Industry Insights: Relationships Build a Bridge to Our Future

We also build relationships with national code-making bodies by serving on committees or providing comments as they consider developing codes that will be adopted by many local communities. This ensures that the sign industry viewpoint is represented as these codes are developed. It makes more sense to influence these codes before they are enacted rather than attempt to change them in each local municipality.

While ISA has devoted significant staff resources to these endeavors, we could not do any of this without the active participation of our members—all of whom volunteer their time to improve the industry. Their involvement in the local community lets us know when issues arise; the earlier in the process we get involved, the more likely our chances of success. Their expertise also is vital to providing well-developed responses to code issues that arise, at the local level or at the national.

We don’t win every effort that we attempt. But we’ve found that mutual respect, even in disagreement, builds an important bridge to our future working relationship.