The IICRC recently held its semi-annual Certification Council and board of directors meetings in Vancouver, Wash. Some of the highlights of the recent meetings include:

Election of Officers
President/Chairman of the Board - Paul Pearce; 1st Vice President – Darrell Paulson; 2nd Vice president – Mike Reed; International Vice President – David Jones; Treasurer – Ed Hobbs; Secretary – Barry Lichtenstein; Chairman of the Certification Council – Barry Costa. Ruth Travis completed her second term as IICRC president and chairman, and was given a standing ovation for her dedication and strong leadership.

New Award Established
The Cy Gantt Award was established to recognize individuals who have made significant long-term commitments and contribution to the overall inspection, cleaning and restoration industry. The initial award was presented to IICRC honorary board member Cy Gantt in recognition of his many years of industry service. This award is one of three special awards presented from time to time by the IICRC. The others are The Founder’s Award presented in recognition of exceptional service to the IICRC, and The Keith Williams Award presented for outstanding technical contribution to the industry.

ANSI/IICRC S-520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation, Second Edition
After almost four years of development, the S520 second edition is now published, printed and available for distribution. Order forms are available from the IICRC Web site. The document is available in paper and electronic formats. Government Affairs
Committee Chairman Dan Bernazzani continues to make innovations with various state and local legislatures and government agencies. Currently Maryland, Florida and Kentucky are being watched for significant legislative activity.

Expanded Parameters for Certified Firms Referral System
Beginning around the first of the year, IICRC Certified Firms will be able to expand the options available to them on the Certified Firms referral search to include additional service areas (represented by the ability to list additional zip/postal codes). Currently, the referral search uses the company’s address as the reference point for referrals. Many companies’ business address is not in the same zip code as their best customer base. The new improvements allow the firm to list up to two “preferred service areas” at no charge and up to five with a small service fee.

Independent Financial Audit
IICRC Treasurer Ed Hobbs reported that the annual independent audit of all IICRC financial records has been completed and all finances are in order.

International Offices
Reports were received from the IICRC European and Oceania offices with live presentations from representatives from the London, UK and Bathurst, Australia offices.

IICRC Technical Advisor
Jeff Bishop’s contract as IICRC technical advisor will be completed in November. Jeff was thanked by the board for his many years of professional service to IICRC. The IICRC board will be working to redefine the role of IICRC technical advisor(s). A task force has been appointed to research the various technical needs of the IICRC and make recommendations to the board on how to move forward as IICRC continues to diversify and expand.