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ABMA & Our Members Converge this Week at POWER-GEN
 This week, ABMA and more than 35 member companies will be exhibiting at 2016 POWER-GEN International in Orlando, FL.
ABMA will distribute our PASSPORT to the Boiler Industry, which promotes our exhibiting members and gives attendees a consolidated guide to our members’ booths. In addition, ABMA members will proudly share their association link with signs in the exhibit booths.
If you are attending POWER-GEN, please visit us at Booth #3573. We will have copies of the PASSPORT, the new 2017 Buyers Guide, and our marketing brochure.
Click to receive a free pass!
Lyon on Politics
Change You Want, Change You Got (And You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet)
By Fred Lyon, The Lyon Firm
I was wrong. Just me and everyone else who writes about politics and leavens their wisdom with predictions about the future. No one (save perhaps Michael Moore and a few others) saw the triumph of Donald Trump coming even as late as 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Include among those in the dark then RNC Chairman (now incoming White House Chief of Staff) Reince Priebus who in the wake of the release of the Billy Bush tapes had urged Trump to drop out of the race to avoid a defeat of historic proportions.
 Two months ago, I forecasted a Trump victory only if there was an October surprise of epic magnitude. And it would have to be something other than an email related event. And then on October 28, FBI Director James Comey released his letter reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation based upon documents discovered by the FBI during its Anthony Weiner sexting inquiry (you cannot make this stuff up). That release came right after the third debate and at a time when Hillary’s momentum was peaking. While not an event of epic magnitude, it was enough to change the narrative of the campaign at a critical time.
And in the end it did not have to make much an impact on voters to deliver the election to Trump. 77,000 voters in three states (Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin) determined an electoral college victory for the Republicans. 77,000 voters (out of 130,000,000 total) change their vote to Hillary and she is in the White House with a popular vote lead of 2.7 million ballots. She ignored those states at her own peril and against the advice of Bill Clinton who recognized that her failure to address the concerns of blue collar white voters could in fact lead to her loss of the Rust Belt. Which it did, and I suspect must have led to some interesting dinners in the Clinton household.
It is possible to overanalyze all this. Maybe the best answer is provided by Occam’s Razor, the medieval principle that the simplest explanation is the best explanation. In the end, after eight years of one party in the White House, people want change. Which is what voters have said since the election. Trump embodied change, often in its most overstated form. And Hillary Clinton, after 24 years at center stage, with all her baggage, epitomized the very opposite. With Donald, we know we got change, we just don’t know what it is going to be. With Hillary, you knew exactly what you were getting and that wasn’t good enough.
Think 2008. Hillary managed to lose to an inexperienced African American senator whose exotic name rhymed with the name of America’s most despised enemy. Then as now, people opted for the change candidate. Of all people, President Obama should have realized that. The Democrats lost this election in 2013 when they allowed Hillary to emerge as the only viable candidate. And when Bernie Sanders gained traction, the DNC worked to sabotage his candidacy. That Bernie, a 75-year-old Socialist from Vermont, gave her such a run should have been the canary in the Democrats’ mine.
So there you have it. I began my political efforts with ABMA in 2000 in Puerto Rico. Frequently commenting upon and taking shots at the Clintons. And now they are gone, a bittersweet moment indeed.
But not to mourn. President-elect Trump is in the house and soon to be the White House. And he promises ample opportunity for commentary, maybe more than any president in history. And do not listen to anyone who claims to able to forecast what kind of president he will be. Because no one knows, not even Trump. He was elected after the most unpredictable, untraditional campaign in American politics. And there is absolutely no reason to think that he will be any different in office (those still waiting for the “more presidential pivot” may want to get a new hobby).
There will be plenty of confirmation bias in evaluating President Trump. Those who want to see an exciting, unpredictable agent of extraordinary change will be able to find their man. Those who want to see an unqualified reality TV star wreaking havoc on the body politic likely won’t be disappointed. And he does appear to appreciate Apprentice-like drama. This week alone he had a productive conversation about climate change with Al Gore only to appoint climate change denier Scott Pruitt to head the EPA 48 hours later.
To see where all this is going, monitor carefully Trump’s use of Twitter. He clearly loves the unfiltered opportunity it gives him to get his story out to the public directly. And he will no doubt continue to use it that way. Where it becomes problematic is when he indulges his grudges and begins personally attacking local union chiefs in Indiana. Which leads to his supporters anonymously threatening those targets on Twitter. This is simply not consistent with a unifying vision of America.
I mentioned Michael Moore who 15 months ago confidently predicted Trump’s victory. Based primarily on why Trump won – the dissatisfaction and passion of the Rust Belt white voters. This week the same Michael Moore predicted that Trump has no real interest in actually being president and that he would be out of office within a year. I doubt that but I will concede that normal rules do not apply. We all have an interest in his success and we all, Democrat and Republican alike, should be wishing him the very best.
Happy Holidays. No wait, Merry Christmas.
ABMA Releases 2017 Buyers Guide
 ABMA is pleased to release the 2017 Buyers Guide of Member Products and Services. This guide will be distributed at POWER-GEN, the AHR Expo and various other marketing avenues.
Thanks to the numerous members that are advertising in the Guide.
An electronic version of the Buyers Guide has been posted to the ABMA website and can be downloaded here.
