President's Message
Wow! What a meeting! And what a terrific way to start my term as President for 2011-2012.
We have just returned from our Fall Meeting in Park City, Utah and the place was abuzz. There was a
bountiful list of outdoor activities to enjoy in a picturesque location. And from the thought provoking
keynote by Dr. Sunil Everelles, through the interesting and valuable content delivered in all of our
technical committee presentations, to the very last pitch black gondola ride down the mountain after
the banquet we had a meeting full of content and enjoyment. We also set a PPC record for the number
of attendees (in several years) at a Fall Meeting which generated a lot of positive energy to carry us into
2012.
A big "Thank You" to all who attended in Park City and made the meeting a huge success.
In the coming year I strive to continue our efforts to increase the value of membership in the PPC. I, and the board, will do this by:
- Continuing to focus on the quality and relevance of content for each meeting
- Developing methods to increase membership and meeting attendance
- Continuing encouragement for participation of all members to increase the diversity of ideas and subject matter
- Increasing member benefits such as the Affinity Program, which provides savings for goods and services delivered by our select vendors, and creating advocacy groups to find and/or create opportunities for members to benefit from consolidated efforts in, say, waste management or energy consumption
I look forward to working with the leadership of this council as we explore new, and revisit past, areas of opportunity with the goal of bringing the highest value possible to our members.
We will convene our Spring 2012 Meeting at The Woodlands, Texas April 1-April 3. An "International" theme will be followed for this meeting and the technical committees have some great presentations lined up. We will also have a new twist of an "Ask the Experts" Q&A session on Monday afternoon that will provide guidance and information on the intricacies of international shipments.
Our Fall 2012 Meeting will take us to beautiful and historic Charleston, South Carolina from August 19- 21 where a "Plant Operations" theme will be presented. We have high expectations that you will like what you see in the "Low Country". Watch for further details on both of these meetings in future PPC News Flashes.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Profetto for his service as President over the last year and for his long-term service to the PPC. He has handed off an organization that is in good standing financially and has a strong membership base. I look forward to continuing to work with Mike in the next year as he carries out his duties as the Immediate Past President.
I would also like to thank the Board, the LRP, all committee members and the PPC staff for your continued tireless efforts. Your work is greatly appreciated.
And a final thank you to all members of the PPC for supporting your organization. Your thoughts, ideas and participation are what make this clock tick.
I look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year.
See you all next April in The Woodlands!
Best Regards-
Steve Ruble
