May June 2018

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org 7 From the PLSO Office doing to work for the profession it rep- resents because you’re a big part of it. You’re in the room where it happens. Oddly enough, it’s not difficult to be in that room. You just need to volunteer to be in it, and then help make decisions that affect the surveying profession in Oregon. PLSO has a lot of amaz- ing volunteers. With that said, I think I can safely speak for all of them that it would be nice to have others step up to the plate and become involved. Actively choosing to not be involved in the com- munity comes in all forms. I understand that you just had a baby or are starting out on your career. Guess what? So did the guys that started this association. They created something special and passed the torch on. I truly hope that you will take your turn carrying it, so that you too can be part of an active mem- bership and learn to appreciate just how much value PLSO brings to our profes- sion, even though many don’t realize it. As with any new membership year, one reflects on what we all accomplished. I mentioned quite a bit on this subject in the January edition and at the An- nual Conference. It has most definitely been a year of visible change with the direction of our marketing. The last few months we have been working hard on updating the Guide to Selecting a Land Surveyor and other materials to be used in promoting the profession to the public and more. Soon we will be printing and getting materials out to county offices, members, job fairs, etc. Lobbyist Darrell Fuller has been active during the Legis- lative Session and has kept you all up to date on QBS, having just returned from attending NSPS’ Day on the Hill with Bob Neathamer and Randy Povey. Our Schol- arship Committee will soon be selecting this year’s scholarship recipients for up to $18,000. The Conference Committee is hard at work already on the 2019 An- nual Conference in Eugene. If you have opinions on speakers, be sure to contact Tim Kent or send it my way. Other notable benefits of course are dis- counts received at Office Depot, our ‘Find a Surveyor Directory,’ networking oppor- tunities at chapter meetings, reduced registration rates for PDH’s at the PLSO Conference, membership discounts for NSPS and AAGS, etc. Are you looking at how you can take advantage of these fea- tures? If you are not in the Find a Surveyor Directory, please note that you must be a Corporate or Life Member. You are in control of your profile. Simply login online and edit as you wish to be found online. I also use this directory when people call the office looking for a referral. When I receive these requests, I forward the per- son to three or four people in their area that indicate they provide the service be- ing requested. Perhaps the most intangible benefit of your membership is that the more peo- ple involved in PLSO the stronger the profession becomes in its partnerships, legislative activities, future workforce promotion, etc. If you want us to work hard for the profession we serve, then we need the power and support of its membership. You are vital to our success. Membership letters are being sent out, reminding you to renew by July 1. If you have a lengthy process of getting funds renewed, you can also go online now and renew your membership. When it gets to the payment step, simply select to have an invoice printed out so that you may turn it into the appropriate person. I am always happy to work with account- ing departments that prefer to pay for more than one membership at a time. Just tell them to email me and I’ll make the process as easy as possible. Also— please don’t just consider membership for you. Look up from your desk and see the interns and technicians that would benefit from being a member of PLSO. Having smart, involved employees only benefits you. Lastly, spring is ending and summer is beginning. You guys have already been busy, but it’s about to go into overdrive. If I may, stay hydrated, take time to en- joy your life outside of work, be safe and know that PLSO has your back.  x