Design Solutions - Spring 2021 - 14

But before spring can
happen fall and winter must
come first. In the fall most
flowers' blooms are long
gone. Beauty fades away to
the browning of the leaves.
The trees shed their leaves to
prepare all their resources
to survive winter and the
harsh conditions associated
with it.
Winter, in most areas,
is brutal and a true test
of your core. Did you do
enough during the good
days of spring and summer
to survive the tough days of
winter? Survival is the name
of the game with a hope
that the revitalizing days of
spring await you.

Symbolically some may
view the year 2020 as a
long harsh winter. Perhaps
resources were scarce, and it
seems there was more
darkness than light. If
that is how you feel,
my encouragement
is to remember
it is now 2021 and
you have made it.
But what does the
spring in front of you
look like? Have you
begun to see growth
on those branches
very familiar to you?
With another year,
maturity comes with
natural development.
Which limbs grew
higher or extended
further?

14

I

designsolutions spring 2021

AWI Growth
The symbolism for AWI
have been in multiple areas:
Standards, Local Chapters
and Events. To create room
for new growth we must
say good-bye to the old
familiar. The Architectural
Woodwork Standards
version 2 (AWS2) served
our association and our
industry well for six great
years. The integration of the
new AWI Standards allows
manufacturers innovation of
engineering and the design
community the flexibility to
specify product exactly to
meet the needs of the end
user.
The perfect example
of our new buds and
excitement of growth was
the announcement of our
latest standard release,
ANSI/AWI SMA 0643-2021-
Wood Stair, Handrail, and
Guard Systems Standard.
This standard is our first
collaborative ANSI standard
written in partnership with
the Stairway Manufacturers'
Association (SMA). We
are grateful to SMA for
pioneering this collaboration
experience with us. We are

hopeful that this is only the
beginning of collaborative
standards.
Our local chapters'
success is based on
the ability of fantastic
volunteers to give of their
time and lead a group
providing benefits and
experiences that many
may enjoy. During 2020,
volunteers needed to reflect
inwardly and focus their
efforts on their companies
rather than volunteerism.
Also, COVID-19 protocols
made it harder for large
groups to assemble safely.
Many chapters experienced
a hard winter.
Spring is here. Volunteers
can give of their time
and assemble their local
groups again. People are
excited to be together. The
relationships and interaction
were missed. Our new buds
are literal as we are seeing
new local chapters form or
ones that have been dormant
attempt a comeback. It is
great to see and I
applaud all of those
who give of their time
and talents so that
others may benefit.

Essential Events
AWI experienced a
winter, or survival mode,
for our events with the need
to minimize resources and
provide the essentials to
endure. We held AWI's first
ever online convention
and offered all four of our
education events online.
We are thankful that we
were able to provide the
material, but know they
lacked many elements
we are all accustomed to
experiencing.
The new growth for our
events in 2021 is the hybrid
model. While Zoom might
not allow for every element
of our familiar events, it
does allow for individuals
to attend and learn that
might not otherwise been
able to participate. We just
offered this for our Spring
Leadership Conference
and we will use the format
for all the Spring Education
Seminars and expect to
offer an online portion for
our convention in October.
Design Solutions - Spring 2021

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