About the American Fireworks Safety Laboratory
The American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) is an independent, nonprofit corporation established in 1989 by members of the fireworks industry to reduce the potential risks of injury associated with fireworks. AFSL manages an active Standards Committee to develop and maintain voluntary safety and quality standards for all classifications of 1.4G consumer fireworks. The Standards Committee is composed of representatives from the fireworks industry, federal and state regulatory authorities, the insurance industry, consumers, and technical experts.
Standards developed by the committee incorporate all performance and labeling requirements of the regulations for fireworks established by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and applicable regulations governing transportation, shipping, and storage established by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Committee maintains product performance requirements that exceed federal regulations to further improve safety and promote good manufacturing practices necessary for the production of compliant consumer fireworks. Consumer fireworks that are compliant with the AFSL Standards also meet all federal requirements.
The Standards Committee monitors legislative and regulatory activities to ensure that any material modifications to federal regulations are incorporated into the Standards. In addition, as product designs change and technology improves, the Committee reviews and revises the Standards as needed to ensure the Standards reflect changes in the product offerings and remain relevant to the industry.
AFSL operates a testing and certification program for consumer fireworks manufactured for exportation to the U.S.A. to determine whether they are being produced in conformance with the Standards. Participation in the program by manufacturers, as well as U.S. importers, is voluntary.
AFSL makes copies of the Standards available to all manufacturers that participate in the program. In addition, U.S. importers, their agents, or trading companies may request that fireworks be tested in the country of manufacture by a 3rd party CPSC-recognized testing laboratory retained by AFSL. A random sample taken from each shipping Lot is tested to the provisions of the applicable Standard. If the test indicates compliance with the AFSL Standard, a label bearing the AFSL registered service mark is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot.
Random sampling methods are designed to select a representative sample, from a larger population, for testing and analysis. AFSL’s testing program does not evaluate each item within the shipping Lot, so the application of the AFSL mark to the shipping carton is not a guarantee that each item within the shipment complies with the Standards. However, the mark is an assurance that a randomly selected sample from the lot has been tested and met all requirements.
Participation in the AFSL Program
Participation in the AFSL program is voluntary. U.S. importers sign an agreement with AFSL that obligates them to have all consumer fireworks shipped to them tested by AFSL. Fireworks that fail to comply with the AFSL standards may not be imported by the participant under the terms of the agreement. China shippers also must sign an agreement to ship only AFSL tested fireworks to participating U.S. importers. Manufacturers in countries other than China may become an AFSL member by signing an agreement to produce, sell, and ship only AFSL-approved consumer fireworks to AFSL Importer members.
Product Certification
Before a shipment is certified, it is tested by an independent, internationally recognized testing laboratory under contract to AFSL. The laboratory randomly selects samples from the shipment and tests them for compliance with the AFSL standards. If the sample meets all requirements, an AFSL certification label is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot. AFSL’s certification labels are constructed with security features to prevent duplication and tampering. They are tightly controlled by AFSL to ensure that they are only applied to properly certified merchandise. AFSL also tests and certifies fireworks manufactured or assembled in the United States, at the request of the U.S. manufacturer.
Funding for the AFSL Program
The AFSL testing and certification program is funded by a fee charged to the U.S. importer for each case of fireworks tested and approved for shipment to the U.S. importer. Fees are collected by the shipper, on AFSL’s behalf, when payment for the merchandise is collected.
The Founding of the AFSL and Joel Anderson’s Legacy
The founding of AFSL was the culmination of an intensive effort by members of the fireworks industry to find a solution to the problem of non-compliant fireworks being imported from China. Spearheading the effort was Joel Anderson, who recruited members of the industry and a representative from the CPSC to work with the China fireworks industry to resolve the problem. Now there is a safety award in Joel Anderson’s honor. READ MORE
The AFSL Staff
Jay Howell
Executive Director
As executive director of AFSL, Jay Howell works with a team of experienced professionals to provide testing and certification services to the U.S. fireworks industry. Before joining the AFSL, Jay served as Walmart’s senior director for their U.S. Product Safety and Compliance team. Prior to joining Walmart, Jay held various Senior Executive Service roles in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and served as Vice President, Manufacturing and Operations, at Cooper Industries.
