Be a Winner: Renew Today

Welcome to all who have renewed their membership for 2012-13 and congratulations to the three who won the Early Bird Renewal Drawing for full registration to InspectionWorld Las Vegas:

Scott Julian, Full Service Property Inspection, LLC, Clinton, Ohio
Mike Ogle, AmeriSpec, Woodstock, Ga.
Rass Williams, Preferred Property Inspections, LLC, Wichita, Kan.

The contest closed at midnight September 1, but you’re a winner every time you renew. All the benefits of ASHI membership are yours when you pay your annual dues. To name a few…

• Listed on Find an Inspector.
• Being associated with the only third-party-recognized home inspector certifying body.
• Eligible for free online Smart Track and other educational opportunities.
• 12 issues of the ASHI Reporter, online and in print.
• Representation at the federal level of government.   

If you have ideas on how to make ASHI even more valuable to members, let your leaders know. ASHI is a member-led organization. Names and contact information for all the officers and directors are in the online membership directory.

Member-Get-A Member: Rewards for you and for ASHI

Earn a $50 Visa Gift Card for every new member you recruit. To get started, download the membership application form, have the new member fill it out, including entering your member number in the referral field. Fax the completed form to 847-759-1620.

Visit the ASHI Online Store

The ASHI Store is stocked with products to promote your business at prices you’ll like. You must be an ASHI member to purchase the educational and marketing materials and ASHI apparel. Find the “Shop the ASHI Store” button on the home inspector page of the website and get started marketing yourself as a member today.

Find an Inspector: Consumers Get Options, you get Feedback

Consumers have two ways to use Find an Inspector on the ASHI website. They can search for an inspector by entering a full address or they can search by entering a zip code — it’s their choice. ASHI wants to be sure consumers find this search function user-friendly. In addition, all ASHI members who have email addresses on file with ASHI will receive a quarterly report on how many consumers have used the search function to view their contact information.

Registration is Open for IW Las Vegas

Review the outstanding educational sessions, book your hotel room and then register for InspectionWorld Las Vegas online at www.inspectionworld.org. Optional pre-conference courses are offered, as well as side trips to enhance your stay. Find complete info online. ASHI has negotiated one of the best hotel rates available in Vegas in order to offer you the professional conference for home inspectors at a price you’ll enjoy.

2013 Call for Volunteers

Do you have the skills and enthusiasm necessary to help ASHI achieve its goals and objectives? If so, let the committee chairs know you’re willing to serve in 2013 by filling out and returning the 2013 Call for Volunteers form. Request the form by emailing headquarters at hq@ashi.org, or download it from the Members Only website under Downloads and Forms.

2012 Leadership Training Conference 

Chapter presidents have responded to the invitations mailed in August, and ASHI’s current and future leaders are scheduled to attend the annual training session in Chicago. It opens on the afternoon of Thursday, October 18 and continues through Friday, October 19.

Advertising Rate Card now Available

The ASHI 2012-13 advertising rate card is available under advertising and media on the website and from headquarters (sandyb@ashi.org). Please share it with anyone who might be interested in reaching the home inspector market. Advertisers and contributors allow us to bring you the Reporter online and in print at no cost to the Society.

Your Input is Valued

To publish the Reporter, ASHI depends on members who are willing to share their knowledge and experiences with other home inspectors.  Chapter news and photos, letters and Postcards from the Field are all welcomed. Inspection-related success stories, safety tips, business and technical articles that are of interest to inspectors are vital to the magazine.
The ASHI Technical Committee reviews technical submissions for level of interest and accuracy before publication. So, we recommend authors submit their ideas for technical articles and request feedback from the committee before writing the article.

Email Sandy Bourseau at sandyb@ashi.org.

Nominating Committees Slate Officers, Certification Committee Member and Directors

The Committee met on September 8, 2012, and decided on the following slate for 2013 ASHI Officers. The names are listed in alphabetical order by office.

Officer Slate for 2013

President Elect: Bill Loden
Vice President: Alden Gibson, Scott Warga
Treasurer: Larry Cerro, Michael Stephens
Secretary: Randy Sipe

Anyone who submitted a matrix but was not slated was eligible to request a petition form from headquarters.

Certification Committee Members

The following were slated by the Officers Nominating Committee:

James Funkhouser, Scott Johnson and Vince Tecce

Two will be elected.

Director Slate for 2013

The ASHI Directors Nominating Committee for 2013 slated the following for ASHI Directors:

James Allen, Lisa Alajajian Giroux, Michael Burroughs,
Scott Patterson, Robert Peterson and Robert Walstead.

