By / par Tristan Bertram,TIAC’s Technical Initiatives and Strategic Relationship Coordinator
Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of connecting with many of our members across the country. Through this engagement, I have gained a better understanding of the industry ecosystem in Canada. I was also able to identify common pain points among our members and gain insight into what our membership expects from TIAC.
I intend to harness the resources and expertise available within TIAC to help alleviate some of our members’ significant challenges in recent years. I have heard about many challenges our membership faces, from labour and material shortages to project delays and price increases. Despite these difficulties, I am proud to be part of a resilient community that remains committed to persevering, no matter how steep the climb.
Although adversity seems to come with the times, I have also heard positive indications that our membership is en route to climbing out of the hole that the pandemic left. This is encouraging news and sets the stage for TIAC’s 61st annual conference to have a great turnout and, yet again, provide value and improvement for our members and industry.
As TIAC’s Technical Initiative and Strategic Relationship Co-ordinator, it is my responsibility to gather insight from our members and assist TIAC’s Board of Directors in ensuring harmony between our members’ needs and our initiatives to improve the industry. I want to extend my gratitude to all the members who spared some time to discuss and share their feedback. Your valuable input has helped us create a job plan for my position that suits our industry’s needs. Together, TIAC’s Board of Directors and I have identified three major job components for my role in expanding TIAC’s value: promoting the industry, increasing member engagement, and developing member value. The job plan for my position dives deep into these components and provides a practical framework to help make TIAC the best association possible.
Being the “national voice of the thermal insulation industry” means it is TIAC’s obligation to forge a community united around advancing our industry. TIAC’s goals must hold significance and provide more value to our contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and associates. To accomplish this, it is critical that we have a clearly defined vision, mission, and purpose for our members and industry stakeholders to rally around. The feedback provided by many of TIAC’s members has not only aided in developing improvement initiatives but has also allowed us to begin to refine TIAC’s strategic intent.
Based on your feedback, I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with our Board of Directors to refine our vision, mission, and purpose. I believe the years to come hold the potential for us to change our industry’s perception from the “itchy stuff in homes” to an industry at the forefront of carbon emissions reduction and climate rehabilitation. Our members know we are an industry with the potential to make the world a greener place, and we have yet to scratch the surface of the value we offer. We are lucky to have a Board of Directors committed to advancing the thermal insulation industry, and I look forward to supporting them in making TIAC the best association possible. It is up to us all to take advantage of the opportunity ahead and do our part in improving the world.
Thank you to the TIAC community for providing me with this opportunity to learn, grow, and help improve our association. I will continue to call on our membership periodically as I value your input and the ability to develop new relationships. If I have not yet had the chance to connect with you, I encourage you to reach out at any time. I am always happy to assist in any way possible and further my understanding of our industry’s needs. We’d love you to join us in Whistler, BC, for TIAC’s 61st annual conference from August 23-26, 2023! The TIAC team and I are excited to bring our community together to achieve great things and make some great memories. I hope to see you there! ■
