PLSO May June 2019

6 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 42, No. 3 Time for Membership Renewals From the PLSO Office Aimee McAuliffe PLSO Exec. Secretary During the earlier rebranding steps, we clearly identified the three demographics that PLSO should always keep in mind: Professional Community, Property Owners, and Students. The site needed to be a resource for members, as well as a source of information for property owners and a recruiting tool for possible future land surveyors. A s with tradition at PLSO, the new life of spring is when we begin our membership renewal season. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support over the past 12 months. We value all contributions to PLSO, and memberships make up the lifeblood of our organization. Your involvement is extremely important to us and very much appreciated. The 2018–2019 membership year was busy! PLSO made real impact in its rela- tionships with other organizations and key political figures during legislative activi- ties in both Washington D.C. and Salem. Marketing material was redesigned for a more updated look and feel, andmembers have been representing the profession all over the state. Last summer, PLSO awarded $19,000 in scholarships and had a 100% intern andmentorship placement for students. We hope to continue this success. If you are a student looking for a position or a company that has room for an intern this year, please contact Ed- ucation &Outreach Committee Chair, Lee Spurgeon at lee@townshipsurveys.com. Our website is currently in the middle of a redesign to match our printed materi- als, as well as improve navigation and use on mobile devices. I find this stage of re- branding really fun. Our website is one of the most important tools we have to communicate with the public, our future workforce, and to recruit new members. If it is outdated and hard to use, it gives the impression that we as a communi- ty are not very sophisticated, not open to change or new ideas. This is a critical time to emphasize the importance of surveying and interest people into join- ing us. We know how awesome we are, so let’s not keep it a secret! If you are a li- censed surveyor with associates working towards their license, please encourage them to join as well. Empowering your teamthrough community involvement and knowledge works in your favor. Leaders exist within every facet of your organiza- tion and their skills should be continually developed. As spring burns into summer, the Board of Directors have begunwork on updating our Strategic Plan. A few have wondered why this is important. Strategic planning serves as the compass of an organiza- tion and outlines measurable goals to get there. The measurable goals can of- ten have a hand in guiding day-to-day decisions in running the organization