PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE Starting 2014 Stronger Than Ever L “This is all being done because we are a team with one purpose — to educate our members at every level so that we grow in all areas of security.” ast year around this time I introduced our new parent corporation, ALOA SPAI, ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. The year began with the divisional presidents being added to the ALOA SPAI board of directors. Under the direction of these presidents and advisory boards, our divisional membership has grown immensely. Another difference of ALOA SPAI from past individual associations is that the divisions can now concentrate on member benefits and programs without worrying about running an individual corporation. The presidents have a voting seat on the ALOA SPAI board, which gives them a voice in how the association is run. The concept of us against them is no longer an issue, because now we’re all us. What does us really mean? It means we function as one unit making decisions that benefit all members. You might be thinking since the corporation has changed the overall structure, what has that done to the staff? Under the direction of Mary May, our executive director, the staff has grown to support all members as owners of the corporation. All PRP testing is handled through one testing office for uniformity and consistency. Under the direction of Jim Hancock, ALOA education has grown to integrate all the divisional classes into our educational offering. Due to the demand for education, we’ve expanded our classes into areas like hardware installation. In the new door classroom, students can install every type of hardware that they’d encounter in the field. By April, we plan to unveil four new classrooms for classes such as welding, machining parts, safe rig- ging, vault door installation and many more. This is all being done because we are a team with one purpose — to educate our members at every level so that we grow in all areas of security. I can’t close this letter without mentioning the upcoming Security Professionals Forum in Puerto Rico, February 24-27, where we’ll focus on management issues for our member own- ers. Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with daily, reasonable flights in and out, and no passport is necessary. Come enjoy the sun and ocean while you learn how to manage your company assets. All level of owners will benefit from this educational four-day seminar. Why’d we pick Puerto Rico? Because it’s much nicer than Chicago during the winter! May you all have a prosperous 2014! Best regards, Tom Demont, AHC, CAI, CFDI, CFL, CMIL, CML, CPS, ARL President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. WWW.ALOA.ORG JANUARY 2014 KEYNOTES 5
