It’s the beginning of the summer and that means it’s time for one of IIAR’s most important activities – leading membership renewals. And while this may seem like a routine activity we all work hard to complete every year, I’d like to take the opportunity in my column this month to point out that, as an IIAR member, this is one of the most important contributions you can make to the success of our industry.

The call for renewals is much more than an invitation to continue your membership. It’s an invitation to support the growth and expansion of new initiatives, programs and goals, and to support the expansion of our industry in general.

We’re focused on membership and committee work that will address the trends that are already shaping our future as a technical community. And your staff and dedicated Board of Directors are looking ahead to take stock of where we are now, and where we’re headed. New technologies like low charge systems, greater adoption of CO2, and other developments are taking natural refrigerants in new directions, and IIAR is keeping pace.

One of the most promising new programs you’ve heard me talk about is our Academy of Natural Refrigerants. The IIAR-2 initial class was a great success, the second round of new classes are now available online for members to complete their course work remotely, and we’re looking forward to expanding this functionality in the year ahead.

This remote training platform is an important new way IIAR is providing members essential access to IIAR member benefits – and I’m looking forward to expanding this functionality in the year ahead.

We’ll continue to carry forward the IIAR-2 classes and exams and we’ll begin work on the Board of Directorsled initiative to create similar classes and exams for IIAR Standards 4, 5, and 8 as well as a PSM/ RMP introduction course.

We’ll release course work in September for the IIAR 4, 5 and 8 Standards, and an introduction course for Process Safety Management and Risk Management will begin in November. The PSM and RMP module will be the first of several PSM/RMP course modules that will be offered by both IIAR and the University of Wisconsin to provide a comprehensive certificate for PSM/RMP professionals working in our industry.

Our expansive educational program is being designed for the long term – to provide members with educational choices to meet their business and professional development requirements, and I hope you, as an IIAR member, will find value in it for years to come.

We’re also expanding our education program with the continued development of new materials for our monthly series of education webinars for IIAR members. I hope you’ll take advantage of this great member resource – to expand your knowledge base, and just get new perspective on day-to-day operational issues in the year ahead.

As I mentioned in my last column, IIAR’s advocacy and outreach efforts are growing like never before, and I’m pleased to report that recent meetings with OSHA, EPA and DHS have been a success, especially where our new education initiatives and broader effort to inform the regulatory community are concerned.

I’d also like to touch on our upcoming Natural Refrigerants Conference & Expo, which is slated for the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO next March. We are expanding our technical program this year to include more Tech Paper sessions, Workshops and Panels designed to address the expanded opportunities for natural refrigerants in both the industrial and commercial market sectors.

And we’ve recently confirmed the venue for our popular Monday night event, which will be held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The evening will include a tour of the facility with several Olympic demonstrations including gymnastics, wrestling and target shooting. This will be a rare opportunity to see how Olympic athletes train and, as always, a great chance for conference attendees to network with members of all sectors of our industry.

This is an exciting time to be a member of IIAR, and these member benefits, programs and projects are opportunities to make our industry more dynamic and effective than ever before.

Our success as an IIAR member community is directly related to your membership renewal, and, of course, the dedication and hard work of the many volunteer members serving on the various technical committees, executive committee and the board of directors.

As a member, you are IIAR’s most valuable resource. I’m looking forward to working with the IIAR community this year to achieve all of our goals, and I invite everyone to renew your membership, and get involved in helping us fulfill the important mission of our organization.