President’s Message
Chris Tremberth
Central
States 
Insulation 
Association
N
ashville delivered. 
Our 2026 Spring 
Labor Conference at 
the Dream Nashville brought together 78 
contractors, associates, and industry partners 
for two days of focused conversation on the 
things that matter most to our businesses 
and our workforce. Strong attendance and a 
packed agenda — it was exactly the kind of 
event that reminds you why this association 
is worth your time.
I don’t take it for granted. Everyone in this 
industry is busy — projects to manage, crews 
to keep working, customers to take care of, 
and not enough hours in the day to do all 
of it. Taking two days away from the office 
and the jobsite is a real commitment, and I 
genuinely appreciate every person who made 
the trip to Nashville. Your presence is what 
makes this conference worth having, and 
it’s a reflection of how seriously you take this 
industry and the relationships that hold it 
together.
I’ll admit the Dream Hotel was a little outside 
our usual playbook — and that turned out 
to be a good thing. The venue was unique, 
the meeting space even more so. For those 
who didn’t know the history going in, let’s 
just say the room has seen a few different 
kinds of business over the years, and it still 
operates as a nightclub after hours. Not your 
typical insulation contractor conference 
setting — but it made for a memorable 
backdrop and kept things from feeling too 
formal. Sometimes a change of scenery does 
something for the conversation in the room. 
We closed out the conference Wednesday 
evening at ZuZu Nashville, which was a 
fitting way to wrap things up. Non-traditional 
venues for this group, but a nice change of 
pace all around.
I want to take a few minutes to recap what 
we covered and point you toward what’s 
coming next.
Safety Awards: Recognizing Excellence
We recognized outstanding safety 
performance across our membership during 
the conference, and congratulations to 
all of this year’s honorees. Safety isn’t a 
checkbox — it’s a culture, and the companies 
recognized this year have earned it.
Conference Recap: What We Covered
The agenda was intentionally built to 
offer something for everyone in the 
room — whether you’re an owner, an 
estimator, a project manager, a distributor, 
or somewhere in between. We covered 
labor-management relations and crisis 
communication, workforce strategy and the 
realities of attracting and retaining the next 
generation of workers, business leadership 
and profitability, and national industry 
updates from NIA and NUICA. The speakers 
brought different backgrounds and different 
perspectives, and that variety made for two 
days of conversation that stayed relevant no 
matter where you sit in this industry. The 
happy hour conversations were some of 
the best of the week — and honestly, that’s 
always the real magic of these events. The 
content brings people to the room, but it’s the 
Executive Director
Chris Tremberth
4
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
4
The Insulator • June 2026
Dedicated to keeping its members at the forefront in their industry

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