Added a new Nominee for Inach Member of the Year/Gromicko Award and US Member of the Year Award.
I have been asked to post the Nominations to Date for 2011 and supporting documentation.
U.S. Member of The Year
John & Michelle Shishilla
Documentation received;
- Always willing to help without reserve
- Gives FREE class and ride alongs to ANYONE who wants help
- Started a very successful INACHI chapter in Florida
- Helped write the Wind mitigation class and fights for our preferences and makes our name known with the insurance regulators.
- Organized a small convention without financial help from Nachi.
- Has dedicated numerspus hours and thousands of dollars from his own pocket to better the organization and the chapter and all inspectors.
7… Hasa willing ness to lead through example and continues to do so on a daily basis.
Russell Hensel
I met Russell earlier this year on a family trip to Florida. I reached out to him through the message board to let him know that I would be in his area. I inquired if it would be possible to ride along on one of his inspections to see how he conducts his business. I was thoroughly impressed from start to finish on how he runs his operation.
He spent a couple of hours of his valuable time talking to me about anything I wanted regarding the home inspection industry and things I should be doing in my business. He was a wealth of information, and I have benefited directly from his direction.
I continue to stay in touch with Russell and he is always willing to lend advice or direction when I have a question. I know he also has been generous with his time and advice to others as well.
Although his opinion may be in opposition to others in this association at times, I feel he brings a thought provoking insight into every discussion. Whether you agree with him or not he does get you to think.
I really feel that if we had more members like Russell in this association we would all be better for it. I have received more help from him personally than all the responses I have ever received on the message board. He provides a cut to the chase answer and there is never any condescension in any advice he provides unlike the advice provided by many in this association.
William Warner
[FONT=Helvetica-Bold][size=2]Summary and documentation: BILL WARNER,
I. Performs “Far beyond the call of duty” to improve the service, quality and image of iNACHI.
II. Exemplifies professionalism and dedication to excellent service by putting forth the extra effort.
III. Makes outstanding contributions of significance to the iNACHI organization to fulfill its mission.
IV. Plays well with others and always provides GREAT educational information on the iNACHI Message
Board and other locations near you.
V. Exemplifies his dedication to the inspection and thermal imaging industries. All of his customers should
be very grateful and proud to have him in their corner, as should we.
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International Member of The Year/Gromicko Award
Roy Cooke Sr.
Documentation received;
It is with a great sense of pride and duty that I nominate Roy Cooke Sr. for the 2011 Nick Gromicko Award.
Throughout the years that I have been associated with NACHI, Roy has been a leader in not only promoting the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors but in exemplifying all that is good about it.
Not only was he the key player in getting NACHI and CMI registered in his country, but Roy organized and directed the very first (and the second) NACHI meetings in Canada where today, thanks to his efforts, InterNACHI is now very prominent.
Using the airwaves in a local radio show that he produces and performs, Roy continues to promote NACHI and its inspectors to a very large audience.
There is rarely a post where a member is requesting technical assistance within his multiple areas of expertise that will go by without a quality response. Tirelessly, and even with some of our lesser valued members harassing and stalking him, Roy continues to avail himself to help others on a message board that has driven many away.
In addition to the time he takes to help members on the message board, Roy personally mentors and trains (at his own expense and, sometimes, in his own home) many members who aspire to reach his level of expertise and success.
In his community, he exemplifies the professionalism of a NACHI member by promoting fire safety (through sprinkler systems) and offers other guidance to fire chiefs, builders and consumers.
It cannot go without mention that, in a tumultuous time, Roy found himself in a political crossfire of will that resulted in an impulsive (and, later, reversed) decision to terminate his membership. Others, including myself, would have turned their back on NACHI. Others under similar circumstances have used such things as a catalyst to act in retaliation and attempt to harm the association. Roy, instead, accepted Nick’s invitation to correct the mistake of expelling him by his return to the association — and Roy did it with class, picking up where he left off and resuming his efforts to use his time and talent to advance other members, the association and the profession.
Whether you agree with Roy on every point or not, no one can deny his enthusiasm and commitment to NACHI and to its membership.
I began this nomination by stating that it is a “duty” for me to make this nomination. This sense of duty is derived from my own love for NACHI and the heartfelt duty to this association to see that its most loyal and most committed member be chosen to receive NACHI’s highest award.
It will be good for NACHI as well as for its members to use this award to acknowledge the sustained and important contributions of one as deserving of it as Roy Cooke.
Vern Mitchinson
Documentation Recieved;
Vern Mitchinson has consistently given his time and energy to promoting InterNACHI and its members. His efforts enabled CMI’s to be grandfathered in Alberta when licencing was enacted by the Alberta Government. He made sure that the government both knew and respected Alberta InterNACHI members and through his efforts he made it easier for all other Canadian members of InterNACHI to be recognized and heard in their own provinces. He has consistently been a voice of reason and knowledge on the InterNACHI message board and is respected by all members. He has never turned his back on any InterNACHI member asking advice and help. He sticks to his principals and will not back down to any challenge from anyone if he knows he is right, but will be the first to admit if he has made a mistake. He has been my mentor and chief advisor during my time as president of the Alberta chapter of InterNACHI.
