E-mail: Password:
Submitted by ASPE Region 5 D... on Thu, 03/31/2011 - 10:21
Region 5 Director’s Report (March 2011)
 
Hello to one and all in my region,
            As winter turns to spring, change is in the air and change is coming in all forms as it pertains to ASPE and its membership. We had a conference call last week and there are a few thingsthat you need to be made aware of that came from this meeting.
            Membership…….Membership was pretty much the focus of our conversation this meeting. I know I’ve mentioned it in the past and maybe I have not stressed the importance of this but I will now. Our organization is in jeopardy of falling below 6,000 members if we don’t retain those members who have not updated their membership dues. One of ASPE’s main revenue streams is its members, new members and the retention ofits current members. We, the Board, feel very strongly about this number of 6,000 members and not dropping below it. This is why I’m reaching out to you, the Region 5 Presidents, to speak to your V.P. – Memberships and help them in whatever way you can to retain the members in your chapter that are on the current membership drop list from ASPE National. If there needs to be a committee formed to help your V.P. – Membershipcall those members on the drop list, then let’s do it!!!If your membership has become lapsed and you wish to be reinstated, this is the process you must follow. ASPE Bylaw Article 2, Section 2.8 reads as follows:
An expired or withdrawn membership may be reinstated including original membership, by the Society’s Board of Directors at any time if all the member’s dues are paid in full from and after the date of expiration.
To further explain this Bylaw as to the actual process at ASPE Headquarters, if a lapsed member attempts to reinstate his/ her membership within six months of their membership cancellation, 1.)The member will be provided an invoice that can be faxed, emailed or mailed along with payment or 2.) Payment can be taken over the phone and their membership is reinstated immediately and a receipt is sent to the member. If a lapsed member attempts to reinstate his/ her membership and it has been more than six months after their membership cancellation, 1.) To maintain previous membership information (original join date, # of years as a member, membership #) past dues as well as current dues will be due to Society. If the member agrees to pay past/ current dues an invoice is provided if requested or 2.) Payment is taken over the phone and a receipt is sent to the member (Note that any member who pays past/ current dues will also receive any old Plumbing Engineering Design Handbooks, membership cards, magazines, renewal pins that would have been distributed during the time frame their membership was lapsed). If a member is not interested in paying past/ current dues and we have their membership application on file (applications are only kept on file for two years) we explain in detail that their old membership information will be deleted and they will be reinstated as a new member. If this is the case we provide the member with a copy of the old application and ask them to update it if their information has changed. The member is also provided with the option to receive an invoice or payment can be taken over the phone; receipt is provided. If we do not have the application on file, then the member is required to fill out a new membership application. This information is needed for our records. We the Board realize that this is a lot of information to process and digest, but if you have any question concerning this, please don’t hesitate to contact your Chapter V.P. – Membership, Chapter President, myself or Stacy Kidd at ASPE Headquarters. To further stress how important membership is, we the Board, are strongly in agreement that there needs to be a V.P. – Membership Training Session to be held later this year at ASPE Headquarters. We believe that a face to face meeting with all the V.P. – Memberships would be very beneficial to our organization. We also realize that there is a cost in sending this individual to the meeting and that price will be paid by their Chapter. Some of you have said that because of the cost of this, maybe a webinar would be the best means of having this meeting. A final decision will be made on which direction we will go with at the April’s Board of Director’s Meeting in Chicago.
            The CPD certification test is fast approaching for those individuals who are interested in taking the test. The CPD test dates are April 15th and 16th and is being administered all around the country. You should already be registered for the test since registration online closed on the 18th of March. If you did not get registered before this date and still have an interest in taking the test, please contact ASPE Headquarters and talk to Stacy Kidd. She may not be able to do anything at this late date but it’s worth asking. Good luck to those of you who are taking the test……And that includes myself!!!!!!! On another note, I have been informed that there are still individuals within our organization who are using the “CIPE” designation. The “CIPE” has been replaced by the “CPD” a few years ago and you were informed of the process that must be followed to be recertified. This could become a legal issue for ASPE if this designation is continued to beused by individuals on ASPE letterhead or ASPE related news articles. As your Region 5 Director, It is my duty to tell you to stop using the “CIPE” designation immediately!!!! You can either go through the process to be recertified as a “CPD” or you can not have a Plumbing Certification at all. These are your two choices. If you wish to be recertified, please contact Stacy Kidd at ASPE Headquarters and she will be more than happy to assist you in this process. 
