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Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon
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www.plso.orgme about their recently passed
spouse or parent that was a
surveyor with stories of how much they loved their
professional community and appreciated the people
that have been in their lives over the years. The people
that are still supporting them now. I’m so happy to be
a part of that PLSO and I hope you are too.
As many of you know, planning a conference is rather
like cat herding. Small, seemingly innocuous details
that make up a much more important picture. Which
is just like an association. If you think you are just one
person or just a name and email in our membership
database, let me be the first to tell you that you
are wrong. I think of examples in nature, such as a
school of fish. They stick together to improve their
survival rate. So no, members are not just a name in a
database. Each person is a small detail that helps make
up the whole event, or the individual fish that protects
its school and improves the hydrodynamics of the
group simply by being there.
PLSO is currently made up of 566 members, which
is a small increase over last year. As the Board of
Directors and I have discussed, the demographics of
our membership is an interesting litmus test for our
profession in general. We have seen a slight drop in
Corporate Memberships due to retirement. However,
what makes me happy is that we have seen an
increase in our Associate Membership for the second
consecutive year. I believe this is a direct correlation to
our Corporate Members putting value on them. Asking
them what they want. Inviting them to participate. It
wasn’t that long ago that Chris Glantz, one of those
awesome people that shows up and quietly tells you
what he wants to see happen in such a way that you
will do anything you can to make it so because you
know he will then go out and do something with it.
But I digress, it wasn’t that long ago that he agreed to
participate in the Young Surveyors Network. This is a
group focused on creating community for our profes-
sionals and students just starting out so they remain
active and vital to PLSO’s overall membership and
goals. Chris is one person. But he has great instincts.
So what did he do? He reached out and got the right
people involved—Kelly Miller and Tim Brown. Chris is
continues >
By Aimee McAuliffe, PLSO Exec. Secretary
The 2017 Word of the Year
Should be Synergy
From the PLSO Office
T
he following is a transcript of Executive Secretary,
Aimee McAuliffe’s, 2017 Annual Meeting
presentation.
Good afternoon. Thank you for coming to the PLSO
Conference and our annual membership meeting
today, which is sponsored by David Evans & Associates,
who also sponsors our web site presence and allows
their employees to donate their time to such things as
editing the Oregon Surveyor Magazine. We are lucky to
have them as members and the company’s generous
support of our activities.
Last week, I was working on all the details for this
conference and getting really REALLY nervous about
the snow piling up all over the state. I sent out an email
to the Committee, trying to joke about the weather and
not be an alarmist. I had asked the group if surveyors
were like the post office – willing to go through hail,
wind, sleet or snow, and Past-Chairman John Thatcher
answered with: “Surveyors became adept early in
their careers at installing chains and driving, then
working, in every kind of adverse condition.” In that
moment, I felt a little like Kevin Costner staring out
at his cornfields as John whispered, “if you plan it, we
will come...” So, I guess if I’m going to work for your
interests than I better work hard at being equally
adept.
For me, when I think of adverse conditions – I think of
the terrain we face in regards to the future. Updating
our marketing appeal, encouraging people starting
out in their careers as well as students that are still
choosing their major, changes in technology that affect
the perception of the surveying profession and the
possible legislative and regulatory issues that follow.
There have been rocky moments and there will be
again. It’s life. It changes. The challenge is being ready
for it.
So how do we do that? One, we start by appreciating
the heart of what an association is – community.
From volunteers helping me keep the ship on the
right course, to students and parents inquiring about
mentorships, a home owner livid over a neighbor
extending their boundaries calling for a recommen-
dation, to the people that support us calling in to tell