October Handshake

I’ll begin with a "thank you" to all who have entrusted me with another year of service as your association President. I’m humbled and flattered at the opportunity. Like you, I’m playing catch up with my business in the wake of a great week at Saddlebrook Resort to attend the AAF Convention & Southeast Security Show, so I’ll make this month’s column brief. For all of you who attended the convention, my hat is off to you for participating and taking care of your association’s business.

Several Bylaws changes were presented to the membership this year. All but one met with your approval (a complete review of the Bylaws amendments are inside this issue). Those that were adopted will, I believe, make us better and stronger as an organization. It’s heartening to know that as private business people, we’re accustomed to taking risks on a daily basis, and that the adoption of changes to your association’s laws reflects that ability to adapt to new ideas and structures. As I mentioned in one of my earlier columns, you would think that after 27 years we would have our bylaws set in stone! Well, just like life, times and things change that require adjustment. This past year your association has become more service-based than ever before. It is our goal to reduce the burden of membership dues by providing "pay-as-you-go" services that you need and want. Your dues stay low and you pay only for what you use (is the federal government listening?)

What the Board and I need now is your continued participation and input on the programs that we’ve begun and will build on next year. I can give you one preview of coming attractions...with the Bylaws change that allows for Regional Area meetings quarterly, we’ll be bringing the association’s message to you in your own neighborhood. We want to make it convenient for you to join us at the planning and brainstorming stage of program development.

In closing, I’d like to recognize my "Board Member of the Month": Mark Neuberger, who has provided us with good counsel and good cheer for the past two years, mostly at his company’s expense. Although Mark isn’t an official board member, his seat at the table is as important, if not more so, than those occupied by the rest of us! He has attended almost every regular board meeting, in addition to several special meetings, and has provided free legal advice to a lot of you. His presentation of our Bylaws amendments has made our General Assembly meetings operate smoother and more professionally than in the past. He is our legal advisor as well as our friend, and he gives lawyers a good name! Thanks, Mark!

On behalf of the 1997 AAF Convention Committee, I want to express our gratitude to all of the participants who attended the convention and Southeast Security Show at Saddlebrook, September 18-20. With the exception of the hot weather and the attack of the love bugs, it was an enjoyable event for everyone!

The hard work of my committee (Roy Pollack, Chris Spidle, Mike Clark, Rob Sanders, and Kevin McCaffrey), coupled with the dedicated administration by the AAF staff this past year, combined to produce the smoothest-running event ever. Special thanks to Adam Fiallos for managing the golf tournament; to Bob Webb and Andy Witzleben for organizing the great variety of continuing education classes; to Edie Crum for working many overtime hours in assisting the vendors with booth reservations; and to Executive Director Jude Ann Burk for orchestrating such a tremendous meeting.

It’s a shame that more members of our industry do not take a few days from their busy schedules for this annual event. Just talking to and sharing information (and problems!) with other dealers who face similar issues as I do, makes the event worthwhile. It’s also a great way to reduce some of the stress level!

In the next few weeks the new Associate Representatives to the AAF Board of Directors (Troy Bruce, ADEMCO, and Rob Sanders, American Marketing & Sales) will meet with the AAF Executive Committee to review the convention survey forms collected from attendees, and lay out plans for next year’s event. And, in case you didn’t hear already, the membership approved a Bylaws amendment that now calls for our Annual General Assembly to be held in the last quarter of the calendar year. No more conflict with Jewish holidays, other trade shows, hot weather, or love bugs!

It was such a pleasure to see everyone at the AAF Convention & Southeast Security Show last month! I joke from time to time that I feel as if I’m being held hostage in my office and never have a chance to go out and put faces with voices on the phone. The convention always provides that opportunity for me and I really do enjoy it. Of course, most of the time my staff and I are rushing around like banshees and are becoming expert at the five minute conversation! Roy Pollack commented that he appreciated the ten minutes of chit chat we had one morning because, as he so generously put it, "Ten minutes at convention is equal to about four hours of a normal business day!"

In any event, I’m always amazed at the genuine spirit of comraderie shown by members who are competitors back home. Watching some of the good natured ribbing and jabbing on the golf course or at the pool bar sure does renew one’s belief in the goodness and kindness of private business people.

