We’re kicking off a new year and setting new agendas, and even though I’m well into my term as your IIAR Chairman, I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone – new and renewing members alike.

We’ve just wrapped up our annual agenda-setting session and meeting of the Board of Directors, and I’m happy to report that IIAR is embarking on several ambitious goals this year as your staff is busier than ever completing products and projects that move us closer to our strategic vision.

This year’s Industrial Refrigeration Conference was our first major step in that direction, and I’m very pleased to report that the event again saw recordbreaking numbers of attendees and exhibitors, and added important alliances through developing relationships with the regulatory community.

IIAR’s 2017 show was one of our best conferences yet, and that is always due to the hard work and contributions of IIAR’s membership. It’s appropriate to take a minute – as we begin our membership renewal effort – and extend special thanks and appreciation to all who contributed their time and financial support to this year’s event.

If you didn’t already realize that we’re in the midst of IIAR membership renewal season, the success of our most recent conference – which surpassed expectations – is a great reminder of how essential IIAR membership is to the leadership of our industry.

This year, we looked at many of the challenges facing our business environment, talked about the regulatory landscape, and examined the technology and best practices we’ll need to meet growing demand from so many new – and traditional – sectors.

Resolving some of the most complex scenarios we are facing will depend on the ability of IIAR’s membership to come together and continue to develop the resources and communicate the potential of new technologies at our industry’s central event.

I’d like to take this opportunity to call not only for your renewed membership, but also for your increased participation and leadership in IIAR’s committees and development of conference technical papers. Whether you get involved as a committee member or tech paper author, or in any other way, your involvement is what moves us forward.

Our publications are second to none, addressing new trends and introducing new technologies, and you, as an IIAR member have the opportunity to contribute to them directly.

You also have an opportunity, as a member, to expand your interaction with your peers, and influence the policies, codes and standards that shape the way we do business. Our committees span all of these areas and beyond, and they all depend on your help and support in some form.

To that end, we’ll be focused once more on the work of our committees this year, especially in the regulatory arena, where we’ve continued to build relationships on behalf of our industry, carrying the torch on initiatives with the Department of Homeland Security, EPA, OSHA and many other government organizations.

And we’re continuing to grow as a resource for the educational and training materials that make our industry safe and enable the use of new natural refrigeration technologies. I encourage you to turn to Dave Rule’s President’s Message in this issue to read about the exciting developments around our new education program – starting with the success of the IIAR-2 training course.

The Academy of Natural Refrigerants is one of our most exciting new initiatives.

However you decide to get involved this year, I’m hoping you’ll see this IIAR membership renewal season a little differently, as a chance to dive in to the work of your organization. We’re growing like never before, and I’m looking forward to working with you all in the year ahead.