The NACHI Caravan

system · November 28, 2005, 12:00am

Originally Posted By: lewens
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.

I thought I would post this here as not everyone is a member and can’t get to the members only section.

Dateline: Nov 27 2005
Brantford Ontario
After having to wait for a whole week to get the second part of Bob And Helen's presentation I can say it was well worth the wait. We couldn't get two consecutive days in the same location so had to book the dates a week apart.
Last sunday CATS gave us 6 hours of electrical instruction and it was very interesting as there was alot of hands on training with all sorts of props to play with. CATS brought in a trailer load of panels meters and other electrical gear to go through and we all learned a great deal about what to look for when inspecting the electrical system in a home.
This week Bob brought a load of windoes to show us and, although I have been installing windows and doors for years, I was amazed at how little I know about what I was installing. A person can never know too much about this business and in my estimation when you stop learning it is definately time to hang up the tool belt and pack it in.
Although the turn out was not as good as expected I am sure no one who attended was disappointed as to the level of education provided.
Even the food was good.
So with that thought in mind I will leave you with this thought. If you have a chance to attend one of the CARAVAN seminars, do it, you won't be disappointed and you will learn, as I did, learning is an ongoing process. Besides it doesn't cost you anything and you will have a good time doing it. Bob and Helen both are very good at what they do a I highly recommend the CARAVAN to all members.
I will leave you for now and hope you all have a good week.
Larry Ewens
President Pro Tem
NACHI/SWO

PS, Chris, please get spell checker up and running again. This looking in the dictionary stuff is too time consuming.
Larry

system · November 29, 2005, 12:00am

Originally Posted By: Aimee Jalowsky
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.

Larry, I would like to add that I attended the first day of the Colorado CATS Training and they are nothing short of spectacular.

We all have our opinions on how attending the education went, but I'd like to share with you the view of teaching the education directly from Helen and Bob.

This time out in our training voyages, we came back with a very successful outcome. By all accounts, each location gave us a warm & friendly welcome and many thanks at the end of each training day.

Comments such as, ?Wow, you guys were great!? ?After 67 years in business, I had fun and actually learned new things.? ?I didn?t think I needed to come yesterday but now I wish I had ?cause it looks like I missed out!? and many, many others were shared with us. Many attendees felt they came away with more than they had expected and the style of instructing was unique, fresh, entertaining and yet, much was learned.

The groups at each location were encouraged to participate and interact. Well, there was no shortage of that! The props certainly helped the folks to gather around and test their mettle or get closer to the issues at hand.

In Aurora... lots of positive feedback and most enjoyed each session. We know, we were told by many!

However, in Albany, the hot topic is licensing for Home Inspectors and the impact on the inspectors who have not completed the minimum requirements and would need to start from scratch to qualify. Another topic the folks just seem to hunger for was on how to market and promote. So much for Building Science ? it became the Science behind Marketing! We provided training on Friday from 9 am to 7 pm with no sign of quitting until we just had to call it a day. On day 2, the people had to be almost kicked out so we could pack up and free up the meeting room for the next event. Yowza!

Now for the really good stuff! The weather was a surprise as you well know and held us up in Nederland, forced us off the road the following two nights on the way to Albany and yet, the NACHI / CATS Mobile Training Unit persevered and brought us home, safely.

?Through sleet and snow, the CATS Mobile will go! Neither gusts nor gales will cause this caravan to fail! Set the course, on the road again, it?s only a matter of time when we reach home - the end.?

The training rooms were more than adequate, especially in Aurora, CO. As you well know, the Aurora meeting was delayed slightly since we couldn?t get in until 9am which was the start of the meeting. But when the chips are down, it is amazing to see the people rise to help out. One minute it looked like a daunting task to get our stuff in and set up but when we turned around while unloading the trailer, not one or two guys came to help but 30 came to get something to bring into the room. Many hands make light work was an understatement! Huge thanks to all who helped.

system · December 6, 2005, 12:00am

Originally Posted By: hjeffrey
This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.

Aimee, thanks for posting the summary of our venture out west.

Larry, thanks for posting your thoughts on this form of training.

Now for the latest installment brought in from Pittsburgh, PA where Electrical and Windows was presented. It came as no surprise that a detour into Marketing, Promoting and Presentation tips was made.

In spite of the white stuff that blew into town and the Steelers game, the folks who did attend were pleasantly surprised with the style of training they received and even the seasoned individuals picked up new ideas and concepts. One person was very excited and couldn't wait to put as many of these ideas to the test when he got home. Let's hope he doesn't put his car to the test and picks up a ticket along the way!

Overall, it is very clear that this industry is hungry for more of this type of training. We are getting asked to bring longer sessions on just about anything and everything to do with home inspecting.

Thanks to Larry Ott and his chapter for booking and organizing this event and thanks to Jamie's for providing the venue and really good food!

Keep an eye on the road for the next stop of the NACHI Caravan! We hope to see you there! ![icon_biggrin.gif](upload://iKNGSw3qcRIEmXySa8gItY6Gczg.gif)