Five years ago, only a crystal ball could have shown how quickly NASSCO would grow. At the time, our headquarters office space in Pikesville, Md., appeared to have plenty of room for the foreseeable future.
But with the tremendous success of the PACP program, the doubling of our membership, and the increased volume of paperwork to keep up with it all, we realized we needed more space. That growth rate continues today with no end in sight, and I couldn’t be happier about it.
After an exhaustive search of properties and buy versus rent options, we decided to rent a property for our new headquarters that allowed us to more than double our office space and provide some important extra benefits:
• A larger classroom for training and education that comfortably seats 20-30.
• A demonstration room available for rent exclusively to NASSCO members to showcase their products and services, host events and schedule meetings.
• A heated warehouse with roll-up garage door. With more than 1,000 square feet, this heated space can accommodate a truck and more, enabling members to showcase their offerings.
NASSCO’s new home is in Owings Mills, Md., conveniently between Philadelphia, Pa., and Richmond, Va. I mention this geography because somewhere between $9 billion and $11 billion of EPA consent decree work is happening now in this area and will continue for the next 10-12 years.
Many contractors and suppliers who work in the Mid-Atlantic States or want to work in the area either belong to NASSCO or should. Not only are we in an ideal location, but we provide services and support to help members grow their businesses.
NASSCO’s growth is exciting, and if you are not a member yet, I hope you will consider joining us. We are committed to our mission of setting standards for the trenchless technology industry and providing our members with the best networking, education and training to make them successful. Come and be part of this exciting ride.
Irv Gemora is executive director of NASSCO. He can be reached at director@nassco.org.