Last Chance for Early Bird Rate - ABMA 2017 Annual Meeting
The 2017 Annual Meeting takes place January 13-16 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, FL.
We are extremely pleased with attendance numbers so far and as a result, the Hyatt already sold out for Friday and possibly Saturday night. As of today, the ABMA room block has limited availability. As you know, Cheryl has made miracles happen in the past, so please reach out to her if you are having accommodations issues.
The early bird registration deadline has been extended to December 15, so act now to get the discount. Click here to register.
For those still on the fence, we guarantee every attendee will get back their investment and we will work with you to ensure you get the most out of the meeting. When you register, tell us your expectations and we will do everything we can to ensure they are met -- and exceeded -- during the event.
Attending the ABMA Annual Meeting will directly, positively impact you, your company, and the boiler industry. You will grow and enhance your business contacts, learn key industry trends, and advance the boiler industry through your participation. The knowledge obtained from the meeting will also impact your business decisions.
Learn more about the meeting, including details on speakers, sessions, and events on our website. For questions about the Annual Meeting, contact ABMA Director of Meetings Cheryl Jamall at [email protected].
Finally, thank you to the following ABMA Members for their support of the 2017 Annual Meeting:
- Cleaver-Brooks
- Nooter/Eriksen
- Robinson Fans
- Victory Energy
- Applied Heat Recovery
- Fireye
- Alzeta Corporation
- Peerless-Aarding
- Rentech Boiler Systems
- E-Tech
- Honeywell
- Warren Environment
- Cust-O-Bend
- Clarage
- Vapor Power International
- Chanute Manufacturing
- Clark Reliance Corporation
- NIULPE
- Vector Systems
- Webster Combustion Technology
- Superior Boiler Works
- Ware
- Sterling Deaerator Company
- ValvTechnologies
- Fox Equipment
- The National Board of Pressure Vessel Inspectors
- NTFB Combustion
- Group Simoneau
- Power Flame
- Benteler Steel
ABMA Welcomes Back English Boiler and Welcomes Laars Heating
English Boiler LLC
 ABMA is pleased to welcome back English Boiler. English Boiler is recognized as a leading industrial watertube boiler manufacturer and is located in Henrico, VA. English Boiler uses the latest technology, and design programs in the design of their boilers, including Computational Fluid Dynamics to analyze the flow of water and steam water mixture throughout the boiler. A staff of engineers and drafting personnel design the boilers with the use of AutoCAD and Pro Engineer drafting and modeling software. These techniques provide the engineers, drafting and shop personnel the tools to fabricate and assemble quality into each boiler. English boilers are installed in industrial, commercial, and institutional markets throughout the world.
John English is the ABMA main point of contact. Please visit their website at www.englishboiler.com.
Laars Heating Systems Company
 A member of the Bradford White family of companies, Laars Heating Systems provides heat exchangers for the commercial and industrial sectors. Their products are widely used in space heating, radiant floor heating, volume water heating, and industrial process markets, covering a range of 50,000 to 5,000,000 BTUs, utilizing either natural gas or liquid propane fuels. LAARS meets the needs of today's more demanding heating systems applications with over 20 different heating products and supporting accessories and controls.
Rich Simons is the ABMA main point of contact. Please visit their website at www.laars.com.
Member News
B&W Subsidiary Awarded $40 Million Contract to Design Boiler for...
POWER Magazine - Nov. 30, 2016
B&W Vølund will supply equipment, including a DynaGrate® combustion grate system, hydraulics, burners and other boiler components for the...
ClearSign Awarded Boiler Retrofit Project from Tricor
Yahoo Finance - Nov. 17, 2016
Although Tricor's water tube boiler is used in oil refining, it is part of the broader market for packaged boilers. This award marks ClearSign's...
Nationwide Boiler Inc. Obtains General Engineering Contractors...
ThomasNet News (press release) - Dec. 2, 2016
Nationwide Boiler Inc., the largest industrial boiler rental and sales company west of the Mississippi...
Powerhouse Builds RH-1000 Portable Boiler Room - First Ever 1000...
PR Web (press release) - Sep. 9, 2016
Using a custom Cleaver Brooks boiler, the rental boiler was designed, built and tested by Powerhouse. This boiler is a custom CBEX Premium...
Register Now for World’s Largest HVACR Marketplace
 The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), which began more than 85 years ago as a heating and ventilation show, has grown to become the world’s largest HVACR event. The 2017 event will be held January 30 - February 1 in Las Vegas, NV.
Held annually in key markets and major cities across the U.S., the Show hosts more than 2,000 exhibitors from around the world and attracts crowds of 60,000 industry professionals from all 50 states and 150 countries. Providing a unique forum for the HVACR community to come together and share new products, technologies, and ideas, the event is co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI, and is held concurrently with ASHRAE’s Winter Conference.
For more information and to register, visit www.ahrexpo.com
Save on Freight Shipping with ABMA and UPS Freight®
Don't be the only ABMA member who's missing out on significant discounts on LTL freight shipping with UPS!
As an ABMA member, you qualify for exclusive savings on a wide range of UPS Freight less-than-truckload freight services, including LTL freight, cross-border shipments to and from Canada and Mexico, and Trade Show Services.
Sign up today at ltl.upsfreight.com/Enroll/ABMA or reach out to the dedicated team of customer service representatives who are ready to answer your questions every step of the way. For more information, call UPS at 866-443-9303 or email [email protected].
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