Jieli Tan
Director, Finance and Operations
Jieli Tan is the Director of Finance and Operations for the AFSL, headquartered in Chevy Chase, MD. Prior to joining AFSL, Jieli was a vice president of a Russian-based company, Profindustry USA Corp., in Columbia, MD, and previously served as export manager of the same company in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Jieli received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from South China Normal University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and a Master’s Degree of Choral Conducting from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk, Belarus.
Jerry Wingard
Director, Standards and Compliance
As Director, Standards and Compliance, Jerry Wingard works closely with the AFSL’s Testing Program, and is staff liaison to the AFSL Standards Committee. Previously, Jerry was a fire service representative on the AFSL Standards Committee for Consumer Fireworks while working for the State of South Carolina. He is a member of the NFPA 1124 Pyrotechnic Technical Advisory Committee and the APA Code Committee.
In 2010, Jerry retired after 32 years as program coordinator for the South Carolina Board of Pyrotechnic Safety, South Carolina Division of Fire and Life Safety. Jerry’s experience includes testing consumer fireworks for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and regulating the sales, use, and storage of explosives in South Carolina. Jerry has also served as a South Carolina certified Class I Law Enforcement Officer and Fire Marshal. He has assisted ATF, CPSC, DOT and FBI with issues regarding explosives in South Carolina, and was a member of The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators.
William (Honglei) Zhou
China Operations Manager
William Zhou is the China Operations Manager for AFSL. He has been involved with the AFSL China consumer fireworks testing program since 1992. Before William joined AFSL in 2005, he was the program manager of Intertek Testing Services Fireworks Inspection Division. He managed the team of fireworks testing technicians in China that tested fireworks for AFSL. Prior to his work in the fireworks industry, William worked with SGS Labs serving customers in the toy industry.
Tony Gong
Program Auditor
Tony is the auditor for AFSL in China. He has been involved in the AFSL China Fireworks QIP since 2000. Before Tony joined AFSL, he worked as AFSL technician at ITS and SGS. Tony graduated from Xiangtan University in Hunan, China.
Emily Peng
China Administrative Assistant
Emily is an AFSL administrative assistant in China. Previously, Emily was an assistant general manager in an international five-star hotel in Zhejiang province.
Neal Cohen
General Counsel
Neal Cohen, founder of Neal Cohen Law, served as the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s first small business ombudsman. In that role, Neal counseled thousands of small businesses on the laws and regulations enforced by CPSC. Neal also created CPSC’s Regulatory Robot, which provides companies with valuable compliance guidance on CPSC requirements in seven languages. Neal previously served as a CPSC enforcement attorney, leading high-profile CPSC investigations, and as chief counsel to the director of the Office of Compliance.
Boaz Green
General Counsel
Boaz Green joined Neal Cohen Law from the well-known regulatory firm of Keller and Heckman, where Boaz served as counsel focusing on consumer product safety and related compliance and enforcement matters. Boaz previously served as Chief Counsel to CPSC Commissioner Marietta Robinson, a role in which he developed strong ties with CPSC leadership and staff and a deep understanding of CPSC’s policymaking process.
The Board of Directors
AFSL is administered by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from companies that manufacture, ship or import fireworks into the United States.
Thomas Chan
Thomas Chan is president of United Pyrotechnics (USA) Inc., which has been in the fireworks business since 1991. Tom currently serves as a Director of AFSL, elected to the board since 2001.
Tom spends a lot of time in China dealing with factories and government officials. He is providing the board with insights from the manufacturing side of the industry. Tom was born and raised in Hong Kong and has lived in California since 1974. He and his family moved to Washington state in 2013. He is a certified public accountant but is currently not practicing. He is spending full time in the fireworks business. United Pyrotechnics has been an active shipper member of the AFSL since 1994.
Michael Collar
Member-At-Large
Michael Collar is President and COO of Winco Fireworks International LLC, which is the U.S. distributor for Black Cat Fireworks. Winco has 10 distribution centers and 34 permanent retail outlets. Mike has been in the fireworks business all is life as he grew up in the family business his two brothers started.
Collar served on the National Council on Fireworks Safety Board for 12 years. He also is on the executive board of the AFSL and has served on the board for more than 20 years, including as president for two terms. He was also part of the AFSL Standards Committee from 1996 to 1998.
Collar is on the executive board of the American Pyrotechnics Association. He served on the board for more than 20 years, including as president for four terms. He was honored with the Milton Dropo Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 at the age of 47 and served as president for two terms after that.
