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President's Message
Welcome to new ABMA Newsletter
ABMA is pleased to share our newly formatted newsletter. We hope you find this newsletter easy to navigate and enjoy the new look and feel.
The newsletter will continue to share similar information from past issues but we also look forward to adding new features that we hope will enhance the value of the publication. The current and archived issues of the newsletters will be in the Members’ Only Section of the web site.
To see the full text of longer articles, use the article menu on the website to navigate.
We would love to hear from you about topics you would like to see addressed in future issues of the newsletter.
Please contact Cheryl Jamall at [email protected] to submit content and share feedback.
Until Next Time
Scott
Nationwide Tournament Raises $60,000 for ABMA Rawson Scholarship
For the past 35 years, Nationwide Boiler has hosted a Charity Golf Tournament as a way to bring together colleagues, partners and friends and give back to the community. Every year but one, it has been held at the historic Pebble Beach Golf Links and this year was no different. Once again, the tournament benefited the ABMA Randy Rawson Scholarship Fund.
For golf enthusiast, Pebble Beach is definitely a bucket list experience but anyone coming to Pebble Beach recognizes that unique beauty and breathtaking views of some of the most beautiful countryside. This setting set the table for a first class event in 2015 with representation from ABMA members and staff.
ABMA President & CEO Scott Lynch along with Board Members Kevin Hoey, Bob Forslund, Jeff Shallcross, John Viskup, Dustin Divinia and numerous other members participated to support the ABMA Randy Rawson Scholarship Fund. In addition to the ABMA members in attendance, 18 member companies (listed below) sponsored a portion of the event. The sponsorship dollars raised from the ABMA members had a significant impact on the overall dollars raised. We thank everyone for their support.
AESYS Technologies - Alezeta - Babcock & Wilcox - Clark-Reliance - Cleaver-Brooks - National Board - Nationwide Boiler - Nooter/Eriksen - NTFB Combustion - Power Flame Power Mechanical - Powerhouse - Robinson Fans -Strategic Contract Resources - Superior Boiler Works -Vector Systems - Victory Energy - Ware - Webster Engineering
The event concluded with reception & dinner that included a silent and live auctions and golf awards. ABMA members were very active during the auctions and won numerous items. Thank you goes out to our own Cheryl Jamall, who was able to secure numerous items for the live and silent auction due to her deep and trusted relationships in the hospitality community which raised about $5,000. A special thank you to Rancho Bernardo Inn, Boca Raton Resort, Nemacolin Resort, Coeurd’Alene Resort & Hershey Resorts for submitting items on behalf of ABMA.
Once all the numbers were tallied, Scott Lynch was presented with a check for $60,000 from tournament host Jeff Shallcross. This is the largest amount ever donated to ABMA.
A tournament like this cannot be successful without a lot of effort in the background. Please join me in thanking the tournament coordinators Chelsey Ryker and Cindy Crumrine along with Michele Tomas. Without their efforts, the scholarship impact would be significantly less.
A final thank you to Jeff Shallcross. Jeff has been longtime advocate for ABMA and instrumental in shifting the tournament proceeds to the ABMA Randy Rawson Scholarship Fund. Jeff is an ABMA Board Member and past recipient of many ABMA recognitions. He continues to be a special leader and focuses much of his attention to advancing our industry.
Don’t forget to share the 2015 scholarship opportunities with your colleagues. Guidelines and application can be found on the ABMA web site by clicking here. All applications must be submitted by June 1st to be considered.
 2015 Summer Meeting - Register Today
EARLY BIRD REG ENDS MAY 18 - CLICK TO REGISTER
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES STILL AVAILABLE!!
Thank you to all of our sponsors for the 2015 Summer Meeting (To Date) -- Cleaver Brooks, Industrial Steam, Nooter/Eriksen, Robinson Fans, Clarage, AutoFlame, Vapor Power, Victory Energy, Power Flame, Chanute, Ware, NTFB Combustion, Sellers Manufacturing, Peerless Mfg. Co., AESYS Technologies, Clark-Reliance, Vector Systems, Pentair & E-Tech.
Click Here for More Details
Contact Cheryl Jamall at [email protected] with any questions.
