Charleston OQM: Two Fun Days in the Sun
Originally Published by: SBCA Magazine — March 14, 2025
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The weather was beautiful and the surroundings were picturesque at SBCA’s Open Quarterly Meeting (OQM) in historic Charleston, South Carolina. The event started and ended with many updates on the wide range of the association’s recent accomplishments and ongoing initiatives. Between these were several opportunities to learn, connect, and contribute alongside peers in the industry.
On Tuesday afternoon, SBCA Executive Director, Jess Lohse, provided an update on SBCA’s Strategic Plan and an overview of the many SBCA initiatives currently underway, aimed at bringing greater value to members. While the list included everything from updates to the industry’s safety program and BCSI to all of SBCA’s marketing efforts to reach architects, engineers, and other building designers, here are three examples of valuable association efforts:
- The Component Warning Notice (CWN) is an important set of resources for component manufacturers (CMs) to use to further improve jobsite safety. Rolled out in October 2024, 53 companies have already purchased CWN tags and/or CWN Sheets.
- SBCA has hosted two successful Quality Bootcamps in Arizona and South Carolina, and plans to host five more across the country in 2025. These two-day live events provide the opportunity to learn from SBCA instructors on how to maximize the benefits of Quality Management programs.
- SBCA has rolled out a new learning management system (LMS) under the SBCA Academy. In addition to numerous industry-specific training programs, everyone now has access to an extensive library of free education modules aimed at helping anyone inside and out of the industry better understand the component design and manufacturing process.
After the SBCA updates, attendees participated in a new team building event that required groups of participants to design and construct roof assemblies that could span 38 inches and resist 16 ounces of weight at their midspan. A hearty congratulations goes to the winning team: Charlie Brutsch, Robert James, Shawn Overholtzer, Scott Schulte, and Porter Clark.
Wednesday was filled with education sessions and committee meetings. The morning consisted of three separate educational presentations, which delivered value to attendees across a wide spectrum of disciplines. From Tony Acampa and Shawnee Roy’s presentation on how to best approach truss design optimization to an in-depth look into the updated and revised BCSI guide, BCSI-2025, moderated by Jess Lohse with Greg Greenlee, Jay Jones, Chris Tatge, and Howard Gauger as panelists, to a foundational look at the process of adopting an entrepreneurial operating system (EOS) with Mike Kozlowski and Ashley Baker, the room was abuzz with relevant and valuable content.
In the afternoon, several SBCA committees met to discuss ongoing initiatives. Great discussions were had amongst the groups and progress was made in these in-person committee meetings; members are ready to keep driving the industry forward through their committee’s various efforts. Most notably, the Advocacy Committee had a very productive meeting gearing up for the June Legislative Fly-in in Washington, D.C., where SBCA and its members will meet with lawmakers to share their voices and advocate industry issues.
At the Board of Directors meeting on Friday morning, SBCA Treasurer, Larry Dix II, reported on the association’s financial position. Gene Frogale, on behalf of the Governance Committee, reported that Cheryl Lewis’s board term has concluded; the association thanks her and is appreciative for her time, efforts, and contributions to the SBCA Board. Additionally, LMC’s Rachel Hoops’ Board seat was renewed to serve another one-year term as an Associate Representative. SBCA staff reported that BCMC is shaping up to be another great event in Omaha, Nebraska, September 29-October 3. Exhibitor registration is open as of March 13th and all CMs are encouraged to reach out to their supply chain and get them to exhibit.
The next SBCA OQM will be in Washington, D.C., June 4-6, with visits to lawmakers on Capitol Hill scheduled for Wednesday, June 4th. If you’re planning on attending and are interested in meeting with your elected members of Congress, please contact staff today.
Join us for the next OQM in Washington, D.C. and learn more about SBCA’s upcoming events at https://www.sbcacomponents.com/events.
Please share your interest in attending the Washington, D.C. OQM and Legislative Fly-in with this form.