The year is coming very quickly to an end. It happens just a bit sooner in the hurricane protection industry with the “normal” hurricane season wrapping up by November. So this, our sixth annual, hurricane protection industry exclusive Directory & Buyer’s Guide arrives at just the right time—a time for review and for planning.

As individual businesses in this industry begin their assessments of the 2007 season what better resource to have in hand than a complete list of hurricane protection product manufacturers, service providers and distributors? Here, not only will you find an alphabetical listing of suppliers with contact information and product descriptions (see “Who’s Who,” pages 20 to 34), but you also will find these suppliers listed by the products and services they provide—in all, more than 30 product categories, several of which are broken out further into specific component categories (see “Product Categories,” pages 36 to 44).

This year, you will note, we’ve separate out important industry related associations—trade associations such as the International Hurricane Protection Association and others such as the International Code Council and the Institute for Business and Home Safety. In preparation for the 2008 season, this Directory will be a constant companion to businesses looking to find new products, new sources and new information to stay ahead of the competition and grow.
And while we’re looking ahead, let’s also take note of a couple of important industry events. First, the next stop for Hurricane Protection University (HPU) will be Pensacola, FL, November 8. HPU is a full day of scheduled sessions covering product approval and impact protective coverings. Included are an IHPA general meeting with guest speaker and an HPU networking reception (full details are one page 10).

Don’t forget to mark you calendars now for the sixth annual World of Hurricane Protection trade show and conference, too! This conference will be held April 25 and 26, 2008, at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Produced by Hurricane Protection magazine and sponsored by the IHPA, this is the only exhibit and seminar conference solely for the hurricane protection industry. It’s a don’t-miss event that will be sure to get next season off to a rousing start.

Howard Shingle

Howard Shingle EDITOR

Kerri Caldwell PUBLISHER