First CMI in Alberta
6th CMI in Canada
He started and incorporated Alberta Chapter of NACHI Nov. 7, 2007
First president of Alberta Chapter
Has been on the executive board of Alberta chapter from its inception to the present date
2009 recipient of InterNACHI Canadian member of the year
He promoted CMI’s and the InterNACHI training courses to the Alberta Government to the point that both were accepted as legitimate qualifications for licencing. This is the first time these qualifications have been accepted by a government body in Canada and now lays the groundwork for them being accepted when other provinces bring in licencing regulations for the home inspection industry in Canada.
Alberta now has more CMI’s than any other province in Canada and most states in the U.S. thanks to Vern’s work.
The Alberta government has put in place a requirement that to get a licence, home inspectors must go through a test inspection conducted by a CMI. Vern wrote the test inspection procedure along with another member.
**Vern was on the government advisory committee that drew up the licencing requirements. He forced that committee to recognize that InterNACHI deserved to be represented even though CAHPI fought hard to keep InterNACHI off of that committee. If he hadn’t persevered, there would be no InterNACHI in Alberta today as every home inspector here would have to be a member of CAHPI to be licenced. **
**As the current president of the Alberta Chapter, I use Vern’s name all of the time. If I want something done, all I have to say is Vern says…… and the reaction I get is “well if Vern says….then I guess its ok….” **
**He is certainly the best known and best respected home inspector in Alberta and I am thinking he is one of the best in North America. **
He has an incredible amount of technical knowledge and will share it will everyone. He has taught courses at our chapter meetings and will give help and advice to anyone who needs it.
As this is the year that Alberta brought in licencing, this is Vern’s year. This is the time that he should be the recipient of the Gromicko Award as InterNACHI’s member of the year because he single headedly made InterNACHI a force in Alberta and the rest of Canada. Every other province that considers licencing will be looking at Alberta and what was done here. They will be looking at the qualifications of InterNACHI trained inspectors with new respect. More and more inspectors in Canada will become CMI’s because it has been proven that CMI’s are the best of the best. Because of Vern’s work, the CMI designation has been proven to be top designation of home inspectors. The numbers in Alberta tell the tale as now there are 63 CMI’s. At the beginning of this year I believe there was around 12.
I realize that there are other members of InterNACHI that are also deserving of this award, but I really believe that this year should be Vern’s. Sometimes things happen and how people react is what makes them shine. Vern took on all of these challenges because he cares about the people in InterNACHI. He could have walked away from the headaches and frustrations many times and no one would have blamed him, but he didn’t. What he asked me time after time was “what happens to our members if we don’t fight this?” “I’ll get my licence and so will you because we’re CMI”s, but what happens to the other members that are not?” “They’ll be out of business” And so he would roll up his sleeves and do whatever had to be done….
William Warner
[FONT=Helvetica-Bold][size=2]Summary and documentation: BILL WARNER,
I. Performs “Far beyond the call of duty” to improve the service, quality and image of iNACHI.
II. Exemplifies professionalism and dedication to excellent service by putting forth the extra effort.
III. Makes outstanding contributions of significance to the iNACHI organization to fulfill its mission.
IV. Plays well with others and always provides GREAT educational information on the iNACHI Message
Board and other locations near you.
V. Exemplifies his dedication to the inspection and thermal imaging industries. All of his customers should
be very grateful and proud to have him in their corner, as should we.
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Canadian Member of The Year
Steve Horvath
**Steve Horvath has been involved in InterNACHI since 2006 and was one of the founding members of the Alberta Chapter in 2007. **
**He initially held the position of vice president and then went on to become president for two terms. **
**Currently he hold a director position on the board. **
He is one of a few people that have attended every executive and general meeting of the chapter since its inception in 2007.
**He has conducted many meetings as well as taught at many meetings. His knowledge is vast and he always shares what he knows. **
He is not as active as some on the message board but when he talks you listen as he knows what is going on.
**He also sat on the advisory committee for the government of Alberta when they were first talking about licencing for inspectors in Alberta. **
He spent many hours drafting proposals to the government regarding the licencing as well as spending many hours developing the peer review forms that we use in Alberta and also the contract that was approved by the government.
**In many cases it has been Steve’s quiet work in the background that has brought success to the Chapter’s endeavour’s. **
**Because of his many contributions to our chapter, he has helped every InterNACHI member in Canada as the different provinces begin to look at licencing. **
**Steve was one of the first CMI’s in Alberta and was instrumental in CMI’s being grandfathered for Alberta Licences. **
Steve has always been active in our Chapter and is the first to volunteer when anything needs to be done.
He is my nomination for Canadian member of the year.
Hope this helps.