For those of you who didn’t attend, you really missed a great time and a "feel good" opportunity. Our keynote speaker, Ken Hamblin, did a super job of validating the honor and dignity of entrepreneurs...our wonderful associate members presented yet another spectacular product showing and gave, gave, gave to the "Action Auction,"...and our volunteer instructors provided exceptional training to standing-room-only crowds.

Thanks to everyone who came and participated. Good stuff! The pictures on inside pages tell it all!

Favorite quote: "If people don’t want to come out to the ball park, nobody’s going to stop them." --Yogi Berra

In true AAF tradition, the climax of the annual Convention & Southeast Security Show once again was the presentation of the "Most Valuable Person of the Year" award. This year’s recipient is AAF Treasurer Clyde Thodey, Jr., Surf Enterprises, Merritt Island. The award was presented to Thodey by President David Mims at the Awards Reception during the AAF’s convention at Saddlebrook Resort.

The "Most Valuable" recognition is given to an individual who has been singled out by the alarm/security industry for leadership and support of professional standards, and efforts to increase visibility to the public and lawmakers for the association in particular and the industry in general. Thodey joins an elite group of industry professionals by being one of twenty-one individuals selected for the honor in the 27 years of the AAF’s program.

"The decision to present this recognition to Mr. Thodey was unanimous," commented Mims. "His

insight and ability to predict future trends and opportunities has taken this organization and the industry to the next level of professionalism."

Thodey was also re-elected to a third term as Treasurer and a member of the Legislative Committee of the AAF. Under his leadership, the AAF has conducted and successfully completed a two-year federal job training grant program, awarded by the U. S. Department of Labor, to employ dislocated workers in the alarm industry, and has spearheaded the acquisition of a 7,000 square foot office building for the association’s headquarters in Tallahassee.

The following Annual Report was presented to the AAF Membership on September 19, 1997 at the Annual Assembly at Saddlebrook Resort:

The Alarm Association of Florida has grown tremendously over the past three years and we should all be very proud of the time, money, and creativity that we’ve invested in our trade association. When I travel outside of the state I am always amazed at the level of respect in which the AAF is held by other state associations. We regularly have done more, done it first, and done it better than any other state association in the country.

My goal this year was to take that message of success to the individual member. For the first time, the AAF Executive Committee met on a monthly basis and each meeting was held at a time and location that provided us the opportunity to attend and meet with local members at AAF regional meetings. Getting more information to members is also important, and the AAF’s home page has made that vision a reality. No member needs to feel "out in the dark" about what is going on within the association, the legislature, the DBPR, or just about anywhere else you can imagine! The AAF’s Internet presence has literally put a world of information at your fingertips.

"Think globally, act locally," is a phrase I hear often at AAF headquarters. I’ve adopted it as my own slogan for this year’s gameplan. I’m sure when you review this report, you’ll see that collectively we are a great team made up of outstanding individual players. Congratulations on belonging to one of the finest organizations in America!

First, establish reality, then formalize it. That is the formula used in making the Alarm Association of Florida process-centered, which has been the goal of the third year of the AAF’s 3-year strategic plan. By eliminating those programs and services that had proven to be unsuccessful for lack of member interest, the association has pursued only those initiatives that are "value added" for our members’ daily lives.

As you’ll see in this report, your service-based organization has provided training, advocacy, refined publications, and available workforces to our member companies without having to increase the cost of annual dues. We successfully completed a two-year demonstration grant for the U. S. Department of Labor that expanded and diversified the landscape of the alarm/security industry while affording employers the access to trained, competent technicians. We convened a second "Target Zero" symposium that yielded much acclaim and enhanced partnerships with public safety officials to reduce false alarms. We mounted the first public awareness campaign on behalf of the industry to educate consumers on their role in preventing false alarms. We repackaged the AAF Annual Directory to make it more "user friendly" and easily updated. We put a new face on an old friend, "The Handshake," to provide members with a publication they can be proud to read and share with others. We lobbied successfully for local journeyman requirements to be eliminated from local building codes, and for the third year in a row, saved monitoring from deregulation.

