Don Rachel, CEO of Rachel Contracting, St. Michael, Minn., has been named president of the National Demolition Association (NDA), Doylestown, Pa. Rachel has been actively involved with the NDA since 1990 and has served as chairperson of the Environmental and Safety committees, as well as vice president, secretary and treasurer of the organization.
As president, Rachel expressed his determination to keep the association focused on giving its member companies the tools they need to be successful in the demolition industry. “We can’t control the national economy, but we can give our members the resources they need to control their own individual business economy,” Rachel says. “Our goal is to add real value to membership in the NDA by producing deliverables that will positively impact the bottom line.”
One example is the Demolition Safety Manual, a manual of safe work practices for the demolition industry. “The NDA not only created the manual, but has also continually updated it, with the latest update due out this year,” Rachel notes. “We work closely with OSHA and the U.S. EPA to make sure the manual reflects all that is new regarding demolition safety.”
Another example is the launch this year of the NDA’s first regional training program, a series of one-day training sessions conducted at sites across the country. “The goal is to offer the widest possible range of courses designed to meet the specific educational needs of members, which may differ according to which areas of the country they serve,” Rachel explains. Topics covered in these sessions could include fall protection, the demolition-specific OSHA 10-hour certification program and disaster response.
Rachel emphasizes that a primary focus of the NDA’s mission statement is the industry’s dedication to environmental stewardship, which was recognized this year at the Annual NDA Convention with the inauguration of the Environmental Excellence Awards, presented to member companies which have performed projects with a significant and positive impact.
Other changes to the NDA Executive Committee are the election of Jeff Kroeker of Kroeker Inc., Fresno, Calif. as vice president; Peter Banks of CEI Boston LLC, Norfolk, Mass., as secretary; and Scott Knightly of EnviroVantage, Epping, N.H. as treasurer. Raymond Passeno, CIH, of Bierlein Companies, Midland, Mich., is past president.
The Association has appointed a number of new members to its board of directors. They are John Adamo, Jr. of Adamo Demolition Company, Detroit, Mich.; Gary Bishop of Bromley Demolition, Bromley, Kent, U.K.; Mike Casbon of ERM Inc., Rolling Meadows, Ill.; Greg Gray of NASDI LLC, Waltham, Mass., Ben Kates, Jr. of Midwest Wrecking Co., Oklahoma City, Okla.; and James Milburn, Kinsale Contracting Group, Inc., Westmont, Ill.