The Glass Association of North America (GANA) has announced that its eighth annual Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Conference at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, February 20-22, 2005, will feature a panel session on The Role of the Consultant in the Building Envelope Industry. The session will take place on Monday, February 21, 2005, and will feature the following participants: Charles Clift, president and senior principal of Curtain Wall Design and Consulting Inc.; Glenn Heitmann, president and chief executive officer of Heitmann and Associates Inc.; Gordon H. Smith of exterior wall consultants Gordon H. Smith Corp.; and Jon Weir, principal and senior design consultant for JA Weir Associates.

According to a GANA news release, the influence of consultants on construction products has increased over the years due to an ever-growing need for specialized knowledge, including enhanced code requirements, the rise in necessity for protective glazing applications in various products and the popularity of new technologies such as point-supported glass facades.