2001 Annual ASHI Chapter Reports

Central Pennsylvania Chapter
Officers: Robert L. Lloyd, president
Frank A. Marsico, vice-president
Terry D. Amsley, secretary/treasurer

Education highlights
We have had an educational speaker at each of our seven official monthly meetings.

Community service
Our Chapter makes a presentation explaining what a home inspection is at the monthly meeting of the Cumberland County Home Buyers Coalition, 1st Time Home Buyers Seminars.

Accomplishments
The most important accomplishment of the Chapter during the previous year was just starting a new chapter in July 2001, and having 50 percent of our members present at the annual conference January 2002.

Goals
The primary goal for the new year is to continue our growth and to have a half-day mold training class.

Central Illinois Chapter ASHI
Officers: Dana L. Strumpher, president
Norm Rademacher, vice-president   
Stan Kupish, treasurer  
David B. Miller, secretary

Legislative activities
Dana Strumpher, chapter president, has been appointed to the Illinois Home Inspector’s Licensing Board. We hope this will give the Chapter greater exposure and allow it to be recognized as a continuing education provider for Licensed Illinois
Home Inspectors.

Education highlights
Bimonthly meetings include formal training sessions approved for two MRCs. We plan to rotate Chapter meetings to other cities where CICASHI members reside, such as Decatur, Champaign, Peoria, Taylorville and Jacksonville, Ill.

Coastal Connecticut Chapter
Officers: Bill Hirsch, president
Dave Leopold, vice-president  
Paul Morris, secretary
Tom Saunders, treasurer  
Directors: John Koch, Bill Horelick,
Ira Chernes

Education highlights
The Coastal CT Chapter had a successful local conference in October and the monthly meetings/seminars have also been successful. Our membership is increasing gradually, but we are always in a “membership drive” mode. We intend to provide the state’s best educational seminars, which should encourage licensed home inspectors to join our ranks.

The Chapter plans to educate the real estate community about ASHI and the benefits of referring ASHI inspectors. We will be using some of the valuable tools and lessons learned at the National Leadership Conference in our efforts to make ASHI the premier inspection organization in Connecticut.

East Tennessee Chapter
Officers: Paul Edmonson, president

Education highlights
We met every other month. We worked hard through our Education Committee to develop a working relationship with the code officials in Knox County, Tennessee where the bulk of our members work.

Our focus continues to be on helping the Candidates become full Members, while encouraging other inspectors to join ASHI. Educational speakers this year included an attorney who discussed all the legal issues regarding home inspections, and a truss engineer and truss manufacturers. We also conducted two test house inspections. We try to provide two hours of education per meeting with guest experts, plus an hour solely for our Candidates.

Public relations
We are fortunate to have a member who took on the task of developing our Web site and Ken Fast continues to oversee it. Check us out at www.etashi.com

Garden State Chapter
Officers: Ken Salvo, president & COR
Peter Engle, P.E., vice-president & COR
Martin Richstein, P.E., secretary
Ernest Borsellino, treasurer
Directors: William Portmann,
Kevin Burnette, Robert Osborne
COR: Robert Fico, past president  

Legislative activities
As of this writing, there is still no effective date for the licensing of home inspectors in New Jersey. The final regulations are being reviewed by various governmental agencies, and we are told that they may be approved by April or May, 2002. We continue to work with a legislative aide to monitor and react to attempts by other organizations to negatively affect the enacted home inspector licensing law. Four technical schools were selected to begin teaching a home inspection course, approved by the state, and required for new inspectors under the licensing law. This essentially is the ASHI@Home course.

Education highlights
Continuing education for our membership has been, and always will be, a primary goal. In addition to monthly educational sessions during our dinner meetings, we had a successful seminar last year, and we are in the process of planning this year’s seminar.

Community service
Last December, Kevin Burnette spearheaded a toy drive, to benefit Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, N.J. Chapter members brought their contributions to our annual Holiday party, and the next day we delivered a huge box of more than 100 toys to the hospital. We plan to make this toy drive an annual event.

