I recently visited the Carolinas' Lathing and Plastering Contractors Association show where members met and focused on their goals of providing reliability, accountability and credibility. Despite several years of testing, the Carolinas' best and proudest contractors gathered and proclaimed that they stand by their work and the products they use. The association has been a major advocate for the EIFS industry in particular, regularly hosting hands-on EIFS training sessions, as well as seminars on insurance and its options for area contractors.
Attending these functions allows me to listen to the victories and challenges of our industry. The good news is that both states seem to be healthy in both the residential and commercial markets, with CLAPCA board member Danny Bonnell claiming that 85 percent of the high rises in Myrtle Beach have EIFS on them. The main obstacle mentioned echoes what our recent market trends study showed: labor. It's a problem that's been worsening for some time, though several of the comments suggest near-crisis.