Allen Harrold And Alan Blair Earn MBMA Recognition

Cleveland, OH - Allen Harrold, of BlueScope Buildings North America Inc., and Alan Blair, of Chief Industries Inc., were each honored for their service by the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) in late July.

Blair was presented with the Technical Committee Award of Excellence in recognition of 25 years of exemplary service on the Technical Committee, including 21 years as Chairman of the Manual Subcommittee. Harrold was presented with the Norman W. Rimmer Technical Leadership Award in recognition of his 24 years of exemplary service on the Technical Committee and as an advocate of the spirit of discovery and sharing of knowledge within the metal building systems industry.

“The work that both of these men have undertaken with the Technical Committee has been invaluable to MBMA and the entire metal building industry,” commented Dr. W. Lee Shoemaker, Director of Research and Engineering for MBMA. “Alan Blair has made his mark on our industry with his leadership of the Manual Subcommittee, putting in endless hours to produce our industry-standard reference book, the Metal Building Systems Manual. Al Harrold has contributed mightily to the industry with his tireless efforts on the committee and has served as a valuable resource for MBMA with his participation at AISI and ASTM standards development.”

As chairman of the Manual Subcommittee, Blair has been instrumental in producing the industry’s leading resource on metal building systems, MBMA’s Metal Building Systems Manual. During his time leading the subcommittee, the manual has been updated and reprinted multiple times. The most recent publication was in 2012 and it is currently being revised for a 2018 edition due out later this year. During his time on the Technical Committee, Harrold has represented the industry on various AISI Specification Committees for the past 20 years. He also recently served as Chairman of the Research Council on Structural Connections (RCSC). He has been the main liaison between MBMA and several ASTM Standards committees.

The Norman W. Rimmer Award is named for the former MBMA Technical Committee chairman who passed away in 2008. He was a leader in the metal building industry for many years and was elected to the Metal Construction Hall of Fame in 2014. He was widely acclaimed for establishing the culture of sharing engineering expertise for the benefit and growth of the metal building industry.

For more information about this award or the work of MBMA, contact Tony Bouquot at mbma@mbma.com or (216) 241-7333.

About The Metal Building Manufacturers Association

Founded in 1956, MBMA serves manufacturers and suppliers as it works to promote the metal building systems industry. Its membership supplies high-quality buildings for use in commercial, retail, office, industrial, institutional and other end-uses. The association provides a wealth of information on its website for anyone who works with or is interested in metal building systems. It includes technical materials and design guides. For more information, visit www.mbma.com.