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NARIGC Calendar of
Events
2010
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NARIGC WELCOMES OUR
NEW APPLICANTS
NEW
APPLICANTS:
Builder's Cabinet
Supply
Brian Benner
401 N. Western
Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612
312-829-4300/FAX
312-829-4341
Inspired Electronics
Keith
Rose
1341 E. Virginia Dr.
Palatine, IL
60074
847-471-4420/FAX
847-705-7057
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NARI ANNOUNCES "INSURANCE
ADVANTAGE" PROGRAM
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In Atlanta at our semi-annual meetings March
26-28, NARI announced an Insurance Program that may help
NARI members save up to 40% on their
insurance.
NARI has selected Lockton Affinity to
design and administer a program specifically to meet the
business insurance needs of NARI members because of
their expertise in the construction insurance
business. Lockton Affinity, an affiliate of
Lockton Companies (the largest independent insurance
broker in the world), was formed in 1987 to meet the
specialized, dynamic needs of associations. Today
Lockton Affinity administers over 90 insurance programs
and are one of the leading insurance program
administrators in the US.
NARI Insurance
Advantage program offers NARI Members:
One stop
shopping:
- General Liability
- Workers'
Compensation
- Property
- Automobile
-
Contractors Equipment
- Health Plans
- And other
coverage options.
They also offer:
-
Convenient Pay Plans designed to meet your needs
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Competitive Rates
- Insurance with a carrier rated
"Excellent" by A.M. Best
- Excellent Customer
Service
Call Toll Free 888-828-8365
Additional
information will be available on the NARI website at
www.nari.org after April 1, 2009.
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Proposed Healthcare
Amendment Effects Remodeling
Companies
TAKE ACTION
TODAY!
On
24 Dec 09, NARI National became aware that
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) added an amendment to the
Health Care Bill, which is slated for fast track
passage in the US Senate.
The
last minute amendment unfairly targets small
construction companies by mandating the
provision of health insurance if more than 5 workers are
employed and $250,000 in annual payroll expenses
exist. All other small businesses,
outside of construction, would be exempt from providing
mandatory health coverage if they employ 50 workers or
less.
The
link below provides the best oversight of this amendment
we could find.
http://djcoregon.com/news/2009/12/22/contractors-singled-out-in-merkley-amendment/
We
are very concerned that many of our members, who are
struggling in the current economy, will not have the
capacity to comply with this mandate. We are
concerned that this mandate could potentially kill more
jobs and further harm member business.
In
consultation with our President William E. Carter, MCR,
CKBR, UDCR, we are sending letters of concern to Senator
Merkley and to as many United
States
Senators as we can. If you would like a copy of
the letter please let us
know.
Here are a
couple of links to contact your U.S. Legislative,
Federal, State and
Local representatives.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
http://2gov.org/
At this
point in the legislative process this amendment has
passes the Senate. We need to contact our
Representatives in Congress and have this removed in
Conference or have it apply to all small businesses.
Please
remember as a NARI member to speak boldly
and respectfully, |
NARIGC January Membership
Meeting
Holiday Inn, 1000 Busse Rd.,
Elk Grove Village
5:00 p.m.
Roundtable
5:45 p.m. Networking &
Cocktails
6:30
p.m. Dinner & Program
Was one of your New Year's Resolutions to make your
business better in 2010 - that old "work SMARTER, not
HARDER" adage? Well, then this is YOUR
meeting!
It will be all
about YOU and how to maximize your NARI membership to
help your business. This isn't a sales meeting -
We hear a lot of "I didn't know NARI had that!", so
we're just going to tell you everything you may be
missing.
Certification
opportunities, member discounts, tools to help your
business, advertising, free education and
MORE!
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January is Radon Action
Month
It is a New
Year and time for a new perspective on a healthier
lifestyle. Since January is Radon Action Month, as
a member of the National Association of the Remodeling
Industry (NARI), this may be the perfect time for you to
make testing for radon a 2010 New Year's
Resolution. As part of your professional
occupation, you encourage home owners to improve and
enhance the safety of their homes, what better way to be
an example than to increase your own indoor air
quality?
Why test for radon? Test to determine your risk of
radon induced lung cancer. As one working in the health
care arena you may be interested to know that the US
Surgeon General stated, "Indoor radon is the
second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States
and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a
significant health risk to families all over the
country."
Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless
radioactive gas that comes from the radioactive decay of
uranium in the soil and is the first leading cause of
lung cancer for non-smokers. Radon enters
buildings because of air pressure differences between
the building and the outside air. It enters through
openings between the interior and the soil such as craw
spaces, floor and wall joints and
cracks.
