A formal contributing-association agreement between the Stairbuilders and Manufacturers Association and the Architectural Woodwork Institute was signed June 24 in Spartanburg, S.C., at the first stop on the SMA's National Workshop Tour.

SMA president Steve Guenzel and AWI president Greg Lutz signed the agreement that spells out the cooperation between the two organizations in the development of the new AWI/ANSI Standard for Architectural Woodwork.

"We are very pleased to be invited by AWI to provide valued input regarding stairway, handrail and guard construction,” Guenzel said in a statement. “Although this is but a small part of the realm of architectural woodwork that will be covered in the AWI/ANSI standard, stairbuilding is a specialized field in which our members are experts. Being asked to participate by the AWI recognizes the value of our expertise as peers in a much larger industry. We look forward to the best practices of the stair industry being vetted through the ANSI consensus process and the resulting level of acceptance ANSI Accreditation will bring to our niche industry.”

"The signing of our agreement with SMA marks the beginning of an era of mutual cooperation between many industry stakeholders working for and in the best interest of our entire industry,” added Lutz. “We are proud of our affiliation with SMA and promise that our combined efforts will surpass any prior architectural woodwork standards to date. AWI's collaboration and combined efforts with many different subject experts allows our new industry standard to embody the wisdom and experience that can be found nowhere else."

For more, visit IWF booth Nos. 1215 (AWI) and 1258 (SMA).