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My Old Kentucky Two-Step
It's ALL about the People
Dear fellow member:
I
hope you will take notice of how I addressed you—as an
individual member. The last several months have been
a whirlwind for me as I have traveled to a dozen cities
and met with individual members who were once strangers
and are now friends. I can't possibly express to you
how much the honor you entrusted to me in this office of
Chairman has allowed me to grow as a person and has led to
new business opportunities for my employer. Wow!
Thank YOU, every single one of you.
My
good friend Mike Stinnett, past International Craftsman of
the Year, longtime and very active Detroit and Fifth
District member said recently (thinking about the name
change proposals): "For me it's never been
about the name, it's all about the people."
International Membership Chair Sue Schmidt said
this same thing in her taped messages to the District
Spring Conferences last year: “It’s all about the
people.”
By
the time you read this, the Board of Governors will have
decided what to do with the name change initiative.
What will be, will be. My travels, however, have
really reinforced this wisdom.
Our Association really is all about the people. While visiting
Baltimore during International Printing Week, I met an
individual member named John Edelmann.
John impressed me so much that I’ve included a
separate article about him, in the Communicator.
John is a classy man of great intelligence and
energy and is probably our longest serving active member.
It was awe inspiring to meet this fine man, who has been a
member for almost 65 years! I'll bet that for Mr.
Edelmann—for more than 60 years—it's been about the
people.
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In
city after city, I met new and longtime members for the
first time, and each and every one has been so welcoming
and so enthusiastic that I truly wonder why our membership
doesn't double every 5 years.
Back
in 1996 at the Montreal Convention, the Board of Governors
adopted a Mission Statement that had been created by the
combined brain power of many members. The first few
words say it all:
"The IAPHC is an International Organization dedicated to
individuals in the printing and graphic arts industry for
the purpose of their self development, their companies
success ...."
That
crystal clear focus on the individual member and their
companies success should drive all our actions. It's
not about the name, it's about the people.
Which
leads me to two Mission Critical points. In
Mid-January I saw an e-mail from Dan Lane our
International CraftNet Chair thanking the Portland Club
for having recognized Dan's amazing individual commitment
to our CraftNet website and the greater good of the
Association. He wrote:
"I
don't know what to say. I was stunned when Julie
Hiatt began to speak about this - needless to say I'm
deeply thankful to have met so many wonderful
friends through the association. My dad told me I
needed to participate to
get something out of this membership (any membership for
that matter - yes
even a health club requires you to participate to get
benefits) and so
participate I did. I have no way of knowing how much
business has flowed in my direction by my being involved
but I do know that I've grown personally
and professionally which in turn can't but help my
businesses."
If
you will compare Dan's heartfelt sentiments with the words
of our Mission Statement, well it looks to this ole
hill-Billy that Dan is walking the walk of our Mission!
He has grown as an individual and his business has grown
too.
In
the same day I wrote this message to you, I watched our HQ
staff walk the walk and talk the talk of our Mission much
as they do every single day and almost always out of sight
of every other member other than that single individual
member who needs the help of the PEOPLE of this
Association.
In that single day, I saw members all over North America and 3 other
countries obtain leads on a new book that is being
published that needs a printer; I saw another member's
inquiry about a special
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form
of bindery go to members in 7 different states and 2
provinces—one member needs help and other members have a
chance to improve their business, just like our Mission
mandates. I saw another e-mail which offered printer
members throughout Chicago a chance to join a panel forum
at a graphic arts conference in March—individual members
who will gain self confidence (self development as the
Mission Statement calls it) and maybe ensure the success
of their company in the bargain.
So
I'm going to close with my individual plea to every single
one of you. I need your help in two interrelated
ways.
I
need you to go on to our CraftNet website (http://www.iaphc.org)
and update your individual profile so that every time a
member in Tuscaloosa or Tashkent needs a lenticular
printer (or whatever your talents may be) they get a
chance to give you some new business.
Secondly,
I need you to find two entries (at least) from your firm
that merit consideration in the International Gallery and
I need you to enter them right now. The Call for
Entries can be downloaded from the opening page of
CraftNet.
And
why should you help support the International Gallery?
Because it is through Gallery that we can fund the
continued development of CraftNet and it is through
Gallery that we find out what special capabilities your
firm has that can be shared with another member when they
access the Knowledge Network looking to have their
singular and individual need met in real time. In
other words, it’s about your companies success—that's
the single best reason to enter the International Gallery!
I
need each one of you to do these two things for me and in
so doing, you and every other individual member will be
doing two things that confirm the mandate of our Mission
-- you will be better and your business will be better for
it.
Gee,
(the Gallery G) that makes me feel like dancing!
Thankfully,
Bill Orr
International Chairman
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