Celebrating 100 years - 158

had been lost in the tragedy. A long-time
employee of Island Acoustics, Bohemia,
N.Y., was lost when the World Trade Center
towers collapsed.
That Tuesday's devastation brought a swift
response from AWCI. On Wednesday,
Sept. 12, Etkin asked AWCI's chapters
to contribute to the American Red Cross.
Most did so within days.
Others donated directly to the recovery
work at Ground Zero. AWCI's New York
chapter, the Association of Wall-Ceiling &
Carpentry Industries of Long Island/New
York, donated 3,000 sets of hard hats, safety
glasses, dust masks and work gloves. AWCI
board member Carol Schary, president of
supplier Nathan Kimmel Company, Los
Angeles, donated equipment. The Drywall
& Interior Systems Contractors Association
of New Jersey contributed clothes. Grabber
Construction Products organized a rebuilding fund using the Foundation of the Wall
and Ceiling Industry.
Though other associations canceled events,
AWCI's October 2001 Industry Executives'
Conference & Committee Week proceeded
without interruption in Puerto Rico. Nearly
150 attendees came to the meeting.
"Industry committees conducted business, attendees played in the Foundation
Golf Tournament and all took some part in
advancing the industry," AWCI Members
Only reported.
"The unity of the Tri-State area has been
158

amazing," said Brian McGlone of the MidAtlantic/Northeast Conference about the
aftermath.
"The region is seeing additional work,"
said Tom Clerkin also of the Mid-Atlantic/
Northeast Conference.
But business generally suffered. Ronald
Prescott of the Western Conference said
tourism was down in Hawaii. Alfons-Jean
Knauf, AWCI's international representative, said home sales in Berlin, Germany,
plummeted after the attacks. Contractors
working on government and military projects saw their crew productivities plunge
once lengthy security checks were added
to job sites.
Larry Cotten of the Southeast Conference
pointed out that Congress was drafting
legislation to close the U.S. border with
Mexico. "I'm all for having work visas be
part of the solution, but how do we do this
fairly, safely and economically?" Cotten
asked. "Does AWCI have a position regarding this legislation?"
Immigration. AWCI did not have a formal
immigration policy in October 2001, and
events were moving quickly.
"There is strong support for closing all
borders," said Past President Stephen Baker.
Steven Sharpe, a contractor at large, said
AWCI should form a committee, study the
effects of Sept. 11 on U.S. immigration policy
and make determinations for the member-

AWCI's Construction
Dimensions
Market Share
Estimated Paid Pages,
September 2001
Source: AWCI
management report

FWCI's First
White Paper
In 2002, the Foundation
Research Series began
producing white
papers on important
industry topics. The
first paper, the 44page "Mold: Cause,
Effect and Response,"
discussed Stachybotrys
chartarum mold growth
in buildings. The paper
helped contractors
understand the problem
and its remediation.
http://www.awci.org/foundation/research
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Celebrating 100 years
