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Associations to Partner on EIFS

Monday, March 9, 2009

The EIFS Industry Members Association (EIMA) and the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) have agreed to a formal working relationship to advance the exterior insulation and finish system industry. The partnership took effect March 1, 2009.

The move follows the retirement of EIMA’s long-time executive director, Stephan E. “Steve” Klamke. At that time, the EIMA board began a strategic review to enhance the association’s support and operations. The board developed an outline for desired association management services to support future initiatives.  AWCI was a logical choice, and the two associations agreed on the terms.
 
EIMA will relocate its headquarters to the AWCI office in Virginia. EIMA will continue to operate as an independent association and will be governed by the current EIMA Board of Directors. It will continue to focus on expansion of the EIFS industry.
 
The two associations already have a broad overlap of members, and each brings strengths to the table. 
 
EIMA contributed greatly to the development of AWCI’s EIFS—Doing It Right educational program.  AWCI/EIMA manufacturer members and AWCI founded two insurance providers—AWCI Insurance Company and AWCI Risk Retention Group—to assure the availability of commercial general liability insurance for EIFS contractors. 
 
“Collectively, we have provided great support to contractors, suppliers and manufacturers in the EIFS industry,” said AWCI Executive Vice President/CEO Steve Etkin.  “We look forward to this new commitment of working even closer together to advance the industry.”
 
EIMA, founded in 1981, is a national non-profit technical trade association composed of leading manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and applicators involved in the exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS) industry.  For information, visit www.eima.com.
 
AWCI, founded in 1918, is a non-profit trade association representing more than 2,200 contractors, suppliers, dealers and manufacturers in the wall and ceiling industry. For information, see www.awci.org.