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PLSO Issue 1 2015 Jan_Feb

5 Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org VIEW FROM THE PLSO OFFICE A year of transition  Aimee McAuli e, PLSO Exec. Secretary In 2014, the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon experienced a year of transition. I fi rst met you at the Annual Meeting of last year’s conference, which coincidently was one day aft er I was hired as your Executive Secretary. It has been a pleasure to get to know various members and see how dedicated the volunteers of PLSO are. Both Lee Spurgeon and John Th atcher have worked together as an amazing team and have been available to ease every point of transition. Your committee chairs are equally dedicated. Working with Gary Johnston, Gary Anderson, Greg Crites, Carl Sweeden, Joe Ferguson, Ben Stacy and Jered McGrath has been extremely valuable. In case you aren’t sensing a theme here I want to say it outright. What makes PLSO great is the volunteers that believe in and work for our professional community. A volunteer is a special person. It’s easy to forget that they have lives and responsibilities outside of this association when I receive responses to email requests well past closing hours and into family time, highlighting a willingness to help out in any way they can. Being a volunteer can oft en be thankless as well. It’s oft en assumed that they have the time this year, because they did last year. In fact, one of the elements that associations compete with for member involvement is time, as if there never seems to be enough. We all have responsibilities—whether it is work, family or friends. It’s always easier to say “later” or “I’m too busy” and not step up to the plate and then be critical if something doesn’t happen quite the way we prefer it to. I’ve been guilty of this myself. So, I want to take a moment to recognize you—the membership—who are driving the mission and activities of PLSO. I know there is not always agreement on issues, but that is reality when an organization represents so many dynamic professionals. If there is anyone in this organization that has the slightest interest in volunteering—whether it’s at your chapter level, for a committee and eventually the Board of Directors, I encourage you to do it. Not only will you create strong professional connections, but lifetime friendships are sure to follow. Looking back on our year of transition, I see a path forming to where we want to go. Steps towards making the website more user friendly for members and the public have been made—which can lead to more marketing opportunities, that can not only create a stronger membership base but remind the public why hiring a surveyor is important. We’ve had conversations about our school programs and what can be done on our end to make them stronger. Welcoming and mentoring new graduates is something dear to many members’ hearts. Both of these outreach activities—along with our scholarship programs work hand in hand for PLSO’s benefi t. Membership numbers for this year are fairly similar to last year. As of January 15, we are at a total of 558 members. Financially we are stabilized. All expenses were paid by existing streams of revenue, our reserves are saved for another rainy day and we are on target for the same for next year. Th ank you to everyone for a great fi rst year as your Executive Secretary, I look forward to making 2015 even better. ◉ Successfully serving your profession requires a certain amount of leaning in! For those of you who are so inclined, just think of standing at the top of a Black Diamond run at Mt. Bachelor (or any other mountain) on a perfectly tuned pair of skis with which you’re very comfortable. Two feet of fresh powder snow lies on the slope below. You plant your poles, push off and then experience this incredible sense of weightlessness as you fl oat over the snow whilst carving big swooping S turns down the mountain at speed. Now, you may not feel that exact same sense of exhilaration serving the organization or kibitzing with your peers, but then again...! So turn that sign around along your career path and be a part of charting your course. At the very least, you’ll have a better understanding of what may lie ahead! ◉ e views expressed herein are mine and mine alone and in no way should be construed as representing ANY opinions shared by our membership or a stance on political issues by this organization. FROM THE EDITOR…from page 2


PLSO Issue 1 2015 Jan_Feb
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