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National Plasterers Council Seeks to Unite the Industry

Mitch Brooks, Executive Director of the National Plasterers Council Inc. (NPC), has been working on an exciting collaboration and partnership with the APSP, in part due to the many synergies of our industry. The NPC is working with California Polytechnic State University, which has begun an expansion of its National Pool Industry Research Center (NPIRC) to allow for a spa/hot tub area and up to two stand-alone pools for manufacturer research. Several new research specialists will be working on this expansion, including center Director Leonard Schlosser and Dr. Corinne Lehr, a specialist in organic chemistry with experience in water chemistry and water test kits.

The NPRIC was donated by the NPC to the university’s College of Engineering, one of the top engineering colleges in the country, in 2004. In 2005, the center was granted department status within the college. The center has completed four major experiments in regard to pool surface deterioration, water chemistry, and material durability. The center is managed by Dr. Damian Kachlakev and an oversight advisory board of directors. Members on the advisory board represent all sectors of the industry. Northrop Grumman(a corporation estimating $32 billion in sales in 2007) presented Dr. Kachlakev the Excellence in Research and Development Award for the NPIRC.

The major industry associations–APSP, IPSSA (Independent Pool & Spa Service Association), UPA (United Pool Association), and the NPC–collaborate on key issues affecting our industry today. One primary issue is educating industry members on the dangers of melanoma (skin cancer). The NPC has a long-standing relationship with the John Wayne Cancer Institute and, collectively, they are working to provide every member company in all four associations with an employee training kit filled with easy-to-use information on preventing skin cancer. The new training kits are to be unveiled at the NPC National Conference, February 13-16, 2008, in Disney World, Florida. For more information, visit www.npconline.org.