Mike is the current mayor for the city of Lake Winnebago, Missouri, and is married to Theresa Collar.
Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis began his journey in the firework industry at the age of 12. Glenn helped his brother in a three-window stand without lights. They packed up, went home, then returned the next morning to unpack and start selling. When they started, there were no multi-shots, reloadables, but there were penny packs and lots of bottle rockets.
Glenn enjoyed running a warehouse while in high school. He delivered fireworks and stands throughout the state of Texas, shot a few fireworks shows the old fashion way, and has appreciated the electronic methods used today.
For the last 23 years, Glenn has done all of those jobs while being the general manager of the company. He enjoys going to China to see how fireworks are made and to witness the improvement in manufacturing.
Michael Ingram
President
Michael Ingram is president of Fireworks Over America, an importer and wholesaler of consumer fireworks for the past 40 years. Michael is the two-time past president of the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) and currently serves on the APA Board of Directors, where he is co-chairman of the Code Committee. Michael was the 2007 recipient of the Milton Dropo Service Award, which is presented by the American Pyrotechnics Association for outstanding service on behalf of the American fireworks industry. He has served on the AFSL Board since 2000 and as secretary of AFSL for 11 years, and he has been the vice president since 2011. He also is a member of the AFSL Executive Committee.
Michael Ingram Jr.
My father started selling fireworks at age 15 from a roadside stand he had constructed out of scrap lumber in Branson, Missouri. From that day forward he has worked hard building a successful and reputable consumer fireworks company. I am very grateful and fortunate for the life this business and industry has provided for me and my family. My goal, as a father of two little girls, is to continue to serve our family business and this industry just like my father has done for so many years.
Currently, I serve as the President for Fireworks Over America and Fireworks Supermarkets. As a current APA Board Member, I am also APA Vice President, Chairman of the Membership Committee and serve on the APA Code Committee. While Chairman of the Membership Committee APA experienced a significant loss of membership due to the pandemic. Because of the Committee and APA staff’s hard work we have returned membership to a record level. In 2011, APA started what is now known as NGAP, which I co-chaired for 3 years. From NGAP we founded the American Pyrotechnics Safety and Education Foundation where I served two terms as President.
Fireworks safety has been, and always will be, my number one priority. Without safe products to distribute to the consumers, we ultimately jeopardize the future of the fireworks industry. The current quality of consumer fireworks is the best the fireworks industry has ever produced. Fireworks Over America has and always will work hard to promote and protect the entire fireworks industry. I look forward to running and serving on the AFSL board.
Steven Irvin
Steven Irvin is the Director of Operations for North Central Industries. Located in Muncie, Indiana, Steven has a wife and 4 boys ages 14, 11, 9, and 6. Steven and his family have always LOVED fireworks and has been fortunate enough to make a career out of that passion. Steven has been in the consumer fireworks industry for the past 18 years. He started by opening his own retail stores and ran that business for 5 years until he started to work for his supplier which was North Central Industries. Steven has worked at NCI for 13 years and gone from a Regional Manager to the Director of Operations.
Steven’s role at NCI is multifaceted. Over the past six years, his responsibilities have expanded to include purchasing, new product development, managing relationships with suppliers in China, and expanding the supply chain to other countries. This has required him to gain extensive knowledge of CPSC regulations, AFSL standards, and quality testing procedures, achieved through attending APA events, AFSL board meeting, traveling to China, Brazil, and Cambodia, and daily communications with factories and brokers.
Steven’s experience has given him valuable insights into the challenges faced by importers and exporters in meeting AFSL standards and the overall goal of reducing injuries by producing safer fireworks. If elected, Steven is eager to collaborate with the board to enhance the membership’s experience with AFSL’s quality testing services, bringing new solutions and ideas to the table.
John (Yanhua) Mo
John Mo is the manager of customer service for the U.S. market for Brothers Pyrotechnics Inc., Beihai, Guangxi, China, and has been in this position since 2008. Brothers Pyrotechnics is a fireworks manufacturer established in 1995, and has been a shipper member of AFSL since 1997. John graduated with a bachelor of arts from Wuhan University, Hubei, China, and joined Brothers Pyrotechnics, Inc. as a customer service and sales representative in 2001. He travels constantly between China and the U.S. which has given him great insight into how China’s manufacturers have had to, and need to, deal with the changes and challenges in the U.S. consumer fireworks market.
