NDA Begins 50th Anniversary Celebration Next Year
Published: 10/10, 2022
In 2023, the National Demolition Association will begin its 50th anniversary celebration. The industry has a proud history. Part and parcel of the demolition industry is the removal of unsafe structures and hazardous materials. Since the founding of civilization, society has been a constant state of renewal, repurposing the obsolete, demolishing and tearing down of buildings and other artificial structures making way for progress.
In the modern era, demolition encompasses a wide range of activities from lead and asbestos abetment, nuclear denomination to structural demolition and dismantlement, industrial recovery and recycling. Our industry responds to disasters as emergency support personnel, clean up brownfields and Superfund sites, process a huge quantity of the waste stream for reuse and recycle our nation’s most valuable resource—land. In short, we are responsible for a safer, cleaner, livable environment.
On Dec. 2, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began operation, after President Nixon signed an executive order, Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970. The creation of the EPA brought about the regulation of the nation’s air, water, and soil with the goal of protecting people and the environment from significant health risks. The agency’s mission is a shared purpose the demolition industry had been practicing for decades, if not centuries.
A little over a year later, a group of forward-thinking demolition contractors met in Hollywood, Fla., to discuss how the industry could better align its services with that mission. The charter members lived with the challenges of a highly competitive industry every day and saw the benefits of joining in common interest. It was the first step in forming an association to promote the betterment of the industry and increase public understanding of all phases of the demolition industry.
The following year, Demolition Age magazine’s first issue was published, and the Internal Revenue Service issued a determination letter in November of 1973 recognizing tax-exempt status, establishing the National Association of Demolition Contractors, now the National Demolition Association. In 1974, the organization held its first annual convention and expo at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. From our earliest days, the association’s goals were to help its members grow their companies in a safe, productive manner, while improving the quality of life in the towns and cities they served. Today, we continue that mission as we work toward the first industry-recognized certification, offer safety and training programs such as the Foundations of Demolition Training Series, and develop and refine guidance documents for members to ensure every job is safe while also keeping the communities and environment in which we work and live clean, livable, and prosperous.
We invite everyone in the demolition industry to join us over the next two years as we celebrate our founding. NDA will officially launch its Golden Anniversary in the fall of 2023 and come together to celebrate its half-century of accomplishments at the 2024 Annual Convention in San Antonio Texas. Mark your calendars for March 6-9, 2024.
And if you’re not already an NDA member, you should be. Join us.
Jeff Lambert
Executive Director