Heartland Chapter
Officers: Ken Goewey, president
Gary Scott, vice-president
Roger Hankey, secretary

Legislative activities
The State Realtors® Association was successful in getting new legislation passed limiting the agents liability in home sales. To date, our members have not been affected by the legislation.

Education highlights
Several major seminars were offered. “Exterior Issues” was coupled with our Annual River Cruise on the St. Croix. A tour of the 1900s Excell Energy Power Plant at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis was the highlight of the electrical seminar given by Douglas Hansen. McGregor Pierce’s IAQ seminar focused on interior air quality, and gave our members a sound background on the new buzzword  – mold.
Our evening meetings focused on a variety of issues to enable our members to polish their report writing and inspection skills.

Goals
Our plans for 2002 are well under way with a roster of seminars and evening meetings. A new focus this year will be a series of “Candidate Nights.” Plans are in the works also for another “Technology Night.”

We were saddened this past year by the passing of long time Chapter member Gillis Borg. He is missed by all.

Inland Northwest Chapter
Officers: Gary Fuller, president
John Fechner, vice-president/education
William Hay, secretary/treasurer
William Meyer, public relations chair

Education highlights
The Chapter held its annual group inspection and BBQ.

Community service
Many of our local Chapter members have participated as guest speakers at first-time homebuyer workshops and seminars. Doug Gore, Tom Tusler and William Hay educated first-time buyers about the inspection process, the ongoing maintenance needs of homes, and defects discovered during the inspection.

Public relations
William Meyer was a driving force behind our local media, including ASHI in many articles and stories concerning homebuying. Our involvement in Spokane Home Ownership Resource Group resulted in ASHI literature being distributed throughout our region and to local media.

Keystone ASHI Chapter
Officers: Joe Kelly, president
Lance Schweizer, vice-president
Arick Amspacker, secretary
Wayne Murray, treasurer
Richard Armstrong, COR

Legislative activities
From a legislative standpoint, it was a busy year. On Dec. 20, Pennsylvania enacted trade practice legislation for home inspectors. Having foresight, prior to enactment, our chapter formed a coalition, PHIC (Pennsylvania Home Inspectors Coalition) to create a united voice to deal with expected legislative stumbling blocks. PHIC has taken the role of first contact policing of the self-enforcing legislation and is working with the legal enforcement arm, the Attorney Generals office. Recent amendments have been introduced to effectively take what little level of professionalism is required out of the legislation. PHIC and our lobbyists are working hard to defend our position. We also had the foresight to see the legislation causing restraint of trade issues, so prior to enactment, we developed and implemented a Ride Along Mentoring Program, (RAMP). Please visit our Web site at http://phic.info/ to view our legislation and programs.

Education highlights
We’ve been able to provide quality speakers at our meetings, and members have the potential to earn 10  MRCs by attending all the meetings.

Goals
We are still in our infancy as a chapter, barely two years old, and member participation is slow. However, we hope to develop interest in committees for programs, such as community service, public awareness, and Candidate advancement. The future looks bright with a long road ahead.

Lone Star ASHI Chapter
Officers: Jim Hemsell, president
Cary Crum, vice-president
John Cahill, secretary/treasurer
Aaron Miller, COR
Jim Hemsell, COR alternate

Education highlights
Lone Star ASHI was busy this last year. We held our annual conference in the fall of 2001 in Garland, Texas. Our 10-hour Phased New Home Construction seminar was a huge success. It covered the IRC 2000 and other aspects of inspecting new homes. The course will be taught again in San Antonio and Houston later this year. Our Peer Review Board will cover the material in the class at a selected construction site. If another Chapter is interested in the course, please give us a call and we would be glad to provide instructors and materials.

Public relations
Our Board of Directors established a marketing plan to build ASHI membership around the state. With more than 1400 unaffiliated home inspectors in Texas, there’s potential for the chapter’s growth. We’re creating an ASHI buzz statewide.