Joseph Mohorovic
Joe Mohorovic has a distinguished background operating at the intersection of business and government, culminating in his service as a Commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from 2014 – 2017. After six years developing his practice with Engineering Services, Inc. (ESi), he opened his own firm, JPM Safety Consulting, in 2025. A board-certified product safety management expert, Joe brings real world product safety experience and an insider’s regulatory knowledge to bear. He specializes in adverse event analysis, regulatory compliance counseling and litigation
support (expert testimony).
Dr. Christopher Musto
Dr. Christopher Musto graduated with a Ph.D. in Materials and Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) in 2010 where his focus of study was on the analytical detection and identification of hazardous materials including toxic chemicals, chemical warfare agents, and explosive materials typically found in terrorist attacks.
Dr. Musto worked as a Lead Chemist at the Consumer Product Safety Commission from 2010-2015, where he designed and tested new methods for evaluating overpressures from consumer fireworks by measuring propagating pressure waves at varying distances. He has been a part of the AFSL’s Standards Committee from 2011-2015 and 2020-present and performs as Technical Director on the AFSL Board of Directors.
Currently, Dr. Musto is a federal Department of Defense civilian and serves as the Naval Innovation Strategist at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City Beach, FL.
Brian Panther
Brian Panther is Director of Procurement and Corporate Safety at Pyrotek Special Effects Inc. He has been a licensed operator in the fireworks industry for 35 years. During that time, he worked in every sector of industry, manufacturing, public display,
proximate special effects, film and television production and retail. He has extensive experience in standards development. He chairs the NFPA Technical Committee on Special Effects and the APA proximate pyrotechnics committee. He is a delegate to the United Nations Subcommittee of Experts on the Transportation of Dangerous Goods and the Energetics Working Group. He is a member of the board of directors of the APA and has served as its President. He lives in Pennsylvania. He spent 25 years of his career as a partner in an AFSL member company working on extensive issues relating to importation from China.
Jason Trout
Treasurer
Jason Trout currently is the regional manager for TNT Fireworks in Portland, Oregon, and importer, distributor, and retailer of consumer fireworks. He has been involved with fireworks his entire life and with TNT Fireworks for more than 20 years. Jason is a board member for the American Pyrotechnic Safety and Education Foundation (APSEF) and was a ast president. Jason is also a member of the American Pyrotechnic Association Standards Committee and the Oregon Fire Code Committee.
Tad Trout
Director Emeritus
Joe Wan
Joe Wan has been in the fireworks business since 1974. With 37 years of experience in the Chinese fireworks industry, he is one of the most knowledgeable persons on fireworks from China. Joe has an interest in all technical aspects of fireworks and was the first person to supply Moon Travel rockets with a safety fuse, rather than paper fuse, to comply with CPSC standards. Joe worked closely on the development of AFSL standards during the late 1980s and has been a member of AFSL since its inception.
Alan Zoldan
Vice President
Alan Zoldan is executive vice president of Phantom Importing & Distributing LLC, based in Youngstown, Ohio. He has worked in the fireworks industry for more than 39 years, since he was 11 years old. His primary business emphasis is in the area of product development and purchasing. Alan was one of the original “Shekou Six.” a group of industry representatives that organized the first meetings of CPSC, U.S. importers, and Chinese manufacturers to improve fireworks quality and safety, which ultimately led to the establishment of AFSL. Alan is a member of the APA, NFA and NFPA. He has traveled extensively throughout the major fireworks production regions in China over the last twenty four years and enjoys longstanding relationships with many Chinese brokers, factories and U.S. importers. From 2002 to 2007 Alan served as the Vice-President of AFSL, and served as president from 2008 to 2011. He currently is member-at-large on the executive committee.
The American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) is an independent, nonprofit corporation established in 1989 by members of the fireworks industry to reduce the potential risks of injury associated with fireworks. AFSL manages an active Standards Committee to develop and maintain voluntary safety and quality standards for all classifications of 1.4G consumer fireworks. The Standards Committee is composed of representatives from the fireworks industry, federal and state regulatory authorities, the insurance industry, consumers, and technical experts.
Standards developed by the committee incorporate all performance and labeling requirements of the regulations for fireworks established by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and applicable regulations governing transportation, shipping, and storage established by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The Committee maintains product performance requirements that exceed federal regulations to further improve safety and promote good manufacturing practices necessary for the production of compliant consumer fireworks. Consumer fireworks that are compliant with the AFSL Standards also meet all federal requirements.
