Storm & Security

12 STORM & SECURITY PROTECTION / PEOPLE IN THE KNOW 2014 GREG MANN'S INVOLVEMENT in the hurricane protection industry starts at its beginning. That would be the 1990s. Then, the hurricane protection industry was new, but gathering strength like a tropical storm off the Atlantic coast. Soon it was swirling around a well-defined eye in the state of Florida. It developed quickly in the aftermath of the devastating Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and by the end of the decade natural and manmade forces arose to solidify its importance. Mann got into it in 1996 when he and his wife, Gaby, purchased All Points Screw, Bolt & Specialty Co., Pompano Beach, FL. "All Points was a very small company that was starting to focus on the hurricane protection industry," he says. "Gaby and I liked the industry because customer demand was created by not only storm activity, but by building codes as well." The combination of Andrew and building codes lead to a phone call Greg and Gaby received in 1999 from Frank Storms, who worked for an aluminum construction company at the time, but had the idea of forming a new, non-competitive hurricane protection association of manufacturers, suppliers and contractors. This association would focus directly on hurricane protection, providing quality products, information and education; establishing an industry-wide code of ethics; and representing industry interests to the general public and legislative bodies. "The timing was great," Greg Mann remembers. Many issues were arising with new, proposed Miami-Dade Co. building codes and codes promulgated by the Southern Building Code Council International (SBCCI), one of the founders of today's International Code Council (ICC). By 2000, the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA) was formed, not to defeat or fight these codes, but to ensure there was a level playing field for all companies. Mann was a member of the association's first board of directors and was elected treasurer putting to use the skills he learned in college. It's a responsibility he enjoys today. "I am the last of the founding board members still on the board as a voting member," Mann says. "I have been the treasurer for the past 14 years." Ideal Fit Greg and Gaby Mann saw an ideal fit between what they envisioned for All Points and the safety and mitigation efforts of the hurricane protection industry. All Points is a major supplier of hurricane hardware to the industry. Hurricane hardware includes fasteners and component parts to assemble and install all types of hurricane protection including impact windows. "We recognized that we needed to 'double down' by improving the company's supply chain along with our approach to servicing the market,' Greg Mann says. "We are careful to not supply hurricane panels, aluminum slats for accordion or rolldown shutters as we do not want to compete against our customers," he explains. "Additionally, we supply information and our knowledge. We like to work with our customers' engineers to help design the best possible part for the situation at hand. We have been involved in designing locks, new innovative fasteners as well as many plastic parts that are prominent in the industry today." As with the industry itself, a large part of All Points' business is concentrated in coastal areas inside and outside of Florida. But also like the industry, it has customers throughout the United States and internationally, as well. "Our primary interest in storm protection today is to promote the best possible practices of all facets of the industry," Mann says. "Being an active member of the IHPA is the best vehicle I know to help push the industry forward. Through the IHPA, All Points can help to educate the industry that not As a supplier and industry representative, Greg Mann knows the hurricane protection industry inside and out. DOWN DOUBLE | by Howard Shingle

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