and a Thank You from an out-going president…
December 11, 2011 – Atlanta, GA | I sincerely hope all of you enjoyed our event at Maggianos on 12/8/11 as much as I did. We had a total of 85 industry pros in attendance! I thought the food and atmosphere were great and the guest and company that shared the room even better.
Thanks so much to Great Southern Wood Preserving, Timbertech, and Fortress Railing, for their generosity in sponsoring this event. They all stepped up to the plate in a big way for this one to make it possible to celebrate our year -end event as we did. Thanks to Maggianos for providing us Five Star service as well.
I hope all involved realize how fortunate we were to have Mr. Jimmy Rane, the founder and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving take the time to attend our event and serve as our keynote speaker.
The story of his and Great Southern’s history are not only extremely interesting but also very inspiring. Success stories of this magnitude are rare and to be in the presence of someone who has started from scratch and taken a business and industry to such a level was a true privilege. His manner of speaking and the humbleness he demonstrates is impressive, admirable, and refreshing. I hope Mr. Rane knows just how much we appreciate him spending the evening with us.
Thanks to Scott Sheppard, also of Great Southern Wood Preserving for working to make this possible.
We are fortunate that Timbertech and Fortress have been great continuing sponsors of our chapter and to NADRA nationally.
I’d like to thank Merritt Huber of Carolina Lumber for providing the drawing and giving away the nail guns as well. This added an interest into the mix, and a reward for the two lucky recipients.
I’d also like to thank Michael Beaudry for taking the time to fly down and join us for the event. It was great to have him enjoy the evening with us and to see just where we are as a chapter. Thanks to Margie Heather, and Jennifer Beaudry for their efforts in setting up the registration and the video we viewed last night. This involved a lot of work on both their parts. Your time and work is appreciated.
Congratulations to Keith Compton, Ginny Tibbetts, and James Gunning for their well deserved recognition for their contributions for this chapter. I can tell you they have all worked hard and committed time and in some cases their own money in our efforts here. A more unselfish group does not exist.
Congratulations to Frank Pologruto for earning an “Outstanding Member Award”. His list of contributions really did stand out and the enthusiasm and spirit that he displays within our organization is appreciated and admired.
Thanks again to all that were involved in our Deck for a Soldier® and thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Kelley for joining us last night.
The year-end event is fun because it allows us to look back and remember what’s transpired through the past 12 months regarding our chapter. Each year it seems things to get better and better and we as a chapter continue to grow.
This trend occurs in my view for a variety of reasons, all of which work together. It’s a result of the right mix of sponsors, speakers, and most importantly, quality members.
Our supporting sponsors as recognized last night provide us an opportunity to conduct our meetings in a place that provides our social atmosphere and refreshments. Without the funds they donate to us, this would not be possible. Our speakers provide us opportunities to gain some knowledge from various subjects and be entertained at times. All have done this without charge and have been willing to donate their time. The general mix of contractors and vendors provide networking opportunities and the chance to strengthen relationships. When it really comes down to it, in my opinion, it is about the people, and the comfort level and trust and confidence that come from knowing the people you do business with. Seeing each other every other month allows us to cultivate and build these relationships.
I’m not sure what it would feel like to attend any other chapter meetings in other parts of the country but I can only hope that they would be fortunate enough to be blessed with as fine a mix of membership as we have here in Atlanta. It’s this fine mix of people that includes competing distributers, wood preservers, retail building materials /lumber yard owners, vendor reps, and contractors sitting side by side that seem to understand the importance in positive operations and a need for organizing and raising the standards of our industry that make us what we are. This is what NADRA is all about.
I hope all of you know that we as the local BOD and I as an individual have always tried to do the right thing when it comes to this chapter. Responsibilities have always been taken seriously, self agendas have been guarded against, and a real effort has been made to provide the type of balance that would limit possible issues within this group and provide a positive social environment, on neutral ground, with topics and speakers that would be interesting for all members. As simple as this is, a lot of thought and a sincere effort have been put forth. Working as a team with Ginny Tibbetts and James Gunning has been a pleasure. I thank them for being the persons that they are. I hold them both in very high regard and utmost respect and appreciate the support and contributions s they’ve made.
Keith Compton is the man with just the right make up to continue the efforts to grow and strengthen this chapter. His values and character and the fact that he “gets it” when it comes to understanding what we need will allow him to carry us forward. Working with the same experienced team of Ginny and James mean that great things lie ahead for us.
Being fortunate enough to have the honor to participate within this chapter as president has been a wonderful personal experience for me. To have had the chance to be involved with such a great and talented group of professionals and quality people truly has been a privilege. I feel that I have made many good friends here. I thank you all for how you’ve supported me and this chapter and look forward to 2012.
Sincerely,
Bobby Parks
Here are are some more photos from the event:
