Fellow Hydronic Professionals,,
I have been the director of the RPA now for 2 and 1/3 years. It has been an arduous journey, with some ups and some downs, mostly ups, but we (I especially) do this for the industry.
We now have in place one of the most dynamic group of people (members on committees and members in general) and are kicking butt and taking names. We have an actual Hydronics/Radiant Code that is part of the Uniform family of codes (Uniforms Solar Energy Hydronics Code) and are in the final stages of developing an ANSI recognized, ASSE developed Professional Certification program for designers and installers.
We have and continue to add instructors to, our online university, RPAU, with HeatSpring offering some of the best instructors time and money can buy, making education of yourself and your employees available at YOUR convenience.
We recently inked a deal with Tom Grandy and Associates to help show experienced contractors how to turn their hard work into a good profit margins so they can retire comfortably or live well before retirement.
We have inked a deal with Kilowatt Financial to provide low interest, high dollar (up to $30K) financing IN THE CONSUMERS HOUSE. (less than 30 minute approvals online)
We have renewed commitments from UPS offering our members a significant discount on shipping less than truck loads.
We have a monthly newsletter available to members only.
We have printed magazines to help you sell radiant comfort (walls floors and ceilings) to the consumers.
We have monthly Lunch and Learn webinars to keep you abreast of the latest and greatest in our industry.
We have HydroniX Talk (which is on summer vacation) which is also available to members only, and will now be taking place early evenings during the week, beginning this coming fall, featuring the likes of Dan Holohan and many other notable hydronics pioneers.
All of this for a contractor for less than $1.00 per day (actually less than that because the $300/year fee is good for 3 employees) as well as access to some of the best minds this industry has to offer (locked access LinkedIn accounts).
And we continue to look for ways to promote this wonderful industry of ours so that we can prove to the world something that most people here have known for a long time, that being that hydronics is THE most efficient method of transferring energy from point A to point B, or from point B to point A.
We have legislative power in Washington DC looking out for our industry’s interests. (The old RPA was not allowed to lobby)
There’s only one major missing component…..
>>> YOU! <<<
I and my membership committee (and the other 7 committees) are baffeled as to why former members of the old RPA and new potential members are not coming back into the fold.
So, I’d like to ask some questions and clear up some rumors.
Rumor 1: IAPMO runs the RPA. Wrong, WE run the RPA. IAPMO owns it lock stock and barrel, and provides us with all of the tools and support we need to further its goals, but the RPA is run by its members. It is an organization OF the members, BY the members, FOR the members.
Rumor 2: RPA is dead. Wrong, it came extremely close to going under during the economic down turn, and if IAPMO had not intervened, it would have gone down in flames. Fortunately, IAPMO caught it before it plowed into the ground, gave it a soft landing, re-painted the plane, refueled it and sent it back up into the air.
Rumor 3: IAPMO is dead. This couldn’t be further from the truth. IAPMO is the largest CDO (Code Development Organization) in the world. In fact they are expanding and now have offices around the world, helping to establish plumbing and mechanical codes around the world.
Rumor 4: IAPMO and the RPA are too big for me to consider joining. WRONG, these organizations are here to support you, not fight you. Every code and standard that is developed by these organizations are done so under a very tightly watched and controlled ANSI Open Consensus process. No complaint goes unattended or ignored. All concerns are addressed until there are no more concerns.
So, my question to you is why have you (contractors, designers, installers, equipment manufacturers, manufacturer rep agencies and others) not joined, or rejoined this fantastic organization? There is strength in numbers, and if we as an industry don’t band together real soon, there is a real possibility that our industry will be put out of business by some very savvy foreign interests who have stated publicly that their intent is to take over ALL methods of heating and cooling.
Tell me what rumors you’ve heard, or why it is that you haven’t joined this organization. We are all ears, and we want to make certain that this machine is your machine, and that it does work for YOU, the industry.
I’d also like to thank all of our volunteers and our board of directors for their guidance in getting the ship to this point. Without your help, we wouldn’t have gotten this far. THANK YOU.
Now, tell me what your concerns are?
If you’d like to join, go to www.radiantprofessionalsalliance.org and click on the JOIN button, or simply call Alan Wald, our Vice President of Memberships at 909-472-4211and he or one of his staff can get you signed up over the phone. Easy squeasy lemon peasy.
Thank you for your consideration, and thanks to the Mechanical Hub for being a member and allowing us to use this venue.
Mark Eatherton
Executive Director, Radiant Professionals Alliance
18927 Hickory Creek Drive, Suite 220
Mokena, IL 60448
Desk: 708-995-3001
Toll free: 877-427-6601
www.radiantprofessionalsalliance.org
Email: mark.eatherton@radiantprofessionalsalliance.org
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