The Standards Committee monitors legislative and regulatory activities to ensure that any material modifications to federal regulations are incorporated into the Standards. In addition, as product designs change and technology improves, the Committee reviews and revises the Standards as needed to ensure the Standards reflect changes in the product offerings and remain relevant to the industry.
AFSL operates a testing and certification program for consumer fireworks manufactured for exportation to the U.S.A. to determine whether they are being produced in conformance with the Standards. Participation in the program by manufacturers, as well as U.S. importers, is voluntary.
AFSL makes copies of the Standards available to all manufacturers that participate in the program. In addition, U.S. importers, their agents, or trading companies may request that fireworks be tested in the country of manufacture by a 3rd party CPSC-recognized testing laboratory retained by AFSL. A random sample taken from each shipping Lot is tested to the provisions of the applicable Standard. If the test indicates compliance with the AFSL Standard, a label bearing the AFSL registered service mark is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot.
Random sampling methods are designed to select a representative sample, from a larger population, for testing and analysis. AFSL’s testing program does not evaluate each item within the shipping Lot, so the application of the AFSL mark to the shipping carton is not a guarantee that each item within the shipment complies with the Standards. However, the mark is an assurance that a randomly selected sample from the lot has been tested and met all requirements.
Participation in the AFSL Program
Participation in the AFSL program is voluntary. U.S. importers sign an agreement with AFSL that obligates them to have all consumer fireworks shipped to them tested by AFSL. Fireworks that fail to comply with the AFSL standards may not be imported by the participant under the terms of the agreement. China shippers also must sign an agreement to ship only AFSL tested fireworks to participating U.S. importers. Manufacturers in countries other than China may become an AFSL member by signing an agreement to produce, sell, and ship only AFSL-approved consumer fireworks to AFSL Importer members.
Product Certification
Before a shipment is certified, it is tested by an independent, internationally recognized testing laboratory under contract to AFSL. The laboratory randomly selects samples from the shipment and tests them for compliance with the AFSL standards. If the sample meets all requirements, an AFSL certification label is applied to each shipping carton in the tested lot. AFSL’s certification labels are constructed with security features to prevent duplication and tampering. They are tightly controlled by AFSL to ensure that they are only applied to properly certified merchandise. AFSL also tests and certifies fireworks manufactured or assembled in the United States, at the request of the U.S. manufacturer.
Funding for the AFSL Program
The AFSL testing and certification program is funded by a fee charged to the U.S. importer for each case of fireworks tested and approved for shipment to the U.S. importer. Fees are collected by the shipper, on AFSL’s behalf, when payment for the merchandise is collected.
The Founding of the AFSL and Joel Anderson’s Legacy
The founding of AFSL was the culmination of an intensive effort by members of the fireworks industry to find a solution to the problem of non-compliant fireworks being imported from China. Spearheading the effort was Joel Anderson, who recruited members of the industry and a representative from the CPSC to work with the China fireworks industry to resolve the problem. Now there is a safety award in Joel Anderson’s honor. READ MORE
The AFSL Staff
Jay Howell
Executive Director
As executive director of AFSL, Jay Howell works with a team of experienced professionals to provide testing and certification services to the U.S. fireworks industry. Before joining the AFSL, Jay served as Walmart’s senior director for their U.S. Product Safety and Compliance team. Prior to joining Walmart, Jay held various Senior Executive Service roles in the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and served as Vice President, Manufacturing and Operations, at Cooper Industries.
Jieli Tan
Director, Finance and Operations
Jieli Tan is the Director of Finance and Operations for the AFSL, headquartered in Chevy Chase, MD. Prior to joining AFSL, Jieli was a vice president of a Russian-based company, Profindustry USA Corp., in Columbia, MD, and previously served as export manager of the same company in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Jieli received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from South China Normal University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, and a Master’s Degree of Choral Conducting from the Belarusian State Academy of Music in Minsk, Belarus.
Jerry Wingard
Director, Standards and Compliance
As Director, Standards and Compliance, Jerry Wingard works closely with the AFSL’s Testing Program, and is staff liaison to the AFSL Standards Committee. Previously, Jerry was a fire service representative on the AFSL Standards Committee for Consumer Fireworks while working for the State of South Carolina. He is a member of the NFPA 1124 Pyrotechnic Technical Advisory Committee and the APA Code Committee.
