PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE fabulous time at our industry’s most stel- lar event. For those who didn’t make it, you missed a great time as well as some of the best education in the industry. I urge you to start making plans to attend next year in National Harbor, MD, in the metro Washington, D.C., area. There is so much to partake of at the annual conventions that it should be on every security profes- sional’s “must attend” list. From educa- tion, networking and seeing old friends to learning about the latest and greatest products that can help you be a better se- curity professional and boost your bot- tom line, there is something for everyone! I’d like to take this opportunity to Focus for the Future F or those who attended this year’s convention in Rosemont in the Chicago area, I hope you had a responsible, we will be able to grow our membership and give our members the benefits and recognition they deserve. As we begin our new journey over the thank everyone who took the time to vote in this year’s election and for bestowing on me the ability to lead our organization for the next two years. This is a mem- bership association, and as a member you have the right and responsibility to vote the people into leadership positions whom you trust to lead the organization in the right direction. You should never take this responsibility lightly and should always exercise the right to vote. As most of you know, ALOA SPAI has had some rough years of economic insta- bility, and I am happy to say that due to a lot of hard work from the ALOA board and staff, we are on much better financial ground. We still have a long way to go, and there is yet much work to be done, but if we plan carefully and are fiscally 6 KEYNOTES SEPTEMBER 2017 next two years, there are a couple of items that I would like to focus on. Scammer locksmiths have continued to be a prob- lem and a plight for our industry. We have spent countless hours and resources combating them, yet they continue to thrive. We will of course continue to do everything in our power to fight them, but I’d like to see us change our focus and efforts to promoting ALOA and its members! If we can find ways to make it easier for the general public to find our members and provide them with the reasons they should use them over an advertised lowball price, the scammers will wither and die. I would also like to see our membership numbers grow here and abroad. There should be no reason “There should be no reason for any legitimate locksmith, safe tech or other physical security professional not to be a member of ALOA SPAI!” f o to be a member of ALOA SPAI! There is strength in numbers, so if you know a security professional that isn’t yet a mem- ber, please encourage him or her to join. If we could make strides in these two basic but complex areas, we could change the entire landscape of the industry and pave the way for a more successful and profitable future for our members. So please help grow our membership and promote ALOA! If you have any ideas or suggestions that might help in these areas or have some other ideas or con- cerns you’d like to address, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or your re- gional director. Best regards, Jim Wiedman, CML President ALOA Security Professionals Association, Inc. [email protected] WWW.ALOA.ORG
