Sawyer New ISFA Chief
OREM, Utah – Chuck Sawyer, a veteran fabricator and educator in the surfacing industry, is the new executive director of the International Surface Fabricators Association (ISFA).
Sawyer brings decades of experience, starting with the ownership of fabrication shops in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh in the mid 1970s. One of the first DuPont certified trainers, he pioneered some of the early fabricator training in the United States and South America.
Sawyer also co-chaired solid-surface conferences for the ISFA’s predecessor, the International Solid Surface Fabricators Association, and became that group’s associate member of the year in 2001. The ISFA nominated him for its Hall of Fame Award this year.
His experience also includes sales, marketing and product development experience at both the distributor and manufacturer levels, most recently with Basix International. In 2009, he was one of the first individuals to be accredited as a LEED® Green Associate by the U.S. Green Building Council.
“I am extremely pleased that I will have the honor of leading ISFA,” Sawyer said. “The industry as a whole has been through tough times in recent years but things are starting to move in the right direction.
“ISFA has some amazing things in store over the next few years and I can’t wait to launch the next generation of this outstanding organization.”
Among the goals for the ISFA in the next year are:
• Review and development of existing and new standards, including comprehensive fabrication and installation standards for solid surfacing and quartz surfacing.
• Broadening educational offerings, with more fabrication training on a regional level, increased opportunities for training of middle managers, and a special program for senior managers.
• Provide increased networking opportunities, with regional and local opportunities in 2013 to work, connect and learn together for the benefit of ISFA members and the industry as a whole.
“Through input from fabricator members, manufacturers, associates and industry experts, and the creation of standards, training opportunities and networking events that represent the best in the business,” Saywer notes, “ISFA can serve all stakeholders – consumers, architects & designers, contractors, fabricators, specifiers, manufacturers and suppliers – assuring that we represent all that is the best there can be in our industry.”
“We are very pleased to have Chuck working on advancing the association,” said Mike Langenderfer, ISFA President. “His knowledge, experience and industry contacts, along with the great ideas he brings to the table, will help us to revamp ISFA’s programming in the coming years.”
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