During AAMA's annual meeting that took place last week in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the consolidation between it and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) was the topic of an intense two-hour discussion. A room full of AAMA members sat attentively through the presentation lead by association officials who explained the consolidation. Speakers took care to point out that there is still no done deal and a lot of issues are on the table.

An explanation was given as to how the new organization would be set up, how it would function and what its goals would be. It was also emphasized that the consolidation is taking more time than anticipated, although the end is in sight.

The planned merger, which has been in the works for some time and off again/on again, has moved forward, Chris Fuldner, president of AAMA, told a large audience.

"We are working through the issues, but had to slow down the pace of the negotiations." He explained that a lot of issues continue to evolve and change from meeting to meeting of the consolidation team.

Fuldner pointed out that the union would present a unified voice for dealing with regulatory agencies, and provide increased resources to fund industry research and more aggressive product promotion.

In negotiations so far, Fuldner said it has been agreed that the AAMA name would be kept on all the documents even though the new group will have a new name. "Eventually, the name on the AAMA documents will probably be changed to the new name of the combined group," he added.

Fuldner said that both groups remain optimistic, but that there is a lot of planning that needs to take place. The next meeting of the consolidation team will be held in April. Fuldner said it would be the end of the year before they would be able to bring a proposal before the membership.