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Construction Marketplace 2 1 Tuesday, January 21, 2020 National Association of the Remodeling Industry's Certifications Build Consumer Trust By Dan Taddei, MS Ed. BCA | Director of Education and Certification, National Association of the Remodeling Industry NARI Certifications were developed to recognize highly experienced remodeling professionals who are capable of plan- ning, managing and delivering complex remodeling projects to client satisfaction. Certification provides a beacon to help homeowners identify qualified remodel- ing professionals. NARI Certification can be earned in five categories, including Certified Remodeler (CR), Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR), Certified Remodeler Project Manager (CRPM), Certified Lead Carpenter (CLC) and Universal Design Certified Professional (UDCP). Governed by the independent NARI Certification Board, certification is conferred upon successful completion of the certification exam. Joining this elite group of NARI Certified Professionals is an excellent way to stand apart as a remodeling expert and gain a competitive advantage. Industry-Driven Certification Created for the industry by industry experts, NARI Certification Standards and exam questions are developed by vetted remodeling professionals, selected for their expertise in technical and man- agement best practices. Each certification program offers an online or local certifi- cation preparatory course, along with comprehensive certification study guides. The rigorous certification exam is administered under the supervision of approved exam proctors. Certification standards, study materials and exams are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes in technology and best practices. Professional Development Pursuing certification offers remodeling professionals an opportunity to both improve and vali- date their remod- eling skill set. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports certified professionals earn 25 percent more than non-certified counter- parts. This combined with data that shows 80 percent of consumers would hire a certified professional over one who is not is a great reason to pursue one of NARI's respected certifications. Additional benefits include: valida- tion of your professionalism, expertise and dedication to excellence; provide clients with assurance they are entrusting their project to a vetted remodeling pro- fessional who has met strict standards for remodeling expertise and has demon- strated commitment to his or her craft through continuing education and profes- sional development; advance your busi- ness skill set for increased company prof- itability, project timeliness and stream- lined project and business operations; develop your professional skill set and distinguish yourself as an elite industry professional. Requirements for Certification Candidates must demonstrate technical skill, business and project management expertise and tenure in the industry based on their selected certifica- tion's specific and detailed requirements. Candidates are required to prove participation in education courses, meeting the minimum Continuing Education Units (CEU), as outlined by each specific certification. All candidate applications are subjected to comprehen- sive review by NARI Certification staff to assure all program pre-requisites are met and the candidate is eligible for cer- tification. Eligible candidates may choose to attend the comprehensive preparatory courses offered in-person by their local NARI chapter or online by NARI National, or self-study. All eligible certification candidates must undergo and pass a rigorous exami- nation of up to 200 questions, overseen by an examination proctor adhering to strict integrity criteria. To learn more, go to www.NARI.org/CertIBS. Remodeling Done Right™. For more information, visit IBS booth #N1173, go to www.nari.org, call 847.298.9200 or email info@nari.com. PROFLEX: When Sound Control & Water Proofing Matters By Tim Abbott, Chief Operating Officer, PROFLEX ® Products, Inc. PROFLEX manufactures a complete line of products in the USA designed for installing natural finished surfaces, including tile, stone, marble, wood, car- pet and similar products. Our products are designed to be installed as a part of a complete flooring system. PROFLEX offers a variety of products to protect nat- ural finish surfaces from common prob- lems associated with a flooring installa- tion, including crack-isolation, reduction of sound transmission, moisture control and waterproofing. All of our products have been engineered and tested to indus- try standards, and are endorsed by lead- ing independent floor covering associa- tions. Our original product line of our elas- tomeric peel-and-stick membranes con- tinues to be our flagship product line. The PROFLEX elastomeric membranes pro- vide flooring installations a triple protec- tion of crack-isolation, sound reduction and a moisture vapor barrier. Our elas- tomeric membranes are easy to install, and allow you to install your finish sur- faces immediately after installing PROFLEX with no waiting time. PROFLEX also features a specialty product for areas requiring pos- itive waterproofing protection. PROFLEX Hydra-Seal is a semi-liquid applied product that forms a barrier pre- venting moisture vapor transmission, and blocks the intrusion of water to protect surfaces from structural damage. Hydra- Seal can be applied to concrete and exte- rior-grade wood surfaces, and will adhere to a variety of irregular forms such as base flashing and walls. Hydra-Seal is ideal for use in showers, steam rooms, bathrooms, pools, fountains and areas requiring positive waterproofing. The latest inclusion to our family of products is the Pro-Stick line of mor- tars, thinsets, mas- tics and specialty a d h e s i v e s . PROFLEX offers a variety of products designed for surface preparation, setting tile and stone sur- faces, and adhesives for both engi- neered and solid wood surfaces. Pro- Stick mortars and adhesives are fully compatible with our PROFLEX mem- branes, and we offer full system war- ranties to suit a variety of applications. PROFLEX is continually expanding our product line to offer a variety of floor- ing surface installation solutions to ensure your natural finished surface will last for years. For more information, go to www.proflex.us or call 877.577.6353. SecuGen's Low-Cost, Compact Bluetooth Fingerprint Reader By Jeff Brown, Vice President of Sales, SecuGen Corporation What is Unity 20 Bluetooth? The Unity 20 Bluetooth is the world's first elegantly designed, low cost, fully programmable Bluetooth fingerprint reader. It is sleek and small enough to be carried in your pocket as a mobile fingerprint reader or placed at a work- station as an ergonomic desktop read- er. It's a versatile scanner that can securely transfer fingerprint data wire- lessly to mobile devices and computers alike. But it can also process and store encrypted fingerprints within the device without having fingerprint data ever leaving the device. This can help ensure that sensitive biometric data stays secure within the users' possession at all times, which can be important for sensitive transactions. What's so appealing about it? Most Bluetooth products on the market are about as attractive as a deck of cards. The Unity 20 Bluetooth reader, on the other hand, is a stunning device with a simple but intuitive single button inter- face and three small LEDs. Our team has been able to achieve this while keeping the price of the product very low and suitable even for large-scale deploy- ments. With support for Android and iOS, the Unity 20 Bluetooth can be paired with most smartphones or tablets as an efficient solution for roaming enrollment and authentication of groups of people without having to deal with bulky machines. No longer requiring cables that can lead to clunky tethering, the Unity 20 Bluetooth was designed so that an administrator can hold it in one hand while presenting it to a user to place their finger comfortably to scan. What's under the hood? The Unity 20 Bluetooth can be used right out of the box using the pre-installed Fingerprint Management System software. Alternatively, it can be com- pletely custom programmed to suit the needs of the targeted user base. Within the slim, sleek white case, the reader has a 1GHz CPU and complete Linux development environment, includ- ing SecuGen's fingerprint capture and NIST MINEX-compliant template extraction and matching algorithms, and the OpenSSL cryptography library. What does this say about us? This product is the embodiment of our philosophy of listening to the voices of our partners and designing world class products to meet their needs. The Unity 20 Bluetooth is a breakthrough product that maintains our dedication to quality and affordability. As this is precisely what our partners have been asking for, we are excited to support and help them succeed with new products that are attractive, powerful and economical. About SecuGen SecuGen is a leading provider of optical fingerprint recogni- tion technology for physical and infor- mation security. For over 20 years, SecuGen has been a driving force com- mitted to developing innovative, high quality, rugged and price-performing products including FBI-certified finger- print readers, sensors, biometric software and developer kits. SecuGen products are used by finan- cial, medical, government, educational and corporate institutions and are sold through an extensive network of reseller partners including original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors and system integrators in North America, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia. For more information, go to www.secugen .com or email sales@secugen.com.