            During our Board conference call, we spoke about the progress of the ASPE Application. There was a survey taken and 92% of those surveyed said they would download an application from ASPE. We are still working through the details of what would be on this “Light” version of the application. We have looked into the possiblity of outsourcing the development of this application, but the cost was too much for us to take on at this time….So we will continue to develop it in house and I’ll report back to you on the progress of the ASPE Application.
            Chapter Board Elections are right around the corner as well and now is the time to start promoting this to the new members in your chapter. We need to start appealing to the younger generation of Plumbing Designers and let them know the benefits of being involved in such a great organization. Hopefully each chapter will be able to fill all of their Board positions with either returning members to the same position or new members running against current members for a Board position. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard individuals saying that they will not run for a Board position because someone is already serving in the position they want or they don’t want to run and loose. This is not the approach we want to have. I believe healthy, positive competition is always going to be good for both the individuals as well as the organization itself. Elections will be held in May and the new Presidents will be at the President’s Meeting for Region 5 in Omaha, NE. the first weekend in June (3rd thru 5th). I will also be needing the Year End Chapter Reports by the end of April and no later than the first week of May. The Treasurer’s Report will need to be signed by both the President of the Chapter as well as the Treasurer and sent to me via first class mail. It is important that I get these reports in a timely manner in order for me to determine who will be getting the Chapter Award of Merits.
            As all of you should know by now, The ASPE Technical Symposium is being held in Orlando, Fl. on Oct.27ththru the 30th. Anyone who is interested in presenting a technical program at the symposium needs to contact ASPE Headquarters. You will need to send your contact information (name, mailing address, email address, phone number) and a brief description of your Plumbing design experience and the topic of your presentation that you will be giving at the technical symposium. Remember that the presentations will need to be non-proprietary sessions with the intent on training and learning and not selling products. Each session will be a minimum of 1.5 to 3 hrs. in lengthas to be sure that the subject is covered in detail and time for questions. We, the Board, are close to meeting our goal as far as what we budgeted for this symposium….so spread the word to one and all about this one of a kind learning experience!!!! If you have families like I do, they will be able to enjoy the experience of attending Disney World and all that it has to offer while we work and get educated. My soon to be 5yr. old daughter and 3yr. old son have been talking about this trip for months and are looking forward to seeing Mickey and Minnie Mouse!!!!!
            And finally, there’s an issue that was presented to the Board recently pertaining to ASPE Bylaws about ASPE publications. ASPE Bylaw 13.2 Chapter Publications states:
Each chapter is authorized to publish a chapter publication to be known as the ASPE News. All publications disseminated by the chapter shall state clearly and conspicuously on the front page thereof the following: “Chapters are not authorized to speak for the Society.” Expenses for these publications shall be paid by the chapter.
Chapter Presidents please make sure that all of your chapter literature is adhering to this ASPE Bylaw. If there are any questions concerning this or anything else I mentioned in this report, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
            I think this is more than enough for you to digest in this report. Again, if any of you have any questions, complaints, comments good or bad, or overall how I’m doing in this position so far, please let me know. You can contact me at kkennedy@aguirreroden.com or at asper5director@aspe.org. I know this is still a learning process for me but I’m in this position because I want to learn and I truly care about this organization and the members in Region 5 that I serve and answer to!!!!!! Thank you again for your continued support!!!!!
 
Kelvin H. Kennedy, C.D.(Region 5 Director, ASPE)
Senior Plumbing Designer
AGUIRRE RODEN, Inc.
10670 North Central Expressway, 6th Floor
Dallas, TX. 75231
Phone: 972-789-2639
Fax:      972-789-2606