President's Message
As the Grateful Dead said in their song Truckin', "What a long strange trip it has been". I have been a member of our great association for 31 years and a member of the Board of Directors for 21 years. There have been countless chapter meetings, board meetings, national conventions, New England States conventions and committee meetings. I tried to count all those over night meetings away from home and I really can't. I have been to 27 national conventions, over 60 Board of Directors meetings and I lost count of the New England and committee meetings away from home. By my estimate I have traveled away from home in a hotel around 400 nights for NAPE. Over one year of my life has been spent traveling on NAPE business, countless miles driven and plane rides. And now after all those miles and meetings I find myself your National President. Oh yes indeed what a long strange trip it has been. I have traveled all around the country and seen places and cities I never would have if not for NAPE. I have met countless great people, business connections and members. My wife and children also have fond memories of the many NAPE trips they accompanied me on. I have made lifelong friends from NAPE and I wouldn't change one minute of these past years. So, is this presidency my swan song? Far from it, I'm just getting warmed up. I look forward to many more meetings, conventions, new cities and new friends and old friends.
NAPE has given me much more than I gave it. I still owe NAPE. I have said for years NAPE will give you twice as much back as you give it but two times nothing is nothing. Get involved, you don't need to spend 400 nights away from home, just attend a chapter meeting, work on a chapter committee, run for chapter office, you will get rewarded in ways you never knew.
Okay, enough of memory lane what are my plans for this year? Well as your Publications Chairman, National Office Liaison and serving on the certification committee these past few years my main focus has been on seeing the National Office is running smoothly and cutting expenses. I have also wanted the National Engineer to be something you enjoy and we are proud of. As both of these are part of the backbone of our great association, I will continue to focus on both. My other focus was to help work on the part of the five-year business plan that called for other means of revenues other than dues so that as dues revenue fell and expenses continued we wouldn't have to raise your dues. The Certification Committee worked hard finding new educational programs for us to sell. The ITC training programs and our own new online courses were developed and presented to the delegates at last year's national convention. Since last year, those two programs have brought in substantial new revenues in new educational income. This is our future and our own NAPE Certification Program will be following this year. I intend to follow through on these programs also this year. They are just getting started. In my 20 plus years on the Board the future of NAPE has never been brighter. I thank all the hard working officers that made all the above possible.
If you have any questions or if I can help, please contact me. I look forward to this coming year and I am proud to be your National President.
What a long strange trip this has been!
Barry Battista
National President