Washington & Beyond
"Politics Ain't Bean Bag Tossing, It's
 Horse Racing"
By Fred Lyon, The Lyon Firm
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to
visit with an ABMA member company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It was Derby Week and the city was alive with anticipation. The race featured arguably the strongest field of horses in decades. The victory by favorite American Pharaoh has once again led to hope that after a nearly forty year drought, we will FINALLY have a Triple Crown winner. Opinions vary but that is why it is horse racing.
Politics thrive on horse racing analogies, never more so than when Triple Crown season overlaps with the start of a presidential campaign (never mind that this is 2015 and not the year of the actual election). American campaigns grow ever more endless. Many envy the British who just had a five week campaign for Parliament and do not have to go through the ordeal again until 2020. Mainstream media, cable TV, and the Internet love treating presidential campaigns as horse races with daily iterations on who is the favorite, who is coming on strong, who is fading. Never mind that little of this has anything to do with substance. It is just the way we do things in the 24/7 news cycle constantly in need of new stories.
So they are off. In the last two months, two Democrats (Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) and six Republicans (Cruz, Paul, Rubio, Carson, Huckabee, and Fiorina) have declared their intentions.
The Democrats expect three more to join the fray while another seven Republicans could jump in, bringing the total to 18 (just two short of the Kentucky Derby field).
In the spirit of handicapping, most commentators have been saying that this race remains Clinton’s to lose. This opinion relies upon recent polling data that shows in spite of concerns about her e-mails and the Clinton Foundation, the public still has her winning comfortably over every single potential Republican challenger (and with higher favorability rankings).
This arises from the Electoral College advantage that the Democrats enjoy. Starting with a nearly guaranteed 247 of the 270 needed to win, the Democrats can triumph by carrying Colorado and Virginia (both states where they can take advantage of growing Hispanic populations) and either New Hampshire, Iowa, or Nevada. Forget Ohio and Florida. Part of it also may result from years of Clinton fatigue. We expect them to skirt the edges of legality so when they do it again, we no longer have the strength to care.
And the Republican field thus far has had a difficult time gaining traction. There are too many candidates appealing to the narrow base which may be necessary to gain the nomination but too extreme to win the general election (Cruz, Huckabee). Politically inexperienced candidates (Carson, Fiorina) or those that may be still be too green (Rubio, 43 years old, a compelling backstory, articulate, no executive experience). Think about this - if he successfully runs for Governor of Florida in 2018 and then ran for president in 2024, he would still be only 52.
And then there is Jeb Bush, he is raising a lot of money, the favorite of Establishment Republicans but is the country really ready to replace the Adams with the Bushes as our longest lasting presidential dynasty?
To compound Republican difficulties, the Democrats have diligently set up two electoral trick boxes – immigration and gay marriage. Both threaten the Republican’s ability to gain support from elements of the electorate outside of the base that may determine the nomination. Last week, Hillary Clinton double downed on immigration, saying not only would she enforce President Obama’s executive order on deportation, she would expand it. The target clearly is the Hispanic community which holds the ability to determine the winner of the election (see Colorado and Virginia above). Clinton essentially has dared the Republican field to take a stand on the issue. Former Reagan cabinet official William Bennett grudgingly expressed admiration for the strategy, “The immigration waters are treacherous which explains the muted response from Republicans. Not one of the campaigns, with the exception of Jeb Bush, have full clarity on where they want to go and people are doing a lot of moving.”
Same with gay marriage. Recent polls show an amazing shift among voters in favor of gay marriage with nearly 60% of the electorate supporting it, especially among younger voters. To oppose gay marriage allows Democrats to suggest that the Republicans are out of touch and on the wrong side of history. Nuanced opposition runs head first into images of discrimination and bigotry, not a good place to be in 2016.
The Supreme Court will rule on the issue before the end of its term in late June. Ironically, it may benefit the Republicans’ if the Court endorses gay marriage. Such a ruling could provide the Republicans cover. It would likely mobilize its base while diminish the passion of the Democrats. Conversely, if the Court rejects gay marriage, it will become a more explosive issue in 2016 among Democrats with the attendant mobilization of their base, especially among younger voters.
Another issue to keep an eye on is Obamacare. The Supreme Court will rule this term on whether the federal government can provide subsidies in states that have not set up independent insurance exchanges. This decision could undermine ACA and potentially introduce millions of new uninsured voters back into the marketplace. If this happens, how both parties react in providing a new solution will have a major impact on who wins in 2016.
