Certification questions
Hey, Charlie!
Your question hits the mark as far as certification goes. Promoting certified contractors is a top goal of the organization.
As you have probably already heard, PWNA is revamping the website and this is one of the proposed changes. There will be a "Find a Contractor" feature where consumers (commercial or residential) can locate nearby PWNA members. As it looks right now, alongside every contractors contact information will be their specialty (if they have one) and all certification credentials they have from the PWNA.
As far as press releases go, we have developed some press releases that you, as a contractor, can modify for your use and send to the local paper that best suits your needs. Press releases are generally very hard to get printed unless they have some national importance or local interest. A national press release has virtually no chance of being published.
The BOD has looked at the idea of placing promotional ads for certified contractors in magazines, but that approach has a few problems. It is hard to identify the right publications that will be read by the broadest group of decision-making consumers, and it is pretty darn expensive to do that as well. For example, what national magazine would you select if you wanted to reach people who have decks and fences that need to be cleaned and sealed? A full-page ad in any national magazine that reaches homeowners is ridiculously expensive. For example, a 1/4 page ad in USA Today (which could be missed by some of its target audience because of size) would cost between $28,000 and $34,000 per day. PWNA just doesn't have that kind of resources.
That doesn't mean that we have abandoned the idea of promoting the use of certified contractors. Just the opposite. This is the obvious direction that everyone wants to go. We need to find innovative ways to accomplish this that really work and are affordable. All ideas are welcomed. It may turn out that the most practical solutions involve the member doing the promotion using materials that are created by us. An example of that is the new 12-panel color brochure we have just introduced promoting environmental awareness and the hiring of a "Professional PWNA Member".
Lets face it. Certification is all about adopting higher standards in order to differentiate ourselves from non-certifed contractors. This is something that we have to "sell" - both as an organization and as individual members. Its up to both parties, working together, to get the job done.
Lets hear ideas!
At my last count, there were 79 members certified in wood renewal.