Ron Rice
President
“We proudly present this first issue of our own magazine. We now hope to improve service to our own members, but of equal importance, is that we may extend to other areas of the country the message of the program and the purposes of this Association.”
These were the first words to occupy the very first page of Official magazine 50 years ago when then president A.L. Hunter proudly introduced “Western Plumbing Official” to readers and spelled out the new magazine’s goals. It was a proud moment for IAPMO and you can almost picture Hunter pecking at his typewriter keys to express his pride in print.
Reading them again now, I’m struck by how similarly simple our purpose remains today, despite an industry and world that has undergone changes Hunter and his peers couldn’t have imagined. Changes in technology, global expansion, environmental concerns … certainly the stories are different, but not the mission.
As we embark on the next 50 years of Official, I wish to honor the past presidents who before me used this space to educate, advocate and, well, just plain let folks know everything they needed to know so they could do good work and make a positive difference. Five decades later, it remains my welcome responsibility to report to you where IAPMO has been, where we stand and where we are going.
It gives me great pride to continue this tradition with each issue of Official, sharing with you all the many exciting developments at The IAPMO Group and within our industry.
The Technical Committee meetings in Denver, May 5-7, are quickly approaching. At these meetings, many proposed changes to the UPC, UMC, Uniform Solar Energy Code and Uniform Swimming Pool Spa and Hot Tub Code will be debated, including those regarding the “green” movement. In January, IAPMO’s Committee for the Awareness and Understanding of a Sustainable Environment (C.A.U.S.E.) met and formally committed to promoting a minimum 10 percent reduction in energy usage and water savings through code changes that require sustainable construction practices over the ensuing three years.
IAPMO is determined to be a leader in the green movement, and making sure our codes don’t just reflect, but rather initiate change is one way we plan to stay out in front.
As clean water has always been the lifeblood of IAPMO, it is with great conviction we recognize the United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year of Sanitation.
To paraphrase the conclusion of Hunter’s first message, I trust you’ll find these and all of our other offerings in this month's issue of Official magazine informative and interesting. I welcome your comments and questions via e-mail at ron.rice@iapmo.org.