In the end, we are not measured by the individual tasks undertaken, but by the results. And we aren’t measured individually, but rather as a team effort. The ultimate reward is totality, unity, and a commitment toward doing even more in the next months and years ahead. Your support and guidance have resulted in "new visions...new realities" for your AAF!

The AAF was successful in providing testimony and counsel on many good pieces of legislation this year. With the exception of the revised Alarm System Agent law (which was pushed through by groups and individuals who have historically attacked alarm license laws), we provided a key role in debate of key bills that will save employers money on unemployment taxes, and will provide local relief from "journeyman requirements" on local building codes. A key effort by the association was maintaining current license law requirements for monitoring.

	*1996*	*1995*
Regular Members:	335	278
Associate Members:	88	95
Public Safety Members:	142	137
Net increase all memberships:	8%	27%

Workers’ Comp Insurance available through Karp Insurance. Total return dividends paid to participating employers this year: $26,478.87!!

Discount long distance service available through Intermedia Communications, Inc.

(ICI). Flat rate of $.11/minute any day, anytime, anywhere. Full-service telecommunications with customized products and services tailored to the individual’s needs.

Internet line access available through AAF On-Line. As low as $18.95/month for unlimited usage!

Debt collection available through National Credit Systems at rates that are never more than $20!

Telephone "on-hold" messages available through "The Hit Line," as low as $125/year.

Discount express delivery through Airborne Express. One flat rate of $8.95 gets your package delivered overnight anywhere in the Continental U.S.

PUBLICATIONS: A total of 19,807 publications were mailed to members and others

	*1996*	1995
Average Pages	26	24
Mailed Circulation:	1,000/mo	900
Internet Circulation:	2,000/mo	800/mo.
Layout:	Full color	Black/white
Cost per issue:	$4.55	$3.25

	1996	1995
Average pages:	6	4
Mailed Circulation:	825/issue	600/issue
Internet Circulation:	1,000/issue	300/issue
Layout:	Black/white	Black/white
Cost per issue:	$0.30	$0.28

	1996	1995
Average pages:	154/year	112/year
Mailed Circulation:	810/year	800/year
Layout:	3-ring binder	Saddle stitched pages
Cost per issue:	$7.82	$2.50

	1996	1995
Average pages:	41	--------
Mailed Circulation:	550/year	--------
Internet Circulation:	1,025/year	--------
Layout:	Black/white	---------
Cost per issue:	$0.85	--------

	1996	1995
Average pages:	14	10
Mailed Circulation:	1,522/year	660/year
Internet Circulation:	337/year	29/year
Layout:	Black/white	Black/white
Cost per issue:	$0.55	$0.46

An AAF training opportunity was available, somewhere in the state, every 2.8 days this year! Not only did the AAF offer training to 3027 more students than last year, we also took that training "to the members" by offering classes in 21 major Florida cities, in addition to two sessions held for our Hispanic neighbors in Puerto Rico.

AAF training covered a wide range of topics to insure all members and their employees of the chance to enhance their base of skills and knowledge. 3026 students participated in Alarm Systems Agent Qualifier classes. 286 concerned employers, administrators, and public officials took part in examining changes in the regulatory provisions through an "Orientation to F.S. 489, Part II", and the "Target Zero" false alarm symposium. 177 people participated in the AAF’s continuing education programs at their annual convention. An additional 136 people furthered their training by participation in AAF sponsored National Training School programs.

Photo identification badges were furnished to the 3628 individuals who were credentialed in accordance with the requirements of F.S. 489.518. The AAF produced 2546 Alarm Systems Agent badges, 120 administrative badges, 420 sales badges, and 542 monitoring badges.

The association concluded a two-year "SMART" demonstration grant for the U.S. Department of Labor this year. The AAF matched entry level employees with employers needing workers, while supplying $2,000 of training and subsidized wages in the process. This grant showed the willingness of the membership to hire a diverse group of workers, including 46 minorities.

In January 1997, the AAF created a subsidiary 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation: FLORIDA EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING INSTITUTE, INC. (FETI), to apply for and act as an administrative entity and job broker for private and government grant programs to create new education and training programs for individuals with disabilities and other minority or underemployed populations.

