Product/Service Council Changes Go into Effect in January

Members of the FAA Product/Service Council have approved a new structure that will expand opportunities for all suppliers as well as more effectively connect multifamily communities and management companies with their suppliers.

PSC past chairs and current officers met late last year and developed the plan that PSC members voted to approve May 5 at the Casa Monica Hotel. The vote was ratified by the FAA Board of Directors the following day.

Here are details of the plan, which goes into effect January 1, 2017:

• The PSC membership fee will be eliminated.Any supplier who is a member of any FAA local affiliate will be part of the new Product/Service Council. The PSC will still have officers, and the chair of the PSC will continue to have a seat on the FAA Executive Committee.
• Suppliers will have opportunities to "stand out" by serving in leadership roles on the council, on current and future FAA committees (including the Conference Committee, APAC Board of Directors, Leadership Lyceum Committee, Editorial Advisory Committee, and Government Affairs Committee), or as a liaison to a local affiliates.
• Education programs, such as the May seminar with memory expert Paul Mellor, will be open to all suppliers who are members of any FAA local affiliate.
• While in the past early exhibit booth sales were limited to PSC members, under the new plan booth purchase priority will be granted to exhibitors from the previous year's exhibition, as a show of appreciation for their continued support of the FAA’s Annual Conference & Trade Show. No discount on exhibit fees will be extended to PSC members.
• A more robust and comprehensive supplier directory will replace the current PSC Buyers Guide, a guide that, in many cases, includes only one company under a specific category. Every supplier will be offered a "basic" listing with contact information in one category, and will have the opportunity to pay additional fees for an enhanced listing or for listings in more than one category. Revenue generated from the supplier directory will supplant the lost PSC membership dues revenue.