The Insulation Contractors Association of America chose “Big Ideas, Big Opportunities” for the theme of the ICAA 2023 Convention & Trade Show because that’s what you’ll find there. The trade show floor on Thursday and the general sessions on Friday and Saturday will be a treasure trove of ideas and opportunities that will be yours to take back and incorporate into your business.

That’s the big responsibility ICAA is dedicated to; keeping insulation contractors in the know with relevant, specific and timely information about all things insulation.

ICAA will be tackling a number of timely topics and business opportunities this year in the general sessions. You can see the full schedule on the ICAA website or in the event brochure.

Here's what ICAA has in store:

• It is starting off strong on Friday morning with a session called “Are You Retrofit Ready?” presented by JR Babineau of Johns Manville. Babineau is the research manager with JM’s Building Sciences and Corporate R&D. Babineau will walk you through a point-by-point evaluation of the retrofit home before insulation and air sealing are added. He will explain the scope of any needed preparatory work and discuss potential disqualifying conditions, including the presence of combustion appliances, leaks, knob and tube wiring, and vermiculite. If you insulate retrofit homes, and who doesn’t, this session is a must-attend.
• “Negotiating Without Giving In” with Ben Sachs, president of The Landing Group, is next. Sachs will be showing how to negotiate agreements without giving in. Everyone could benefit from improving their skills in conflict resolution and contract negotiations, and Sachs will give advice on how to get an agreement that meets the legitimate interests of all sides. He will show how to overcome hardball tactics, negotiate in a digital world and understand the behavior of others during a contractual negotiation.
• The Inflation Reduction Act has received much attention from the insulation industry, and for good reason – incentives for adding insulation and air sealing are robust. ICAA has already provided its members with webinars, articles and practical tools relating to the IRA, but this in-person session will allow you to dig deeper and provide immediate answers to your questions. NAIMA CEO Curt Rich and Owens Corning’s Director of Industry Affairs, Jay Murdoch, will be leading this extremely valuable presentation.
• ICAA is excited to bring back Kelly McDonald of McDonald Marketing, who will lead this year’s “Insulation Contractors Best Practices Roundtable,” and something fun and brand-new called “Win Big! Insulation Trivia” - a game show format where the focus is insulation, and a panel of experts will be on hand to provide informative feedback.
• Sterling Miller of Frozen Fire, a digital-based creative marketing agency, will present “Digital Business Development: Strategies for Insulation Contractors” and show what it takes to be successful online.
• Saturday morning, you will be visiting contracts from the perspective of construction attorney Karalynn Cromeens. She’s going to make sure that insulation contractors can level the playing field and push back against general contractors in her presentation “Quite Getting Screwed: Enough of One-Sided Contracts.”
• ICAA will close out the convention with Brian Cote, chair of ICAA’s Spray Foam Task Force, who will parlay his extensive knowledge in a comprehensive session showing how to “Achieve Operational Excellence with SPF.”

Big ideas, big opportunities, big responsibilities and, importantly for ICAA members, big benefits to beef up your bottom line. That’s what ICAA is all about, and that’s why you should join the organization in Dallas for ICAA 2023.