In 2010, Jerry retired after 32 years as program coordinator for the South Carolina Board of Pyrotechnic Safety, South Carolina Division of Fire and Life Safety. Jerry’s experience includes testing consumer fireworks for the Consumer Product Safety Commission and regulating the sales, use, and storage of explosives in South Carolina. Jerry has also served as a South Carolina certified Class I Law Enforcement Officer and Fire Marshal. He has assisted ATF, CPSC, DOT and FBI with issues regarding explosives in South Carolina, and was a member of The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators.
William (Honglei) Zhou
China Operations Manager
William Zhou is the China Operations Manager for AFSL. He has been involved with the AFSL China consumer fireworks testing program since 1992. Before William joined AFSL in 2005, he was the program manager of Intertek Testing Services Fireworks Inspection Division. He managed the team of fireworks testing technicians in China that tested fireworks for AFSL. Prior to his work in the fireworks industry, William worked with SGS Labs serving customers in the toy industry.
Tony Gong
Program Auditor
Tony is the auditor for AFSL in China. He has been involved in the AFSL China Fireworks QIP since 2000. Before Tony joined AFSL, he worked as AFSL technician at ITS and SGS. Tony graduated from Xiangtan University in Hunan, China.
Emily Peng
China Administrative Assistant
Emily is an AFSL administrative assistant in China. Previously, Emily was an assistant general manager in an international five-star hotel in Zhejiang province.
Neal Cohen
General Counsel
Neal Cohen, founder of Neal Cohen Law, served as the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s first small business ombudsman. In that role, Neal counseled thousands of small businesses on the laws and regulations enforced by CPSC. Neal also created CPSC’s Regulatory Robot, which provides companies with valuable compliance guidance on CPSC requirements in seven languages. Neal previously served as a CPSC enforcement attorney, leading high-profile CPSC investigations, and as chief counsel to the director of the Office of Compliance.
Boaz Green
General Counsel
Boaz Green joined Neal Cohen Law from the well-known regulatory firm of Keller and Heckman, where Boaz served as counsel focusing on consumer product safety and related compliance and enforcement matters. Boaz previously served as Chief Counsel to CPSC Commissioner Marietta Robinson, a role in which he developed strong ties with CPSC leadership and staff and a deep understanding of CPSC’s policymaking process.
The Board of Directors
AFSL is administered by a Board of Directors composed of representatives from companies that manufacture, ship or import fireworks into the United States.
Vincent Bellino
Vincent Bellino is General Manager for Bellino Fireworks Inc. Bellino Fireworks is a Midwest fireworks retailer. Vince has been involved in the fireworks business for 20 years. His main areas of focus are retail operations, product development and purchasing. Vince is a board member of the American Pyrotechnic Safety and Education Foundation.
Thomas Chan
Thomas Chan is president of United Pyrotechnics (USA) Inc., which has been in the fireworks business since 1991. Tom currently serves as a Director of AFSL, elected to the board since 2001.
Tom spends a lot of time in China dealing with factories and government officials. He is providing the board with insights from the manufacturing side of the industry. Tom was born and raised in Hong Kong and has lived in California since 1974. He and his family moved to Washington state in 2013. He is a certified public accountant but is currently not practicing. He is spending full time in the fireworks business. United Pyrotechnics has been an active shipper member of the AFSL since 1994.
Michael Collar
Member-At-Large
Michael Collar is President and COO of Winco Fireworks International LLC, which is the U.S. distributor for Black Cat Fireworks. Winco has 10 distribution centers and 34 permanent retail outlets. Mike has been in the fireworks business all is life as he grew up in the family business his two brothers started.
Collar served on the National Council on Fireworks Safety Board for 12 years. He also is on the executive board of the AFSL and has served on the board for more than 20 years, including as president for two terms. He was also part of the AFSL Standards Committee from 1996 to 1998.
Collar is on the executive board of the American Pyrotechnics Association. He served on the board for more than 20 years, including as president for four terms. He was honored with the Milton Dropo Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009 at the age of 47 and served as president for two terms after that.
Mike is the current mayor for the city of Lake Winnebago, Missouri, and is married to Theresa Collar.
Glenn Davis
Glenn Davis began his journey in the firework industry at the age of 12. Glenn helped his brother in a three-window stand without lights. They packed up, went home, then returned the next morning to unpack and start selling. When they started, there were no multi-shots, reloadables, but there were penny packs and lots of bottle rockets.
