The Brick Industry Association Year-In-Review

LASN 2023 Yearbook
by The BIA Team

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The Brick Industry Association (BIA) is the national trade association representing distributors and manufacturers of clay brick and suppliers of related products and services. The mission of BIA is to promote and safeguard the clay brick industry.
This year BIA's initiatives promoted the clay brick industry in many ways through our Annual Convention (A), Program Committees, Regions and Local Councils.
2023 kicked off with the industry's largest event, The Brick Forum, in Louisville, KY, in which over 685 industry professionals attended. The event featured renowned economist Ali Wolf of Zonda, who provided valuable insights into the current trends and dynamics of the housing industry.
Our nationally renowned Brick in Architecture Awards Competition garnered over 150 entries, showcasing groundbreaking ways to design with clay brick, which includes a dedicated Clay Paver category. BIA also delivered continuing education to architects through three online platforms. Our members exhibited at the ASLA Show in Minneapolis, highlighting the superiority of clay pavers compared to concrete pavers. (B)
In 2024, BIA is set to expand its educational outreach to college architecture curriculums through the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) and will continue to build upon the successes of existing initiatives.

Research, Codes & Standards
The U.S.-Canada Industrywide Clay Brick Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is currently in effect to showcase the sustainability of clay brick, but preparations for potential future EPDs are underway. BIA began developing updated Product Category Rules that serve as the base for EPD development.

Government Affairs & Compliance
BIA held its bi-annual Capitol Hill Fly-In (C) in May, which saw a dozen members educate their representatives' offices on the need for affordable energy, additional workers, reasonable (vs. excessive) levels of taxation. Thirty-six Congressional and Senate offices welcomed BIA's Fly-In participants. Additionally, Brick PAC, a vital component of BIA's safeguarding work, saw a record of nearly 60 members contribute this year, leading to more than $35,000 raised to disburse to campaigns of brick-friendly legislators in future elections.

BIA Leadership Transition
Concluding the year on a strategic note, The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has revealed its succession plan, appointing Tricia Mauer (D) as the incoming President and CEO, effective January 1, 2025. The transitional phase will begin on January 1, 2024, during which Mauer, presently serving as the Vice President of Membership & Programs, will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO). She will succeed longtime President & CEO/CFO Ray Leonhard, who will retire effective December 31, 2024. He will serve as a part-time advisor to Mauer starting in 2025.
BIA would like to thank our members for their continued support of our great industry. For more information on BIA visit www.gobrick.com.

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