PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE Elections Time for ALOA even less of a fan of allergies — I still love this time of the year as the first days of summer are fast approaching! As a kid, I used to get excited because I was getting out of school and my birthday was only a month away. As I became older, I started getting less and less excited about having another birthday, and now it has literally become a goal! Every time I make it to the next one indicates another year I’m still alive (LOL). June also brings us to the close of the W ALOA elections. I want to personally thank everyone who participated in this year’s elections as candidates for their commitment to serve over the next two years. I also want to thank all of those members who took the time to exercise their right to vote. At this time, I have no idea what the results will be. But with the list of the candidates running, I am certain that the association will be in good shape going forward, regardless of the outcome. Changes at NASTF This month’s issue focuses on the au- tomotive locksmith and is full of great information. While I myself quit doing automotive work quite a number of years ago, automotive locksmithing has grown to be a huge segment of our industry. As a matter of fact, it has grown so much that it has become somewhat of a specialized field all of its own. The knowledge and dedicated tools required to do it right boggles the mind. WWW.ALOA.ORG elcome to the June edition of Keynotes. While I’m not a huge fan of the heat — and “I want to personally thank everyone who participated in this year’s elections as candidates for their commitment to serve over the next two years.” Speaking of which, I have been con- tacted by several members along with numerous calls to the headquarters about folks having issues with getting informa- tion from NASTF. I have looked into this situation and have some very important information to pass along to our mem- bers. Also, I found that some people were under the impression that NASTF was somehow under the umbrella of ALOA. This is not correct, and NASTF is in fact a separate organization unto itself. ALOA does, however, have a longstanding rela- tionship with NASTF, and many of our members are also members of theirs. While speaking with the heads of NASTF, I found out that they have changed the way that they operate when it comes to contacting them for technical information. Folks were also having a problem because they were using the old contact information. The correct contact procedures are as follows for the foreseeable future: All support will be handled via email only, and they are currently running less than 20 minutes on average for a response time. The correct contact email is [email protected]. Apparently, when members were using the phone line to call in for support, they had a tendency to talk about things unre- lated to the actual support needed. This, in turn, would overwhelm the support staff and drag out response times. This change is intended to supply their mem- bers with the support needed while also cutting down the response time. I hope this information is helpful and goes a long way to solve some of the is- sues our members were having. Everyone stay safe, enjoy your summer, and I hope to see many of you in Las Vegas at this year’s ALOA Convention and Security Expo. Talk to y’all next month! Respectfully, Jim Wiedman, CML President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. [email protected] JUNE 2019 KEYNOTES 5