MAC-ASHI Chapter
Officers: Jim Sigel, president
Richard Robins, president-elect
Daniel Blum, vice-president
Robert Graham, secretary
Lanny Weintraub, treasurer
Directors: Erwyn Matthews, John Vaughn, Vimal Kapoor

Legislative activities
The Maryland legislature passed an inspector licensing law that theoretically took effect Oct. 1, 2001. The paperwork should be finalized and actual registration will begin this spring. It requires all home inspections in the state to be performed by a licensed home inspector. Our Chapter members have continued to take an active role in spearheading and guiding the legislative process with JD Grewell named to be on the state board that will administer the new licensing law.

Education highlights
In addition to our monthly dinner meetings, with a variety of educational speakers on current construction practices and materials, the education highlight for the chapter is an annual full-day seminar in the spring for all area inspectors. Our next seminar
features an in-depth coverage of hydronics heating systems presented by Mike Holohan, a nationally acknowledged expert and writer on the subject.

The social highlight of every year is our annual Maryland Crab Feast for members and guests. This has been a MAC-ASHI tradition for many years and affords an opportunity for members to get together with their families for a day of gluttony and fun.

Public relations
MAC-ASHI members continue to appear as spokes-person for the industry with occasional coverage throughout the year in the Washington Post and on local cable and broadcast television programs.

Mount Baker Chapter
Officers: Bill Cassells, president
Kent Lambert, vice-president
Jake Bierman, secretary/treasurer

Legislative activities
We are currently working with ASHI Chapters and other home inspection organizations in the state of Washington to establish and influence general licensing of home inspectors in the state.

Education highlights
In addition to hour-long education sessions provided at each Chapter meeting, our Chapter works cooperatively with ASHI Western Washington Chapter to develop and to provide full-day educational seminars at various times throughout the year.

Community service
We are pursuing a program for mitigation of hazards in childcare centers in conjunction with the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

Public relations
We promote ASHI as the brand name for professional home inspections in our area of influence through newspaper articles, members speaking on talk radio and distribution of flyers to real estate agencies identifying certified ASHI inspectors and stating the importance of using ASHI inspectors. Chapter members are also presenting to real estate agents at education classes.

Accomplishments
As a small and newer Chapter, we focused on strengthening our foundation through development of Chapter bylaws, initiating a Chapter Web site, attracting new membership, and working towards incorporation.

Goals
Our primary goal for the new year is to continue to build membership, and to provide high quality educational opportunities to Chapter members.

New England Chapter
Officers: Richard H. Clough, CAE, executive director

Legislative activities
Massachusetts and Rhode Island have home inspector licensing. The Chapter actively communicates with Massachusetts’ Licensing Board, sharing opinions and insights, as well as presenting the rationale for Board approval of the Chapter as an agency for providing continuing education to home inspectors. In turn, those serving on the licensing board made presentations to Chapter members.

Education highlights
Educational dinner meetings were held monthly with roundtable discussions and educational speakers. In addition several full-day seminars were scheduled for the day of an evening meeting to save time and travel expenses for the members. Members earned up to eight Continuing Membership Renewal Credits (MRCs) by attending day and evening programs. Successful education programs contributed to a record financial year.

Accomplishments
Strategic plan: It took weekend retreats and daylong work sessions for the leadership to develop the strategic plan now being used. The plan was modeled after ASHI’s national plan and it includes job descriptions and immediate and long-term goals for committees. The Chapter Board of Directors meets monthly to manage the affairs according to the plan.

Newsletter: The monthly chapter newsletter keeps members informed about chapter events and the home inspection industry at large. In 2002, it is being delivered electronically.

Web site: Through promotion, the Web site has been developed as a ready reference for referral of home inspectors.

Northern Illinois Chapter
Legislative activities
Illinois will become a license state in 2003. To the good fortune of our membership and other home inspectors in the state, three of the five home inspectors appointed to the advisory board by the Governor are NIC-ASHI members. It’s nice to see ASHI well represented in the process, rather than on the outside looking in.

Education highlights
Last year NIC-ASHI went from bimonthly to monthly meetings, and the strong turnout continued, with at least 40 members and guests present for the education sessions and dinner. This year we hope to organize a full day or weekend session and at least one social event.

Goals
With 67 members the chapter has been steadily growing since it was formed approximately three years ago, and we anticipate hitting the magic century mark by year’s end. Much of the success is due to the leadership and skills of the Board of Directors.