Five directors and one alternate will be chosen based on the number of votes each receives.

The names of members requesting petitions, if any, were published in the October 1 electronic newsletter First Thing and are available online in the archived copy of that newsletter under Publications on the Members-Only website.

Election Policy

The following is from the ASHI Policy and Procedures Manual, also available under Publications in the Members Only website.

2. Petitions
a. All Petition Candidates are to complete and submit the officialNomination Matrix Form prior to the official election. ASHI will provide the official petition to the member requesting the petition. ASHI will notify the ASHI membership by email of the member who is requesting the petition. The notice will be sent out two times by ASHI (the last week of September and the 2nd (second) week of October) and shall include the names of those candidates chosen by the nomination committees. If the official petition form is changed in any manner, the petition will NOT be accepted, with the exception of a change to the fax or phone number and email of the candidates. The candidate will be allowed to purchase only the ASHI mailing list of addresses. Email addresses and fax numbers will NOT be provided to nominated or petition candidates. The mailing list may be used only for the current election cycle. Revised 7/30/2011

b. A valid petition containing the names of a minimum of 10% of the then in good standing ASHI Certified Inspectors submitted to ASHI headquarters shall cause the name of the qualified Member to be added to the ballot as candidate for a specified (named) office.

c. Petitions must be presented on a special form available only from ASHI Headquarters and requires the name (printed) and the signature of each petitioner, as well as the office in which the petitioner would serve, if elected.

d. The form must be received by mail or fax at headquarters at least 10 days prior to the distribution of the ballots.

e. Staff will verify the validity of the petition prior to placing the name of a Candidate for office on the ballot.

3. Official Instructions for Those Obtaining Petitions for the Officer

Elections
a. All petitions must be received on or before October 19, 2012, at noon (CT) at ASHI Headquarters, 932 Lee Street, Des Plaines, Illinois 60016 by physical delivery, U.S. mail, email or FAX at 847-759-1620 directly from the candidate. Postmark dates or mail “stored” at the post office will not be counted.

b. An ASHI Certified Member may sign more than one candidate’s petition for the same position, but only one signature per individual candidate.

c. If the Official Petition Form is changed or altered in any manner, the petition will not be accepted, with the exception of the insertion of the fax or phone number or the email of the prospective candidate.

d. All fields on the petition shall be filled in. The signature and printed name of the signer must be original.

e. All petitions must be submitted directly from the prospective petitioning candidate to Headquarters, not from signers. Petitions faxed, emailed, sent by U.S. mail or delivered by anyone other than the petition candidate will not be counted.

f. Qualified ASHI voting members (ACIs and retired members) may also sign petitions.

g. ASHI will inform members twice by email that they have requested a blank Official Petition Form.

h. You may purchase and use mailing labels from ASHI. You may not purchase email, fax or telephone number lists from ASHI. ASHI will not sponsor or send email blasts for any prospective or actual candidate.

The campaigning rules remained the same.

15.9A
1. Campaigning positively by or about any candidate is permissible as long as no ASHI assets are used.

2. Staff, Nominating Committee and Election Committee members shall not participate in campaigning.

3. Nominees or Petition Candidates for an Officer or Board of Director position may purchase mailing labels or lists of qualified voting members’ contact information from Headquarters at cost. Revised 10/22/05

4. Negative campaigning (against candidates or nominees) is not permitted. The Election Committee should preview campaign statements or materials in advance if there is any uncertainty about the appropriateness of their contents.

5. Election and Campaign policies shall be published in the Reporter for three (3) consecutive months prior to the formation of a slate for an election.

ASHI Event Calendar

• Oct. 18-19, 2012, Leadership Training Conference, Rosemont, Ill.
• Oct. 20, 2012, ASHI Board Meeting, Rosemont, Ill.
• Jan. 15, 2013, ASHI Board Meeting,  Las Vegas, Nev.
• Jan. 13-16, 2013, InspectionWorld , Las Vegas, Nev.
• Jan. 16, 2013, Council of Representatives Meeting, Las Vegas, Nev.
• Jan. 12-15, 2014, InspectionWorld, Nashville, Tenn.

Current ASHI Membership

ASHI Certified Inspectors: 3,428
Associates/Logo: 107
Associates: 1,587
Retired Members: 101
Affiliates: 68
Total: 5,291

ASHI Mission Statement

To set and promote standards for property inspections and to provide the educational programs needed to achieve excellence in the profession.