4 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 45, No. 4 From the PLSO Office Aimee McAuliffe, PLSO Exec. Secretary New Membership Year Begins at a Sprint It is official—the new membership year began July 1 and will run through June 31, 2023. If you have not renewed your membership yet, this will be your final edition. I hope you will remember to go online and renew your membership today. Our summer has kicked off with various outreach events and partnerships through legislative activities such as Duty to Defend at the state level, career fairs, networking events with teachers, and more. We are also still in the process of working on ways to market through social media. In June, I spoke with Tim Burch, Executive Director of National Society of Professional Surveyors, about their current project to create promotional footage for each of the states to personalize for their own use. The NSPS goal is to demonstrate the aspects within people’s current lives that apply to the specialization of today’s surveying profession. Examples such as robotics, GNSS, and scanning/remote sensing will demonstrate our personal tech connection with the instruments and skills needed for surveying and geospatial careers. If approved by the Board, PLSO will then allocate funds to tailor the footage to our state and stream it. This is where I ask people to keep an open mind. More than once when PLSO looks to bring on creative professionals to assist in promotion and branding, I get suggestions about doing it on a shoestring budget and doing it ourselves. (I’m taking a dramatic pause right now to let the thought sink in on an ironic level. Could you imagine if someone were to call you and suggest they could do your job without a license, using just the GPS on their phone. OH, wait…) The answer is the same as it is for you. Because we want it done right. Don’t misunderstand me, I haven’t received a proposal with a high price tag that I’m waiting to spring on the board. I’m getting the necessary information and laying the foundation for the board to make an appropriate decision. I know these things take time for an association. And we are getting there, but if you DO want to help, go ahead and buy a t-shirt in the PLSO online store as proceeds go towards funding this project. Another development for the new membership year is to keep highlighting the importance of partnerships, which includes vendor companies. In June, the board voted to include the Sustaining Membership category. Per our bylaws as of June, a Sustaining Member is a business that provides goods or services to the land surveying profession. Any employee of the Sustaining Member may serve as a Committee Chair, but not as a Board Member. Benefits may include a booth discount at the PLSO conference, being listed as a Sustaining Member on the PLSO website and a link to that page from the eNews. Why is the structure different for Sustaining Membership? The category is by company because that is the benefit they need from PLSO—to be in front of you—showing support for what you do. For our surveyors, membership belongs and goes with the professional wherever they work. For our sustaining members, membership stays with the company. Why is this important you ask? We all have the same interests—a healthy, skilled, successful land surveying work force to protect the public it serves. Renew your membership if you have not done so, become a Sustaining Member if it applies, help write curriculum for our up-and-coming professionals, and be kindhearted. Be patient with yourself and others. Be a community.
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