Message   from   the   President

Fourth Quarter, 2011

Dear valued member of ISM-SEM,

Here is what’s happening:

• Education
  The November Negotiation Seminar “Power Tools for Master Negotiators” was a success!  Attendance was strong, and we received very positive feedback from the participants.

  Work continues on putting together a professional Education Advisory Panel to assist our membership.  A thank you to Pat Keating for his efforts.

• Outreach
  An affiliate agreement with the Great Lakes chapter of the National Contract Management Association was executed this month!
• Member-Get-A-Member
  The winner of our 2011 Member-Get-A-Member campaign is…..Steve Collins! 
  Congratulations!  Steve won a $100 money card for his efforts.
• Student Membership
  Student Activities Director Mike Greenlee and I visited Supply Management classes at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan- Dearborn.  Not only did we talk to the students  about the benefits of belonging to ISM-SEM, we also collected 36 student applications to join our association!
• Brand Awareness
  Work continues with Crain’s Detroit Business to strengthen ISM-SEM’s contribution to the Metro Detroit business community.  ISM-SEM members Steve Welsh and Ken Doherty were recently featured in a Crain’s article concerning current business/ supply chain practices.  More to come!
• Holiday Event 
  On December 8th  ISM-SEM hosted a relaxed evening of networking, laughs, prizes, cocktails and munchies, accompanied by Dave “MC” Rodriguez’s holiday tunes.  Once again, ISM-SEM members were extremely generous in their donations to Toys for Tots.  Thanks, everyone!
• Board of Directors
  On December 8th I was honored to swear in the following officers and directors:   Dave Rodriguez, President; Ron Blauet, Vice President; Colleen Coffey, Treasurer/ Secretary; Joel Karczewski, Director; Steve Collins, Director.
• New Business Plan
  On 1/7/12, members of the board will meet to develop a new 3-year business plan, as required by ISM.  
• Dues – Make sure to re-new your membership right away!

Final Thoughts

Friends, significant work was performed by this board in 2011.  To recap:

• Affiliate agreements were executed with AIAG, APD, CEED, NCMA-GLS, and PMI-GLC.
• Corporate sponsorship of member meeting dinner events will continue to be considered.  Lear Corp was a gold sponsor in October.
• ISM-SEM promoted its brand at Detroit Regional Chamber events. 
• Difficult issues regarding our affiliate’s response to ISM’s national corporate membership changes were addressed, and will continue to be addressed.
• ISM-SEM’s involvement with Crain’s Second Stage initiative gave our association great exposure, and we will work to strengthen this professional relationship.
• ISM-SEM’s successful negotiation seminar was well-received.  
• The board took a new look at member meeting format, and creative approaches are on the radar for 2012.
• The creation of an Educational Advisory Panel will be benefitial for future years.
• Great inroads were made with the local university community:  WSU and UM-Dearborn.  Creating a Director of Student Activities position and speaking directly to classrooms paid off, in the form of 70 student applications for ISM-SEM.
• We are reaching out to PTAC and Automation Alley.  More to come.
• The website is done, and has a fresh, clean look.  Members should find it a little easier to locate information.

To sum up this year in one sentence:  This was a seed-planting year. 
The seeds that we planted will come to fruition next year, and the year after, and the year after.
 
Back in January, I emphasized the need to re-align this association with its True North.  I laid out three primary objectives:  Board/ Membership Engagement, Brand Awareness, and Strengthening Education.  We have made great progress- and our membership surveys confirm it.  There is still much work ahead. 

To the 2011 board of directors—I am extremely proud of you.  I thank you for your diligent effort and time put forth on association work.  Your innovative ideas are much appreciated.

To all ISM-SEM members-- It has been an honor to be your President.  Thank you for sharing the journey.  Please give the 2012 board your full support, as it continues the noble work of this association.  My best wishes to all of you. 

Yours in supply management excellence,

Brian J. Smith, CPSM
President
ISM-Southeast Michigan, Inc.