Glenn enjoyed running a warehouse while in high school. He delivered fireworks and stands throughout the state of Texas, shot a few fireworks shows the old fashion way, and has appreciated the electronic methods used today.
For the last 23 years, Glenn has done all of those jobs while being the general manager of the company. He enjoys going to China to see how fireworks are made and to witness the improvement in manufacturing.
Phil Grucci
Phil Grucci, president and CEO of Fireworks by Grucci, has been involved with the AFSL Board of Directors since 1997. He officially joined the board in 2011.
Phil works alongside managers and pyrotechnicians around the world. Phil represents the fifth generation of pyrotechnicians in the Grucci family. Grucci’s main facilities are headquartered in Bellport, N.Y., and the manufacturing plant is in Radford, Va. As primary designer and producer for the Grucci corporation, Phil has extensive hands-on production experience that provides insight and creative facets when meeting and discussing AFSL issues.
Michael Ingram
President
Michael Ingram is president of Fireworks Over America, an importer and wholesaler of consumer fireworks for the past 40 years. Michael is the two-time past president of the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) and currently serves on the APA Board of Directors, where he is co-chairman of the Code Committee. Michael was the 2007 recipient of the Milton Dropo Service Award, which is presented by the American Pyrotechnics Association for outstanding service on behalf of the American fireworks industry. He has served on the AFSL Board since 2000 and as secretary of AFSL for 11 years, and he has been the vice president since 2011. He also is a member of the AFSL Executive Committee.
John (Yanhua) Mo
John Mo is the manager of customer service for the U.S. market for Brothers Pyrotechnics Inc., Beihai, Guangxi, China, and has been in this position since 2008. Brothers Pyrotechnics is a fireworks manufacturer established in 1995, and has been a shipper member of AFSL since 1997. John graduated with a bachelor of arts from Wuhan University, Hubei, China, and joined Brothers Pyrotechnics, Inc. as a customer service and sales representative in 2001. He travels constantly between China and the U.S. which has given him great insight into how China’s manufacturers have had to, and need to, deal with the changes and challenges in the U.S. consumer fireworks market.
Nancy Nord
Nancy Nord is the only non-industry member of the AFSL Board of Directors. She brings legal and regulatory expertise from many years in private law practice and in federal government service.
Nord served as a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission from 2005 through 2013. She was the acting chairman of the agency from 2006 through 2009. Prior to joining the CPSC, Nord held a number of legal positions both in the federal government and in the private sector, including as counsel to the Commerce Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and as general counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. After leaving the Commission, she practiced law, advising companies and associations on effective safety and regulatory compliance strategies and programs.
Jason Trout
Treasurer
Jason Trout currently is the regional manager for TNT Fireworks in Portland, Oregon, and importer, distributor, and retailer of consumer fireworks. He has been involved with fireworks his entire life and with TNT Fireworks for more than 20 years. Jason is a board member for the American Pyrotechnic Safety and Education Foundation (APSEF) and was a ast president. Jason is also a member of the American Pyrotechnic Association Standards Committee and the Oregon Fire Code Committee.
Joe Wan
Joe Wan has been in the fireworks business since 1974. With 37 years of experience in the Chinese fireworks industry, he is one of the most knowledgeable persons on fireworks from China. Joe has an interest in all technical aspects of fireworks and was the first person to supply Moon Travel rockets with a safety fuse, rather than paper fuse, to comply with CPSC standards. Joe worked closely on the development of AFSL standards during the late 1980s and has been a member of AFSL since its inception.
Alan Zoldan
Vice President
Alan Zoldan is executive vice president of Phantom Importing & Distributing LLC, based in Youngstown, Ohio. He has worked in the fireworks industry for more than 39 years, since he was 11 years old. His primary business emphasis is in the area of product development and purchasing. Alan was one of the original “Shekou Six.” a group of industry representatives that organized the first meetings of CPSC, U.S. importers, and Chinese manufacturers to improve fireworks quality and safety, which ultimately led to the establishment of AFSL. Alan is a member of the APA, NFA and NFPA. He has traveled extensively throughout the major fireworks production regions in China over the last twenty four years and enjoys longstanding relationships with many Chinese brokers, factories and U.S. importers. From 2002 to 2007 Alan served as the Vice-President of AFSL, and served as president from 2008 to 2011. He currently is member-at-large on the executive committee.