So, the race is on. Right now, Hillary is in the lead and no one else is even close. Bush and Rubio have potential but are just working to avoid losing ground. Keep in mind, we just broke from the gate and there is a long way to go. Hillary going wire to wire is a possibility, but remember when your trainer is named Bill, you never know where you may stumble.
Member News
Cleaver-Brooks Receives UL Package Certification for CBEX Boilers 900 to 1,200 HP
THOMASVILLE, Ga. (April 22, 2015) – Cleaver-Brooks announces that it has received UL and cUL package certification for its CBEX fully integrated boilers from 900 to 1,200 HP in size. Cleaver-Brooks is the first boiler manufacturer in the world to earn UL certification on boiler-burner packages of this size and 9 ppm NOx. Cleaver-Brooks previously earned UL certification for its CBEX 9 ppm NOx boiler-burner packages sized from 100 to 800 HP. The CBEX features the only completely integrated boiler, burner, control and heat recovery system on the market today. The CBEX Elite maintains 3% oxygen across the full operating range with 10:1 turndown for select sizes and 30 ppm NOx. It achieves several industry firsts, including: the incorporation of ultra-low NOx burner technology that results in meeting sub-5 ppm NOx on select models without selective catalytic reduction (SCR). In addition, the product’s standard low-NOx burners produce sub-30 ppm NOx.
Cleaver-Brooks has a dedicated alliance of factory-trained representatives who can be contacted for consultation, sales, maintenance and aftermarket support. To locate a representative, visit www.cleaverbrooks.com.
Vapor Power International Acquires Precision Boilers
April 10, 2015, Franklin Park, IL - Vapor Power International, LLC, the premier designer and manufacturer of boilers, steam generators and liquid phase heaters, announced this week that they have acquired all assets of Precision Boilers. “Today the future is brighter for both companies,” said Robert C. Forslund, Chief Executive Officer, Vapor Power International, LLC. “We are excited to grow these businesses and believe this is a great strategic fit for Vapor Power. We are creating many synergies between the two companies and will be much stronger as a whole,” said Forslund.
“We have deepened our bench, doubling our sales force and engineering departments, thus allowing us to provide more resources to better meet customer needs,” said Forslund. “We will continue to manufacture high-quality steam generators, thermal fluid heaters, electric boilers and hot water boilers and now have added opportunities with the additional electric product offerings, flex-tube boilers and a full line of auxiliary equipment.”
This sale was finalized on Friday, March 27, 2015. Precision will continue to operate as a stand-alone company and do business as Precision Boilers. It is located in Morristown, Tennessee.
Forney Corporation Acquires Damper Design, Inc. Products
Addison, TX – Effective November 20, 2014 – Forney Corporation acquires Damper Design™, Eagle Air and related product lines from Damper Design, Inc. Forney Corporation is a global supplier of products and systems that control and monitor combustion processes in electric utility and heavy industrial applications. The products acquired include various Damper products, low NOx coal burner, expansion joints, air heater seals, and entry doors. The purchase price was not disclosed.
Tom Demrick, CEO of Forney said: “We are pleased to announce this important expansion of our offerings to our global customer base. These products are complimentary to our existing burners, igniters and controls. We welcome the Damper Design management team to Forney and look forward to working with them.”
Weishaupt Hiring for a Regional General Manager
Weishaupt America Inc. – Midwest, located in Elgin, IL is currently hiring for Regional General Manager. This position, which reports directly to the President/CEO of Weishaupt in North America, requires an individual with very good business acumen technical skills, who has a minimum of five years of experience in a management position preferably in the HVAC Industry. German language is considered a plus, but it is not mandatory. The incumbent will manage and direct our Midwest location, build relationships with Key Accounts and OEM’s, supervises and coordinates all sales related activities. Travel within the region is required.
Weishaupt America is amongst the world’s market leaders in burners, heating and condensing systems, solar technology, heat pumps and building management systems.
For more details, send a message to [email protected].
Fireye ® Introduces BurnerPRO™
BurerPro is a compact affordable flame management controller with a low capital investment.
The BurnerPRO intelligent flame management controller is a compact, microprocessor based, burner management control system designed to provide proper burner sequencing, ignition and continuous flame monitoring for commercial heating, process and industrial equipment firing oil and gas fuels.
Features/functions of the BurnerPRO include: proof of fuel valve closure, air flow proving, high capacity relay contacts, pilot hold, non-volatile lockout, remote reset, smart LEDs provide operating status and real-time diagnostics.
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