Elco Industries, manufacturers of specialty fasteners, recently received renewal of its City of Los Angeles (California) research report, allowing certain Elco products to be specified on city projects. It was a good example of how constructive engagement with code authorities can sometimes lead to a win-win solution.

At issue were certain changes in code. The city requested a new ICC report in order to renew its own research report. The manufacturer believed that since the product had not changed, and met current code requirements, perhaps a new ICC report was not necessary. On behalf of Elco, Chusid Associates researched the codes issues and worked with city authorities to determine what proofs Elco needed to provide. The city responded in a positive and cooperative manner, and the matter was resolved in a relatively short span of time. Cooperative interaction sped up the approval process, allowing the city to keep using an established product, and allowing Elco to get on with its business.