Region Message for November

Hello!

I hope that those of you who attended ARMA International’s conference in Chicago made the trip home and have been working over the past month to implement all those great ideas that were presented! There were many great presentations to choose from, including 2 from GNW members: Andrew SanAgustin and Kyle Stannert. Both of these gentlemen had fantastic presentations and some great information to share, be sure to attend if they come to your chapter.

Andrew and I have both had a theme in our recent region messages, hopefully by now you’ve identified that our theme is building blocks and the many variations they come in. I remember the building blocks from when I was kid (wooden and probably loaded with lead paint) in various shapes and sizes including the most popular one shaped slightly like a bridge. They still exist today, you find them every once in a while in daycares and playrooms but more and more they are being replaced by Legos (insert trademark here!). Those fancy things come with more parts then you care to imagine and if you lose one part can you still make the Batman figure correctly or enough that a 5 year old won’t know the difference between the one that you made and the picture on the box?

What does this remind me of? Technology. Obsolete wooden blocks replaced by shiny new pieces of plastic. I still need to know how the obsolete wooden discs work because I’m going to come across them at some point in time. But at the same time I need to know how the shiny new world of cloud computing or social media work because that’s where my organization is going. The technology portion of our records management building block is the most changing and diverse, but also can be the most interesting. And of course ARMA has many fantastic resources from books and webinars to networking that can help us with this building block.

So whether you are dealing with those wooden blocks of years ago (hopefully sanded and repainted with environmentally friendly paint) or trying to figure out all those shiny pieces and why is there one left over, be sure to have the technology portion of your platform well supported!

Hope you are enjoying your autumn.

Jennifer Winkler

GNW Region Manager

Region Message: Ready or not, Fall 2012 is here -

Hello everyone,

I’d like to introduce myself - my name is Andrew SanAgustin and I have been selected to be the Region Coordinator for the Great Northwest Region of ARMA. Since I arrived in the Pacific Northwest back in 2004, I’ve been an ARMA member and held a few Chapter Board positions. Currently, I am the Records and Conflicts Manager for a Seattle based law firm. I have been in the RIM field for more years than I’d care to admit, and I’ve worked in different industries as a RIM professional. Before arriving to Seattle, I was involved with ARMA for many years (in one way or another) in New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington DC. I am very thankful and extremely excited to be offered this position as a member of the Region Team. I am dedicated in helping out as best I can and supporting our new Region Manager, Jennifer Winkler.
I am writing just days before the ARMA International Conference in Chicago, at McCormick Place (September 23-25) and I am truly looking forward to this event. Not only does Conference provide an opportunity to interact with constituents (past and present), it’s a perfect venue for meeting people, learning about new business and vendor trends, and to caucus with other professionals in our field. Jennifer mentioned the building blocks of your professional life and I believe Conference is a cornerstone. Each time I arrive at Conference, I expect to receive new information. I want to experience sessions focusing on varying insights of RIM. I want to attend exciting presentations that will make me think of initiatives that I can implement in my world today. I find I am rarely disappointed and I return with a revived sense of direction, enthusiasm, and camaraderie (the warm and fuzzies!). I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this.

Certainly it’s challenging keeping up with the Kardashians, our lives, and our careers. But, identifying the building blocks for our professional and personal life is critical - it’s imperative to establish a firm strategy to success, with room for balance. These blocks come in many different shapes and sizes – with one-on-one conversations with folks, work experiences, or events and Educational functions hosted by the Chapters, the Region, as well as opportunities on the national level – and I hope we share as many of them together as possible.

I look forward to the chance of meeting with you this upcoming year, and I can’t wait for us to share war stories and thoughts, and to encourage each other in the work we do.

Hope to see you soon, either at conference or at other gatherings!

Andrew J. SanAgustin

GNW Region Coordinator

Great NW Region Message for January

I trust everyone had a joyous holiday season and your celebrations were merry and full of family and friends and memories. In my family we celebrate Christmas and each year brings another tradition that builds memories. A couple of years ago we started making sprinkle cookies in honor of Grandma W (my mother-in-law), sugar cookies with sprinkles were one of the things she really wanted when we visited her during her last Christmas with us. Each year we now make sprinkle cookies for Grandma W and they go on the plate for the cookies for Santa. This year I started a new tradition, in honor of those who are no longer with us, we placed ornaments they gave me (or the kids) in a prominent place on the tree. In 2010 I lost two very dear people to me, my Grandmother who was 95 and a friend I have known for over 37 years (we started pre-kindergarten together many, many years ago!). While unwrapping the ornaments I came across one my Grandmother gave me when I was a baby and one my friend gave me in 1977. We also found ornaments that my mother-in-law gave the kids that last Christmas we were with her. All were placed on the tree and we were able to share the holidays with them, although they are no longer with us physically. These are memories I hope my children will share with their families long into the future.

Memories are key to our well-being. Good memories boost your spirit, give you that little extra something to make it through hard times or just the end of the day. Even bad memories can be good, they remind to not do something that could cause harm. And even sad memories can turn into something good. My mom and I had some great laughs while unwrapping those ornaments about some of the crazier things my friend and I had done when we were young (like trying to dry our shoes on the grill over a campfire and melting the nylon laces together!). Some of my best memories involve family and that includes my ARMA family. Family isn’t just those we are related to, it’s those that touch our lives and leave a meaningful impression on them. Family can include neighbors, friends, your children’s friends (we have one of Rebecca’s friends over so often she seems like a cousin!), even co-workers or ARMA associates can become part of your extended family. There are many individuals in my chapter who have been there through thick and thin, weddings, births, etc. and shared in those events in my life and I have shared in their lives as well. These are memories that I will cherish and I appreciate all those that have taken a part in them. So to everyone I want to say thank you for the memories, for helping my well-being and wishing you a memory filled 2011. And I hope you all will take the time in 2011 to thank those that have become part of your family and wish them a happy and healthy 2011.

Ok, now for GNW Region business! In 2011, the Region will be holding a joint meeting! What does this mean? It means that every chapter in the region will be able to attend a meeting at the same time in their home city! There is a planning committee meeting now to discuss the details for the topic and exactly how the meeting will be distributed to chapter members. We are really looking forward to this opportunity and hope it will serve as a jumping point for many more to come. Please keep an eye out for announcements and plan to attend your chapter meeting for this event.

Jennifer Winkler
GNW Region Coordinator