The Alarm Association of Florida, Inc. (AAF) is the state trade association for Burglar and Fire Alarm professionals and related industry in Florida. Founded in 1970, the association provides access to AAF programs and services at the local community level. Dedicated to reducing false alarms and increasing the standards for the industry, the AAF office is located in Florida’s Capital City, Tallahassee, and maintains six full-time staff to serve the membership.

This report was generated for the use of AAF members as an informal program audit for the period September 1, 1996 through August 31, 1997.

The voting members of the AAF met at Saddlebrook last month and approved the creation of an Individual Membership for license holders who may not have an active company at the present time, as well as a membership category for technicians, the Alarm System Agent membership class.

Amendments #8 and #9 (voted on as one issue) that would have eliminated the remaining three Directors At-Large from the AAF Board of Directors didn’t meet with member approval. The Steering Committee and Board of Directors favored the elimination of the Director positions since they have no stated purpose and count toward a quorum requirement for Board meetings.

Following is a review of the amendments that were approved. Approval of these amendments shall constitute approval to make any modifications to the language of other sections of the by-laws so that the entire document reflects the changes .

Section: 3.3 Categories Of Membership. There shall be six (6) categories of Members, namely Regular Members, Associate Members, Life Members, Alumni Members, Public Safety Associate Members, Alliance Members and. The employees of a Member that is a Business Entity are also considered members of the Association, but only one such employee of a Member, designated by the Member, may vote in General Assembly Meetings or Regional Meetings.

Section: 3.3 Categories Of Membership. There shall be seven (7) categories of Members, namely Regular Members, Associate Members, Life Members, Alumni Members, Public Safety Associate Members, Alliance Members and, Alarm System Agent Members. The employees of a Member that is a Business Entity are also considered members of the Association, but only one such employee of a Member, designated by the Member, may vote in General Assembly Meetings or Regional Meetings.

Section 3.3.8 Alarm System Agent Membership. Any individual shall be eligible to be an Alarm System Agent Member if it meets the General Membership Requirements and the following additional requirements:

(a) The individual’s primary employment shall be in the field of installing and/or providing repair of burglar alarms, fire alarms, supervisory systems or other electronic security system. The individual must be properly licensed for the security/low voltage industry with the State of Florida (ASA type license), and/or any local licenses that may be required.

(b) The individual shall pay the membership dues for ASA members as set by the Board. Individual members shall not be entitled to vote at the General Assembly Meetings or at any Regional Meetings. The individual may serve as a member of a Regional or State Committee with the approval of its employer.

Section: 2.1 Alarm Agent Member means any employee of a licensed alarm company who meets the General Membership Requirements and the requirements listed in Section 3.3.8 and who has been approved for membership.

Section: 3.3.1 Regular Membership. Any Business Entity or individual is eligible to be a Regular Member if the General Membership Requirements are met and the following additional requirements:

(a) major activity has been or is the business of installing and/or providing repair of burglar alarms, fire alarms, supervisory systems or other electronic security systems;

Section: 3.4.1 Applications to become Regular Members. Business Entities applying for membership as Regular Members should submit an application in accordance with the following procedures:

3.4.11 Submit complete application to the Regional Vice President, or the Regional Secretary for the Region in which the Applicant’s principal state office is located, or directly to the AAF office.

3.4.1.2 If received by a Regional Officer, the application shall be presented to the regional membership who after reviewing the application shall vote on a recommendation to be presented to the Executive Committee. An unfavorable recommendation may be given if the applicant fails to meet the General Membership Requirements or the requirements for the applicable category of Membership.

3.4.1.3 If received by the AAF office, staff will review for completeness and then forward to the Regional Officer.

Section: 5.1 Annual General Assembly Meeting. A meeting of all Members shall be held at least once per year in the last calendar quarter. The purpose of this meeting shall be to hold elections of the Directors At-Large, the Associate Directors and the State Officers and to consider any resolutions presented to the Members by the Board or by the Members.

Section: 6.4 Board Meetings. A minimum of two (2) Board Meetings must be held each year. The President shall schedule all Board Meetings.

Section: 7.3.1 Committee Members. Only representatives of Members in good standing may serve on any State Committee or Regional Committee.

