Columbia, MD – At its 64th Annual Convention and Exhibition in Palm Springs, Calif., the Restoration Industry Association announced its slate of officers for 2009.

Jeff Jones, CRS, of Sani-Sheen System, Inc. (Oklahoma City, OK), will serve as president of RIA. He is a second-generation rug specialist and restorer who grew up in the industry, and has extensive expertise in specialty rugs and textiles.

He was instrumental in reinvigorating RIA’s National Institute of Rug Cleaning division several years ago when he served as the council chairman, and has generously shared his knowledge with RIA members for many years. Jones has led Navajo rug study tours through the Southwest and is planning another trip for this fall.

Frank Headen, CR, WLS, CMH, of First Restoration Services, Inc. (Charlotte, NC) will serve as vice president of RIA. Headen has decades of experience in the industry, working on many high-profile projects such as the Pentagon (Washington, D.C.) and World Trade Center Tower 7 (New York, N.Y.), following 9-11; the NASA facilities at the Kennedy Space Center (Florida); the FBI Headquarters and Hyatt Regency Hotel (New Orleans, La.), following Hurricane Katrina; the Biltmore House (Asheville, S.C.), following a fire in its carpenter shop; and the EPA Headquarters and FBI Washington Field Office (Washington, D.C.) following severe flooding and heavy rains. He also holds many professional designations and affiliations.

Leo Volkert, CR, WLS, of Primo Clean Restorative Services (Lodi, CA) will serve as Treasurer, and, Wade Miller, CR, of Mitigation Services, Inc. (Brentwood, TN) will take over as the Association’s secretary. Also serving on the board of directors are Bill Lakin, CR, of Chem-Dry (Stafford, England); Ben Yanker, CR, WLS, CMH, of Buffalo Restoration (Bozeman, MT); Charles Cassani, CR, of Steamatic of Sacramento (Sacramento, CA); Michael Popowski of PBI Restoration Resources (Timonium, MD); and immediate past president, Rusty Amarante, CR, of Belfor USA (Exton, PA).