For
Immediate Release
September 7,
2004
Media
Contacts:
Jamie Antcliff
CEDIA
317-328-4336
jantcliff@cedia.org
CEDIA Announces Revised Standards for Association
Membership
Indianapolis, Ind. – The Custom Electronic
Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) announced today new requirements
for association membership that will raise the affiliation standards
for member companies while building a new foundation that further develops
the expanding custom electronics industry.
CEDIA is creating a tiered membership structure to allow
the association to achieve several goals. The first is part of a strategic
imperative to strengthen the CEDIA brand by raising the bar for CEDIA
members. CEDIA members and industry observers will notice the higher
requirements in areas where the association can help members be better
in every way – as organizations, employers, and partners with
the builders, designers and architects they work with.
The second goal of the new structure is to foster growth
in the custom electronics industry by establishing a new Provisional
Membership class.
“CEDIA was founded on the philosophy of building
better businesses to build a better industry. Our efforts remain centered
on providing the business-building tools that enable our members to
be the very best,” said Ray Lepper, president of CEDIA and owner
of Home Media Stores in Richmond, Va. “Creating a tiered membership
structure will provide an entry point for businesses that aspire to
be the best. The new Provisional Membership class will provide new
members the tools they need to mature into full members, without diluting
the brand value enjoyed by full CEDIA members.”
Full CEDIA membership will require that companies have
CEDIA certified employees and continuing education that will build
and maintain the company’s place within the industry. The membership
restructuring will help CEDIA raise the overall standards for individual
membership in the association while supporting the industry growth
as a whole.
CEDIA Executive Director Billilynne Keller stressed that
the approach to new membership tiers will be rolled out in a multi-phased
plan. CEDIA will introduce additional phases over the next few years
and will announce details about the new tiers with the launch of each
new phase.
Ken Smith, a member of CEDIA’s Board of Directors
and chairman of its Membership Council, said existing CEDIA members
will have plenty of advance notice of the changes. Members will have
more than enough time after notification of the new membership changes
to ensure their businesses comply.
“Our goal to make CEDIA members the undisputed ‘best
in the business’ will be achieved over time. You’ll see
year by year increases in requirements for membership,” Lepper
said. “We want to begin by moving regular membership in the right
direction of being better companies. We intend for CEDIA membership
to be a competitive advantage in the marketplace, so our members need
to be better because that’s what CEDIA will represent.”
CEDIA is an international trade association of companies
that specialize in designing and installing electronic systems for
the home. The association was founded in September 1989 and has more
than 3,000 member companies worldwide. CEDIA members are established
and insured businesses with bona fide qualifications and experience
in this specialized field. CEDIA members include Residential Electronics
Systems Professionals who have emerged as the “fourth contractor” in
the building and remodeling industries alongside electrical, plumbing
and HVAC professionals. For more information on CEDIA, visit the association’s
Web site at www.cedia.org
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