The largest exposure to the public from radiation comes
from radon, which is also a Class A known human
carcinogen. Radon and Radon Decay Products (RDPs)
are breathed in and the radon is exhaled. RDPs remain in
lung tissue and are trapped in the bronchial epithelium
and emit alpha particles which strike individual lung
cells and may cause physical and/or chemical damage to
DNA. USEPA's estimates radon causes about 21,000
lung cancer deaths per year.The Illinois Emergency
Management Agency Radon Program and the USEPA estimate
that as many as 1,160 Illinois citizens are at risk of
developing radon related lung cancer each
year.
Take action and test your home this New Year. You
can purchase test kits from a hardware store, department
store, or find a list of laboratories on the IEMA
website, www.radon.illinois.gov.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) A
Director Andrew Velasquez III said, "Testing is the only
way to find out if your home has elevated levels of this
cancer-causing radioactive gas. It really doesn't
matter where you live in Illinois or what type of home
you live in, because we've seen excessive radon in every
county in Illinois, and in every type of home - old,
new, with basements, with a crawlspace or on a
slab."
Hire a licensed radon measurement professional, if you
are involved in a real estate transaction. While the
occupant of a home can test their own residence, anyone
providing a service to test or reduce radon levels must
be licensed with the Illinois Emergency Management
Agency (IEMA) Radon Program.
When testing, if results are at or above the Action
Level of 4.0 picocuries per liter, radon reduction
(mitigation) is recommended. A list of licensed
professionals is available at the IEMA website of www.radon.illinois.gov along with
information for those interested in building a new home
radon resistant.
Keeping a new perspective in the new year and partnering
with the IEMA Radon Program to reduce the risk of lung
cancer is a great way to ring in a healthier 2010 for
you and the citizens you serve! Information about
radon is also available at the www.takeactiononradon.uiuc.edu
website or by calling the radon hotline at
1800-325-1245.
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EPA LEAD REQUIREMENTS
Timeline for Lead Rules
Implementation:
December 22, 2008: Switch to
"Renovate Right" brochure distribution (instead of
"Protect Your Family")
April 22, 2009: "Train the
Trainer" courses begin for those who will teach the Lead
Certification After April 22, 2009: Persons seeking
certification as renovators or dust sampling technicians
may take accredited training as soon as they are
available.
October 22, 2009: Firms may
start applying to the EPA for certification to conduct
renovations
April 22, 2010: Renovations in
target (pre-1978) housing and child-occupied facilities
must be conducted by certified renovation firms, using
renovators with accredited training, and following the
work practice requirements of the rule.
Visit the EPA's website for
general info on the new EPA lead rules; http://epa.gov/lead.
NEW PAMPHLET: Beginning
December 22, 2008, the rule will require that
contractors performing renovation, repair and painting
projects that disturb lead-based paint provide the Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard
Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and
Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 626K) lead hazard information
pamphlet En
Espaņol (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB) to owners and occupants
of target housing and child care facilities and to
parents and guardians of children under age six that
attend child care facilities built prior to 1978.
The rule will affect paid renovators who work in
pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities,
including:
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Renovation contractors - Maintenance workers in
multi-family housing - Painters and other specialty
trades. Under the rule, child-occupied facilities are
defined as residential, public or commercial buildings
where children under age six are present on a regular
basis. The requirements apply to renovation, repair or
painting activities. The rule does not apply to minor
maintenance or repair activities where less than six
square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room
or where less then 20 square feet of lead-based paint is
disturbed on the exterior. Window replacement is not
minor maintenance or repair.
Understand that after April
2010, federal law will require you to be certified and
to use lead-safe work practices. Read more about EPA's
rules and lead-safe work practices in EPA's brochure Contractors - Lead Safety During Renovation
(2 pp, 1.5MB). HTML version
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THE NARI
CODE OF ETHICS
Each member of the National
Association of the Remodeling Industry is pledged to
observe high standards of honesty, integrity and
responsibility in the conduct of business
by:
Promoting in good faith only those
products and services which are known to be functionally
and economically sound, and which are known to be
consistent with objective standards of health and
safety;
Making all advertising and sales
promotion factually accurate, avoiding those practices
which tend to mislead or deceive the
customer.
Writing all contracts and warranties
such that they comply with federal, state, and local
laws.
Promptly acknowledging and taking
appropriate action on all customer
complaints.
Refraining from any act intended to
restrain trade or suppress
competition.
Attaining and retaining insurance as
required by federal, state, and local
authorities.
Attaining and retaining licensing
and/or registration as required by federal, state, and
local authorities. |
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