Happy New Year From the SBC President

Patrick Lau

Posted on December 20, 2019

As 2019 winds down, I would like to reflect on the year that passed and share some thoughts on what 2020 has in store for the Safer Buildings Coalition.  

2019 has been an exciting year for our organization. Our member base keeps growing, both in numbers and diversity. As of December, we've hit a new record, with more than 110 organization members and over 650 individual members.We started several important initiatives in 2019, including the creation of an External Affair Team, which works to make SBC more relevant in the public safety industry. We also expanded our stakeholder base by inviting companies that are not part of the wireless industry to join the Coalition. 

One of our biggest accomplishments in 2019 was the inception of our NICET Certification Program to set technical standards for design and installation. In November, the NICET Board unanimously approved development of the ERRCS program. Development of this exciting program will continue in 2020.

Education remains a centerpiece of SBC's work, and we continue our efforts to educate AHJ communities about wireless technologies and advocate our mission. We hosted more than 25 seminars in the past year and ran lectures at several high-profile industry events. 

I would like to express my gratitude to John Foley, Managing Director and Chief Perdue, Executive Director, as well as our staff and Board members. You all worked tirelessly to continue building our organization in 2019. Most importantly, I want to thank you – every SBC member and member company – for believing in us and for your support. We couldn’t do this without you.

We have great plans and lots of work to do in the coming year. We would like to focus on member engagement and improve our competency. The Safer Buildings Coalition is an organization supported by members, and we want to hear your voice to make us better. We will also work to complete the NICET certification program, so we have common standards and guidelines people can follow. This is not easy to do, and I hope I can count on you to help us achieve this goal.

I am excited as ever to be part of this organization and surrounded by our industry leaders to work together.

Finally, I’d like to wish you, your loved ones and your family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! I look forward to working with all of you.  Together, we can accomplish even greater things.

Sincerely,
Patrick Lau, President, Safer Buildings Coalition