It’s hard to believe that a month has already gone by since the 54th ARMA International Conference and Expo in Orlando. I was fortunate to have ‘caught the boat from the island’ and attend another great conference. The educational opportunities are always first rate, but what I think I personally find even more valuable is the networking.
I especially enjoyed our region members all sitting together at the awards luncheon, pulling for and cheering on one another. If you are reading this message in your chapter’s newsletter, chances are you’re reading it in one of the finest, if not the best newsletter in all of ARMA. The region did it again! Boise Valley and Oregon Chapters both came away with Newsletter-of-the Year honors. Our region has a long history of award-winning newsletters. Editors Amity Highly of Boise Valley and Jane McGarvin of Oregon and their chapters are carrying on that great tradition! Bravo!
It is always so good to see so many ARMA friends and colleagues. It was also very nice to meet a number of new friends from the Great Northwest Region as well as reconnect with a few I have not seen in a while. This includes my fellow region managers, the region coordinators, current and former members of our Board of Directors, and a lot of friends from our headquarters staff. Now just in case some of you are thinking, ‘Sure, Marc, you’re a Region Manager. You can talk to them. I can’t’; let me assure you that is not true! My hat is off to the Board for their concerted effort to meet, greet and talk to as many members as they possibly could in Orlando! But the opportunity to speak to the members of your Board doesn’t end with the conference. You can contact them by e-mail through ARMA’s website anytime. “They” are not just a group that meets in secret in a cave somewhere! They are members, just like you and me, and they really want to know what you think and how they can best serve you and our profession. So talk to them. Share your ideas. And that goes for me and Jenny and the Region Team as well. Please do hesitate to drop us a coconut if you have an idea or a concern. Remember, we are all natives on this island and we need to stick together!
So now you’re probably wondering where ARMA International fits into this “Gilligan’s Island” theme. Simple. Think of the staff at ARMA International headquarters as your Coast Guard, always ready to help you. They can’t come to your island to rescue you, but they can send you supplies. Whether it’s books from the bookstore, free white papers, ARMA brochures, free webinars, or ARMA publications, ARMA has the materials that can help. And help is only a phone call or an e-mail away, a lot faster than a message in a bottle!
I know a lot of you didn’t get to attend the International Conference this year. But did you know, that is one of the main reasons that we have our own Region Conference every other year? The Great Northwest Region Conference is designed to bring a mini version of the ARMA International Conference closer to you. So if you haven’t already done so, please mark your calendars for April 15-16 for the 2010 Great Northwest Region Conference to be held in Bellevue, Washington. The Bellevue/Eastside, Greater Seattle, and Puget Sound Chapters, along with the Region Team, have banded together and are putting together what is shaping up to be a fantastic event! So if I missed you in Orlando, I hope to see you soon in Bellevue!
Thank you to all of you for everything you do to promote your chapters, our region, our association, and our profession!
Very truly yours,
Marc
Marc J. Simpson, Manager
Great Northwest Region
ARMA International
marc.simpson@co.pierce.wa.us
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