a strong voice to today’s Design/Build marketplace. In all of our market development and education strategies, we have taken advantage of our field staff, websites, publications, technical expertise, Product Support Help Desk, and industry partnerships to deliver clear, consistent recommendations that support the successful adoption and performance of your products in targeted construction applications.
Our North American industry partnerships are integral to the success of APA and its members as we face considerable challenges by non-wood building materials and market access threats posed by building code and standard activity. We must also maintain our solid governmental partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service, Forest Products Lab, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, National Resources Canada, and British Columbia’s Forestry Innovation Investment; funders of our strategic market initiatives in education, research, and market access.
We look forward to working with our Board of Trustees in a review and update of our Strategic Plan for the next three years. We are confident that we can build on the success of our current programs to meet the challenges that lie ahead and address upcoming opportunities and threats. The voice of our strong association membership guides us, encourages us, and brings credibility to everything we do. We appreciate your engagement and look forward to working with each of you as we carry out our strategic initiatives and focus on our core values.
Ed Elias
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