The name change has been in transition for several years, according to Merlin Guilbeau, executive director of NBFAA, Irving, Texas, who said that board members knew a name change was inevitable. In 2000, the association moved to change its logo to the acronym NBFAA, while adding the tagline, “Electronic Life Safety, Security and Systems Professionals.†In 2003, the association conducted a membership survey as part of a strategic planning process and, building off of this, ultimately decided to recommend the name change to its general membership.
“For years now, a lot of folks in the industry felt the name doesn’t mirror today’s reality of the industry and doesn’t reflect the broad range of products and services our members provide now,†Guilbeau said. Many systems integrators or company owners today, for example, install more than burglar and fire alarms. Some companies do not install either.