Vinyl Siding Institute Member Companies Meet to Move Industry Forward

Kate Offringa presided over
the first VSI member meeting since
she became president in 2014.

The VinylSiding Institute (VSI) ushered in some big changes during its semi-annual membership meeting held April 19-21 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The meeting saw some new VSI board members added and a new president, Kate Offringa, who officiated at her first VSI member meeting. Offringa, named president in late 2014, comes to VSI with extensive executive management experience, including serving as executive director of the Vinyl Building Council and president and CEO of the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association.

There was a lot of excitement about the changes and one of the meeting’s key objectives was to enhance vinyl siding’s already solid leadership position in the cladding marketplace. There is a lot of optimism within the VSI, both for the housing market in general and the vinyl siding category. It was great to see the membership working together to advance the common goal of ensuring a quality product category for the homeowner. It was especially heartening to see companies that compete against one another on a daily basis coming together in the best interest of the industry, and the end consumer.

Over the last 20 years, VSI has introduced a certification program to ensure that the industry manufactured vinyl siding to meet or exceed quality standards. Later it would sponsor a Certified Installer program so that these products were installed properly. With these programs in place, VSI sought to educate builders, remodelers, planners and architects on the performance benefits of vinyl siding. Homeowners were added to this education campaign in 2014. And they’re not done yet. The buzz at this year’s spring meeting was about VSI’s next evolutionary leap forward. The Steering Committee and Board have agreed to hold a strategic planning meeting this summer to advance the priorities of its members. It signals a new dynamic that will create value for suppliers and manufacturers alike.

The meeting also included several excellent speakers, including one who spoke to the group about demography. This is a key topic as VSI seeks to educate consumers throughout North America. VSI’s next member meeting will be held September 16-18 in Washington, D.C., when we’ll learn a lot more about the organization’s efforts to serve the needs of its members as well as the industry. 

Mike Fair

Market Manager, Architecture

Americhem, Inc.