Section 7.3.1 Attendance at Committee Meetings. Any member in good standing may attend any committee meeting with the following exceptions:

Meetings at which the Executive Committee negotiates the terms of employment of the Executive Director.

Section: 7.9 Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past-President. The Executive Committee is empowered to meet monthly to interpret policy and give direction on the day-to-day problems that may arise when the Board is not in session and the Executive Director or the Association’s paid lobbyist needs guidance. Emergency expenses not planned for in the currently approved budget in an amount of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) may be authorized by a majority vote of the Executive Committee without Board approval. An "emergency expense" is defined as an expense that cannot wait until the next Board Meeting and is needed to further the functioning of the Association and, without which, the day-to-day functions of the Association will come to a halt or an opportunity for substantial gain will be missed. A full report of all emergency expenses must be made to the Board at the next Board Meeting. The Executive Committee shall conduct an annual performance review of the Executive Director and shall issue a report to the Board with its findings and recommendations on the Executive Director's compensation.

Section: 8.1 State Officers and Qualifications. The State Officers shall consist of a President, Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 8.1.1 The Voting Members shall elect the Vice President/President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer to one-year terms at the Annual General Assembly Meeting. Candidates for these positions must be employees of Members in good standing and have served as a Board Member for a minimum of one (1) year immediately preceding election to the Executive Committee.

Section: 8.1.2 The President shall be permitted to stand for election for one additional consecutive term as President. The membership shall either approve or reject this independently and prior to the election of the other officer positions.

Section 8.1.3 The Vice President/President-Elect elected in any one year shall serve as the President immediately upon the President vacating the office.

Section: 8.6 Taking Office. All State Officers and Regional Officers shall be sworn into office following the Annual General Assembly Meeting, and take office on the first day of the new fiscal year. Until such time, the existing Directors shall continue to discharge their duties.

Section: 10.2.8 Annual Financial Audit. An outside firm of Certified Public Accountants will be engaged by the Executive Committee each year to perform an audit of the Association’s books and finances. This audit should be completed at the beginning of the fiscal year and the Auditor’s report shall be submitted to the Board.

Section: 9.1 Regional Areas. The Board shall designate a minimum of six (6) Regional Areas comprised of designated Regional Chapters to facilitate the participation of Members at quarterly meetings, with the day and time of the meetings to be determined by the Board. Each Regional Area will have one (1) Regional Director who will serve on the Board of Directors.

Section: 13.2 Effective Date. These Amended and Restated Bylaws shall become effective immediately upon being approved by the voting membership.

New membership application forms will be produced within the next month to address the individual and alarm system agent memberships. All regions will be mailed a supply of new forms, and the AAF home page and fact-on-demand services will include copies of the forms as well.

The AAF membership voted on their choices for officers to lead the Alarm Association of Florida, Inc. in 1998, with some faces at the Executive Committee table remaining the same for another year.

Leading the business operations and chairing all official meetings of the AAF for another year will be David Mims, Georgia-Florida Alarms, Tallahassee. Mims was offered the chance to serve a second consecutive term after the membership approved a Bylaws amendment allowing for a re-election of the standing chief executive officer. This second term approval, coupled with last year’s Bylaws amendment to align elected service with the fiscal calendar year (which resulted in the 1997 board serving for 15 months instead of 12 months), will allow Mims to write his own page in the AAF’s history as the longest consecutive presidency of 27 months in the association’s history.

Likewise, the position of Vice President/President-Elect will remain the same for 1998, with Roy Pollack, R.S.P. Security, Delray Beach, maintaining his seat. Pollack will automatically inherit the President position in 1999.

The third seat on the Executive Committee will be held by another veteran. Clyde Thodey, Jr., Surf Enterprises, Merritt Island, was elected for his third term as Treasurer of the association.

The only new face at the Executive table will be Ray Yauchler, Active Security Company, St. Petersburg, who will replace Harvey Hudgins, Emergency Systems, Inc., Jacksonville on January 1, 1998 as corporate Secretary.

Completing the five-person Executive Committee will be Fred Aaron, Security Engineering, Pensacola, who will maintain his seat as Immediate Past-President in light of the re-election of Mims to the presidency.

