Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

4 | May 2023 Bob Krell Founder & Publisher Publisher's Rant B ack in February, I had the oppor- tunity to present at the Indoor Air Quality Association's (IAQA) 2023 Annual Convention in Aus- tin, Texas. But my talk wasn't one of my familiar topics like mold, indoor air quality, duct cleaning, etc., but rather a rudimenta- ry attempt at soothsaying about the future of the indoor environmental industry. Why the change of tack, you might ask? Simply put, as I said at the beginning of my presentation, we are indeed at a cross- roads with the industry. The effectiveness of the approaches that arguably worked during the infancy of the IAQ/IEQ indus- try decades back has waned. Many of the long-time organizations are struggling to maintain relevance and retain membership numbers. Attendance at annual events for some of these groups is only a fraction of what they once were one or two decades back. The clear takeaway is: "Business as usual" is facing extinction. believe a significant part of this mor- phing is due to the advent of the internet, and its ability to convey massive amounts of information and media instantly to a global audience. Social media platforms have ex- ploded since 2006 and news now travels faster right into the palm of your hand in your mobile device. Headlines, snippets, and sound bites bombard our waking hours, blending into the din of our consciousness. Short attention spans abound! Industry organizations aren't the only sector that is struggling with the changing times. Conventional media outlets have been forced to adapt or fail considering the technological advances of recent years. We no longer collect our morning newspapers off our porches or gather around our tele- visions for the evening news to learn about current events. Even publications are more likely fond relics of the past than a timely source for information. Is a story from four weeks ago really news anymore? So, here we stand at a crossroads. Do we keep laboring under our old ways, or do we create a paradigm shift? It's really a choice of industry evolution or extinction, isn't it? Bob Krell Bob Krell is president of IAQ Technologies, Inc., a Syracuse, NY-based indoor environmental firm he founded in 1990, offering consulting, mitigation and training services to a variety of clients throughout the country and abroad. He co-founded IAQNET, LLC in 2013, and serves as publisher of its Healthy Indoors Magazine. Bob is the Producer/Director for the online video series, The Healthy Indoors Show, along with numerous other industry video projects and online events, and is Training Director for live distance learning offerings through IAQschool.online. Contact him at: bob@healthyindoors.com Evolution?

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