For many years, I resisted joining any organization, mostly because of the rumor-mongering, back-stabbing, and other equally distasteful activities that seem to accompany group behavior. However, I was left without choice when my insurance company insisted that I join one. Shortly thereafter, I joined NAHI on the recommendation of a fellow inspector, and in the interests of fellowship I began sending them articles about the threat that litigation poses to the inspection industry, which I documented with precision. They published one, and then steadfastly declined to publish any more, even though CREIA and other organizations were publishing them quite regularly. Perplexed, I told them that I didn’t want to waste their time and mine by submitting articles that were apparently being ignored. They replied, and informed me in so many words, that the level of diction in my articles was too high for their membership. As an English professor, I didn’t need to be informed about the level of diction from a NAHI staff member, and I certainly didn’t need to take more than a cursory glance at their magazine to realize how absurd their response was. In fact, I understood it to mean that they either didn’t have a very high regard for the group intelligence of their membership or didn’t want to publish anything that was critical of attorneys or the legal profession. Almost immediately, I resigned my membership in NAHI and joined NACHI, but I have never said anything negative about NAHI, or any other organization for that matter, nor would I ever. I have respected inspector/friends in several organizations.
Since then, the fellowship of NACHI has welcomed me with open arms, all of my articles have been published, and I haven’t had a second thought about NAHI until my business partner in Porter Valley Software, Lorne Steiner, received a letter from the president of NAHI canceling Porter Valley Software’s affiliate membership and canceling its vendor invitation to their upcoming conference, on the grounds that he is a director at large of NACHI, and I was recently appointed as its vice-president. You don’t have to think about this for too long to see that there is no logical explanation for such censure. Many vendors serve honorably on the boards of other organizations. As a building inspector, I’ve always tried to do what is best for inspectors, and it does concern me that Porter Valley Software’s trade practices should be impugned for whatever grievance (real or imagined) NAHI has with NACHI.
Many NAHI members visit the NACHI website, if only because it is vastly superior to others. Regardless, if you’re a NAHI member, I ask you to consider what is right and what is wrong, and if you believe in truth and justice to make your voice heard. I have no doubt that you are able to read these words without difficulty, which is more credit than NAHI officially gave you, and for that reason you might want to spend more time on the NACHI message board, and if you’d like to read what NAHI didn’t apparently want you to read, it’s contained in my book Inspect and Protect, in which I proudly acknowledge NACHI’s contribution. There is nothing more disarming than the plain truth.