In this special episode of If Walls Could Talk, W&C Group Publisher Jill Bloom speaks with EIMA’s Executive Director Stephen Sears. He reports on some updates with the association, as well as this year’s show in Florida.  

EIMA's Grant & 2025 Annual Meeting

EIMA’s Executive Director Stephen Sears shares updates on the association’s evolving governance structure and collaborative efforts with industry partners, while also highlighting its selection for a $2.2 million EPA grant to support environmental product declarations for EIFS.

“We’ve adopted a new plan, a new governing structure,” said Sears back in 2023. “One of the things we want to do is become one of the most effective associations we can be. I was talking to IIBEC because one of the roles that we’re going to be playing is working with others on issues of common interest. IIBEC’s Executive Director was kind enough to invite me to speak to their BOD and asked me to give an overview of EIMA and the EIFS industry.”

In July, Deputy EPA Administrator Janet McCabe announced the EPA’s grant selections for a $160 million grant program that supports efforts to report and reduce climate pollution from the manufacturing of construction materials and products. The grants will support the Biden-Harris Administration’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which leverages the U.S. government’s sway as the largest purchaser on Earth to catalyze demand for clean construction materials used in federal buildings, highways and infrastructure projects. EIMA reported that it is one of the 38 entities selected for the grant.

The grants will help businesses develop robust, high-quality environmental product declarations, which show environmental impacts across the life of a product and can catalyze more sustainable purchasing decisions by allowing buyers to compare products. EIMA’s grant – valued at almost $2.2 million – will help the EIFS industry develop LCAs and robust EPDs for EIFS products, producing a combination of industry-wide and facility-based EPDs. EIMA intends to contract with a reputable LCA provider, with a goal of working with 100 percent of American EIFS manufacturers (including non-EIMA members) to develop 77 EPDs, covering as many as 1,350 EIFS variations.

And in other news: This year, EIMA celebrates its 44th year, and what better way to help the Association than to join them near Orlando, Fla. The 2025 EIMA Annual Meeting will provide industry education, speakers, networking, golf, and more.  The annual event happens March 18-20, at the Reunion Resort and Golf Club, in Kissimmee, Fla.

The annual meeting is always a great place to network, make new contacts, and to learn about the most current issues affecting the Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems industry.

Throughout this year’s three-day event, meeting attendees will learn what’s in-store to move the EIFS industry forward. The program is structured to encourage interaction among all who attend. Networking opportunities remain a hallmark of EIMA annual meetings, and include the popular Members Dinner, EIFS Excellence Awards Ceremony and the annual EIMA Golf Tournament.

The meeting provides a wide range of events that contractors can use to better position themselves in business. The annual golf tournament is a major part of the meeting, while non-golfers will have a fun event, as well.  

Anyone in the EIFS industry is cordially invited to attend. Get more information here.