Storm & Security

Cover Story continued from pg. 13 With the industry decline came a corresponding reduction in membership and, with that, revenues. "Fortunately for us the two past presidents left the IHPA strong financially. My first task was to survive and keep protecting the industry and homeowners until the economy returned," he says. That has not been easy. Johnston admits the past four years have been draining on him and his family and has taken a significant toll on his job at Town & Country. "I am very fortunate to work for a really great company that truly knows the value of the IHPA and also knows that it is our responsibility to represent our customer base when they can't," he says. "In 2005, Town & Country was acquired by ABC Supply Co., a multi-billion dollar company. Anytime you go through an acquisition, you have to wonder what will change. In our case, things just got better. ABC Supply is a very like-minded company, and fully supports our industries and customers," Johnston says. There have been significant successes, too. An important one was the culmination of a six-year battle to stop the misleading advertising going on in the hurricane protection market. Thousands of consumers were purchasing hurricane protection products that were not tested or tested in ways the product would never be used in the real world. "The toughest task was getting the window film industry to acknowledge that their products did not meet the mandatory testing and approval guidelines for Florida as hurricane protection," Johnston says. "We had meetings with the International Window Film Association and the Florida Attorney General's Economic Crimes Division. After years of not making any headway, we called in just about every marker we could to hire Kari Hebrank to represent us and fight for legislative language that would uphold the intent of the Florida Building Code. Kari was amazingly successful." The new language signed into Florida law simply states that if Storm & Security Protection Publisher Kerri Caldwell, left, presented the magazine's first Industry Leader, People in the Know recognition to FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson, with Tom Johnston, president, International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA). you want to "sell, market or install" products intended to protect from hurricanes, you have to have a valid local or statewide Florida approval. "I just can't imagine how that is so severe," Johnston says. "If your product can pass all the testing, get an approval! It's not rocket science." No, but it is testimony to the hard work of IHPA and its members. Is the worst over? Possibly. Hurricane Isaac in late August reminded coastal residents of the dangers they face every season, and that could restart industry growth. At the very least, Johnston describes the current state of the hurricane protection industry as "stable." Compared to a year or two ago, that's a better condition for the next young person coming out of college cold calling perspective customers. 24 STORM&SEcURITY PROTEcTION / PEOPLE IN THE KNOW 2012

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