2014 SprayFoam Expo Heats Up in the Desert

PALM SPRINGS, CA–January 28, 2014–The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance’s (SPFA) 2014 SprayFoam Convention & Expo kicked off this morning, and SprayFoam.com was on hand to cover the action–and take part in it as well. While much of the U.S. is under snow, the convention is making the most of the Coachella Valley’s balmy desert climate at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

The convention actually had two days of pre-convention events, from January 26-27, that centered on the SPFA Professional Certification Program (PCP). The events included exam preparations, written exams, and field exams, which were conducted at Western Pacific Roofing’s (WPR) Palm Springs headquarters.

The primary convention events began this morning with the General Session, which interwove speakers from the SPFA and the convention’s sponsors, including Gaco Western’s Peter Davis, Lapolla’s Doug Kramer, and NCFI’s Steve Riddle.

SPFA President Bob Duke welcomed the crowd, and emphasized the importance of telling personal stories, and utilizing industry events like the SprayFoam as forums for doing so. Duke also mentioned the significance of the convention’s ever-increasing international attendance.

Then, SPFA Executive Director Kurt Riesenberg highlighted some of the changes to this year’s show, including the free convention mobile app and the newly minted challenge coins, which are collectable tokens attendees will not only use for later prize drawings, but also for solidarity-building souvenirs of this year’s show. Riesenberg also discussed the success of the SPFA PCP has had in the past year or so, and also emphasized how critical it is for the industry to perform the best work possible in light of recent scrutiny. He also brought on stage WPR's Sig Hall, former SPFA President, in order to thank the company for hosting the field examinations.

The General Session then took an interesting twist when planned keynote speaker Joe Lstiburek was unable to attend due to severe flight delays. However, the show went on, with Lstiburek delivering his amusingly wry building science discussion, “Don’t Do Stupid Things,” via internet stream. The General Session came to a close with a brief speech by SprayFoam.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan Spencer, who discussed the company’s recent and historical successes.

The morning transitioned into the Breakout Sessions, which covered topics like safety, roofing restoration, taxes, legislation, building science, remote reporting technology, and fire retardant coatings.

The Breakout Sessions were followed by the Contractor Industry Excellence Awards Luncheon, which featured the following award recipients:

Residential Wall

Winner – Domestic Insulation – Saint Joseph Hospital
Runner-Up – Biofoam Inc. – Mary Seat of Wisdom

Commercial Wall

Winner – PROFOAM of Tennessee – Oak Ridge Grant Project
Runner-Up – Jag Construction Inc. – Frank Lloyd Wright House Renovation

Roof Foam, Under 40,000 sq. ft.

Winner – PROFOAM of Tennessee – Coker Creek
Runner-Up – Honeywell Building Envelope Solutions – Honeywell Aerospace

Roof Foam, Over 40,000 sq. ft.

Winner – Arizona Foam & Spray – Tomar
Runner-Up – West Roofing Systems, Inc. – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport

Specialty Application

Winner – West Roofing Systems, Inc. – SouthwestGeneral Hospital ED-ICU Addition
Runner-Up – Polyseal Insulation LLC – Cape Romanzof Long Range Radar Site

When the luncheon concluded, the exhibit hall opened to the convention’s purportedly record crowd (based on record pre-registrations). The exhibit hall features 90 booths, making it the convention’s largest expo to date.

Come back tomorrow for SprayFoam.com’s continuing coverage of the 2014 SprayFoam Convention & Expo.