Fellow Supplier & Manufacturer (SAM) Members:

It has been my pleasure to serve as the chairman of the SAM Council and as one of your voting representatives to the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) Board of Directors. It has been an exciting couple of years in the life of the association that has included a relocation to Maryland and the Washington, D.C. Metro area. Our association has continued to focus on the mission of, “Saving lives and protecting property from fire through the widespread acceptance of the fire sprinkler concept.” As SAM members we play a significant role in the life and success of our association. In addition, I am sure you have seen from all the email blasts from our association, staff is hard at work at both the federal and state level’s to defend current fire sprinkler legislation we have fought for and to assist legislatures in all levels of government in drafting and pursuing new legislation for passage.  In that vein, your dues are integral in the funding of those efforts, which help save lives and property while improving our business environment.

2019 saw record attendance at the 2019 North American Fire Sprinkler Expo in Nashville, TN with several opportunities for us to network with contractors and peers, both on the expo floor and in numerous classes. I initiated a program by which a member from the council is responsible to share information with a specific list of fellow SAM members and I trust you have found this to be a valuable resource. Additionally, as a part of the ongoing, “Buy NFSA” campaign, we launched a page dedicated to SAM members, www.nfsa.org/sam, with blog functionality available to all SAM members to share personnel changes, new products, or anything else of value to the industry and general membership.

2020 will see the continuation of the NFSA media campaign and website www.firesprinklersbuylife.com as well as the production of another TV commercial. NFSA will launch of a new Association Management Software platform with input from SAM members especially in the area of events and training. As a part of the “Buy NFSA” campaign, 2020 will see the launch of an online buyer’s guide, which will give us the ability to highlight even more to the contractor members of the association.

At the most recent SAM Council meeting in Washington, DC, which is the only meeting in which we can modify the dues for the coming year (2020), the council recommended, and the board unanimously approved the following changes to SAM Membership dues:

1. A sub-committee has been formed to review the top-level SAM dues category and benefits to make a recommendation in 2020 for a new top-level membership category as a result of industry growth and the significant consolidation of the industry.
2. The bottom three revenue categories have been consolidated to form one new category. For companies with revenue between $0.00 – $5,000,000.00 the new dues will be $4,800 per year.

It is my sincere hope that we maintain the number of SAM members, but expand the role we play in the NFSA even more. It is important to note that I have asked NFSA staff to work with any members in the new lower level that for financial reasons feel membership to be unsustainable. NFSA staff will be moving SAM to calendar year memberships and your next invoice will reflect any adjustments. The NFSA staff liaison to our council is Caleb Armbrust who can be reached at armbrust@nfsa.org.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly with any concerns or ideas related to the SAM Council and future initiatives. My email address is: Bob.Bussiere@wheatland.com

Sincerely,

Bob Bussiere

NFSA SAM Council, Chair