October 2022 From the President’s Keyboard: Greetings from ASPE’s New President

Hello ASPE members. We have recently returned from the 2022 ASPE Convention & Expo, where we successfully completed the business of the Society for a new term. We stepped through the Bylaws process in record time, thanks to the great work by our Chapter Delegates and the guidance of our parliamentarian, Michael Taliercio. We have a newly elected Board for the 2022–2024 term, for which I am honored to serve as President. This Board is very experienced, collectively. I have no doubt that we’ll work hard on behalf of you, the member.

First off, I want to express my personal thanks and well wishes to my predecessor, Carol Johnson, CPD, LEED AP, CFI, FASPE. Carol worked tirelessly during her two terms as our President. She kept each of us on the Board of Directors on task, championed a number of causes on behalf of ASPE members, and led us through the worldwide pandemic that took everyone by surprise—no small feat there, and there was no feat too large for Carol to tackle. We will miss her guidance, her empathy, her humor, and her wisdom. Thank you, Carol, and all the best to you.

If you didn’t make it to Indianapolis last month, you missed a great experience. It was our first Convention & Expo post-pandemic, and it appeared that people were really ready to get out and get back to business in person. Overall registration numbers were comparable to the 2018 Convention & Expo in Atlanta, which is remarkable given that the 2020 Convention & Expo couldn’t be held live. Our loyal Affiliates came back strong and reported that traffic on the Expo floor was steady. Attendees enjoyed the social events outside the Business Meeting: a great Sunday night party at Crane Bay Event Center, the Monday evening exhibitor parties, and a thrilling ASPE Indy car race. From the educational standpoint, attendees packed the technical seminars, which were offered in six different tracks. Monday’s Keynote & Breakfast Award Ceremony was a sell-out, culminating with a particularly inspiring message from keynote speaker Chris Stricklin. Chris delivered a riveting story of survival and his will to live, the “why” that kept him going, and his determination to live every day with clear intent.

The final assessments are still being compiled, but all reports from the Convention have been glowing. Again, if you weren’t with us, there is opportunity to join us at both our Tech Symposium in Bellevue, Washington (September 28 – October 1, 2023) or the next Convention & Expo in Columbus, Ohio (October 18–23, 2024).

Another event to put on your calendar is the ASPE Chapter Leadership Summit. It will be held on June 23–25, 2023 at the Westin O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois (outside of Chicago). We are consolidating the individual Region Meetings in one gathering of all Chapter leaders, to bring them together in one place to directly share ideas and promote open discussion. It’s also a chance to meet the ASPE Staff face to face and, for those so inclined, to receive a guided tour of the Society’s office. Sounds like a can’t-miss opportunity, right? It will be, from the leadership meeting aspect. Stay tuned for complete details, which will become available as we get closer.

The new Board will now kick into high gear with the Business Meeting behind us. We have a lot to accomplish. Our first meeting was held in Indianapolis following the end of the Convention seminars. We have monthly Board calls scheduled throughout the year, and we will meet in person quarterly. One issue on the agenda will be pushing the efforts of the PE Working Group to completion. It will be a boost to get a plumbing module in the NCEES mechanical engineering PE exam. Other projects are the Legionella design guide and a healthcare design guide. We work closely will all committees to further their goals to help make ASPE invaluable to the members.

That is one of my personal goals for this term. I want every employer in the plumbing and fire protection industries to know that they cannot afford their employees to NOT be members of ASPE. (I know there’s a double negative in there, but I couldn’t figure out the correct grammar.) We have seen in recent events just how important our industry is. Providing (and re-establishing) clean water and safe waste disposal came back to the forefront in the news with failing infrastructure and the catastrophic ravages of hurricanes. We are the industry that can help, and we need to be the best, most qualified individuals we can be. Let’s all take a page from Chris Stricklin’s message. Find your “why” and live every day with intent. We can apply that to our professional lives too. Show up at work with intent.

This message is being written just after Hurricane Ian hit the Caribbean, Florida, and the Carolinas. We all know people who have been affected, ASPE members included. Please keep those people in your thought and prayers. If you can, help in any way you can. ASPE will look at ways that we can get involved. As with any emergency of this magnitude, any and every effort will help. We are all in this together, so let’s work together.

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