The Fire Suppression Systems Association (FSSA) today announced that William Eckholm, President and CEO of Firetrace International, and Roger Bourgeois, Founder and President of Bourgeois & Associates, Inc., will be presented with FSSA’s Leadership Award during the President’s Banquet at its 2012 Annual Forum in February in Rancho Mirage, California.
The FSSA Leadership Award is presented annually to honor individuals in the special hazards fire protection industry that have shown great leadership and responsibility in their professional and personal lives. When choosing a recipient, the FSSA Awards Committee takes into consideration a variety of attributes including dedication to and longevity in the industry, integrity and fairness in their work, and a desire for innovation and change to improve the industry.
William Eckholm, a founding member and past president of FSSA, began his career in fire protection in 1972. Among the many impressive titles held throughout his career, he is currently President and CEO of Firetrace International, a company based in Arizona which makes automatic fire-suppression systems. Originally hired to create a business plan for the company, Eckholm stayed on board to implement his plan and was extremely successful in expanding Firetrace into new markets and areas of expertise.
Roger Bourgeois, also a past President of FSSA, has more than thirty years of experience in sales, installation, and testing of all types of automatic fire detection and suppression systems. In 1984, he founded Bourgeois & Associates, Inc., a company specializing in solving “special hazard” fire protection problems. In addition to his membership with FSSA, Bourgeois is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), a founding president of the Louisiana Automatic Fire Alarm Association (LA AFAA), a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS), and NICET certified at Level IV in Special Hazards Systems Layout and Fire Alarm Systems. He is also currently serving as the president of the Automatic Fire Alarm Association (AFAA).
“We are extremely proud to honor William Eckholm and Roger Bourgeois as well respected and trusted industry leaders in front of their peers at our Annual Forum,” said FSSA President, Larry Grodsky. “FSSA is grateful for their many years of service and all of their hard work and contributions to the fire protection industry.”
Eckholm and Bourgeois will receive FSSA’s coveted Leadership Award among their peers during FSSA‘s 2012 Annual Forum, a four day conference bringing together industry leaders for educational sessions and industry updates from February 25-28, 2012.
