ISFA: New Name, Direction

   By a vote of more than a two-thirds majority of its members, the group changed its name in mid-December to the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA) to change its focus on solid-surface and quartz materials to encompass all decorative surfacing.
   The vote came in the midst of a busy four months for the association, as it also changed executive directors, its headquarters and the site of its educational programming.
   The Dec. 19 decision by the membership amended the non-profit group’s articles of incorporation, following a September 2008 recommendation by its directors to include all types of surfacing.
    “The reason for the change comes from a trend among ISFA members to expand their offerings beyond solid surface and quartz surfacing,” said Todd Werstler, ISFA president. “Many of our members have had to make adjustments in their product offering that reflect changes in the marketplace in order to stay profitable. ISFA’s Mission is to help its members become more profitable in their businesses, so it only makes sense that we expand our services to support them as they evolve. 
   “Rather than being constrained by the parameters of a single decorative surfacing material, we can now concentrate on the total needs of our members first, regardless of what materials they offer.”
   The group brought in Russ Lee, former editor of Solid Surface (now Surface Fabrication), as executive director in October. One of his first projects involved moving the headquarters from Henderson, Nev., to Lehi. The association also closed its training facilities in Henderson.
   Part of the strategy with the move, however, included opening a new training program in Orem, Utah, in partnership with Utah Valley University (UVU).
   “When we closed our training program in Henderson and moved it to UVU, we were left with a large rented space (in Henderson) that was expensive to maintain,” said Werstler.. “The move to Utah puts us in close proximity to the UVU training venue, plus it allows us to reduce our monthly overhead costs by nearly 75 percent. We feel it is an appropriate response to the challenging economic times in which we currently live.”
   In a special arrangement with UVU’s Cabinetry and Architectural Woodwork program, ISFA will conduct its hands-on training courses on the UVU campus. The ISFA Training and Education Center (ITEC) will resume its Total Fabricating Training (TFT) in mid-March and hold monthly sessions through November. 
   A new four-day Digital Fabrication class, now in developed by a task force under the direction of former ISFA President Keith Layton is set to begin in April. The course will include template technology and digitization, training in AutoCAD/CAM programming, and hands-on processing experience on a CNC.
   The partnership with UVU also gives attendees to earn three college-credit hours for TFT attendance. Fabricators with cabinetmaking experience can qualify for up to 16 experiential credit hours that can be applied toward on-campus or online degrees.
   The ISFA also added another familiar industry face in January, hiring Kevin Cole, who previously served as editor/associate publisher of nSurface Fabrication. He’ll handle all editorial and publisher responsibilities for the association’s publications and Website.