President's Article "Serving our Members with purpose and passion..." By George F. Nagy, C.P.M., President NAPM-Orange County, Inc. Affiliated with the Institute of Supply Management

It seems only a short while ago that I accepted the presidency of our association. The time really flew by very quickly.

A year ago we had entered a period of decline. I am happy to report to you that the association has regained its membership numbers despite the condition of the economy. A big thanks goes to the efforts of our membership and marketing committees.

We continue to remain a fiscally sound organization thanks to the diligence of the finance committee and our treasurer, who, along with our executive secretary, have done an excellent job keeping us on financial track. I also wish to acknowledge the efforts of all the committees and their exemplary fiscal conduct. We were able to run a very tight fiscal ship this past year.

The educational resources committee has done an excellent job presenting creative and innovative educational opportunities to the members throughout the year. I feel the association was able to offer its members the kind of professional education, and the variety, to make us the envy of all the other associations. These educational offerings were at very reasonable cost and also very accessible to the members. The dinner meeting activities were innovative, fun and informative. The house committee made sure we were well fed and that the hotel staff saw to our needs.

Membership participation has shown marked improvement. We can all take pride in the quality of NAPM-OC. The chief contributor to this was our excellent communications committee. They kept us informed and up-to-date about what was going on via e-mail and the web site. I think it is safe to say we have one of the best web sites among all the associations. A great deal was accomplished by all of the participants. We can be truly grateful for the level of professionalism they all exhibited.

A special thanks goes to our administrative committee for keeping us all, especially the President, on track. The committee members made sure we followed the policies and procedures of the association bylaws.

The success of NAPM-OC is directly attibutable to the collective effort made by all of our volunteers. Without the generous support of all of the committee members, we would be unable to maintain the caliber or the quality for which our association is noted. Collectively we are greater than the sum of our parts.

I cannot say that it has been entirely smooth sailing, but the strength and character of the leadership volunteers has made it possible for this organization to achieve its goals and objectives. It has also allowed us to all grow and become better individuals.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have been your President this past year. I learned a great deal and had fun doing it. I especially enjoyed the opportunity of working with some very fine people, who tirelessly give of themselves to make it all work. I really encourage you all to take an active part in the running of the association. It really is a very rewarding experience. Thank you.