Mims has already previewed his plan to restructure the monthly executive meetings he has held around the state in 1997. For 1998, more meetings of the group will be held via on-line computer hookup using video teleconferencing to save time and money for the Executive Committee members and the association.

Editor’s note: The October meeting of the AAF Executive Committee will be held at The Club Hotel by Doubletree, 4700 Salisbury Road, Jacksonville, FL, on October 28. AAF members may attend and participate in discussions.

Use this handy menu of options to simplify your access to the document you want:

Simply dial the AAF Fact-On-Demand toll free number, wait for the voice prompt, enter the number of the document you need and the fax number to which you want it sent!

AAF’s Home Page is still the best resource available for up-to-the-minute, factual data for all members!

If you don’t have a passcode yet, call Edie at AAF and she’ll have you up and running within minutes! Stay informed on legislation, training, board actions, and more...www.fla-alarms.org is your 24-hour info center!

The latest buzz word in the alarm industry is "NICET." In this, the first of several articles about NICET, I’ll give a brief explanation of what NICET is (and what it isn’t!)

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET), sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers, is based in Alexandria, Virginia and has provided certification programs since 1961. The Institute is an examining body whose function is to evaluate the qualifications of those who voluntarily apply for certification. Personal recommendations, written examinations, and verification of the applicant’s work experience, competency, and knowledge are all part of the evaluation process.

The purpose of the NICET credentialing examinations is to assist in determining that an individual’s competence meets or exceeds a prescribed level of technical knowledge and ability. NICET exams are not designed to rank individuals (achievement exams), assess an individual’s innate knowledge (ability exams), or identify the best qualified candidates (employment exams.)

As evidence of satisfactory attainment of its criteria, the Institute grants and issues certificates and maintains a registry of holders of such certificates. The NICET certification programs are continually changed to keep abreast of technology, manpower application practices, and educational trends. Their goals are to provide nationally applicable, widely-recognized certification programs.

The NICET Engineering Technician Programs that are currently available and applicable to our industry are: the Fire Protection/Fire Alarms program for persons engaged in plans approval, equipment design, equipment approvals, detailing, layout, installation, acceptance, testing, service, and sales of fire alarm systems; and the Low Voltage Electronic Communications Systems/Audio Systems program which is for persons involved in the layout, installation, and maintenance of audio systems for commercial, industrial, and large space applications.

While I’m certainly not an expert on the subject, I have recently obtained the Level IV (Senior Engineering Technician) Certification from NICET. I’ll share information with you through "Handshake" columns about the certification process, reference materials needed, testing procedures, makeup of the exam, etc., that I personally experienced.

In the meantime, for more information about NICET, or to request an application form, call the Institute directly at: (703) 684-2835.

The August meeting of the Goldcoast Region featured a review of the proposed Bylaws amendments by Roy Pollack, Bylaws Committee Chairman. Joe reviewed a recent advisement that indicates that there is no formal reciprocal agreement between Florida and other states’ licenses, but that Georgia, Alabama, North and South Caroline licenses will be recognized by Florida if certain educational requirements are met. Discussion included the new West Palm Beach ordinance requiring a final inspection before issuing a user’s permit. Matt Wagman shared some of the new Moose products. Joe Holfelner was re-elected Vice President by acclimation. Door prizes were furnished by ADI, Sentrol, Silmar, and Security Lock.

The September meeting of the Goldcoast Region featured discussion of the AAF’s purchase of a permanent building in Tallahassee and the West Palm Beach requirement to have an electrician make the connection to the fire alarm panel. Two motions were made for consideration by the AAF Board of Directors: 1) To open talks with NBFAA for possible rejoining as a Charter State; 2) To hold an AAF Convention in Southeast Florida.

The September meeting of the Northeast Region included committee reports from David Gaynor on upcoming legislation; Richard Kuhn on AAF video training; Harvey Hudgins on the AAF Convention & Southeast Security Show; and Ron Posey on holding a Christmas Party.

The passing of Roger Williams, Allsafe Security, was noted. The group agreed to conduct a fax survey of regional members regarding a new location for meetings. Bill Downing was elected Vice President for 1998.

As invigorating as your convention might be, the results won’t make their way into your work life until you return home. Even then, the new contacts you made and the ideas you gleaned won’t mean a thing unless you make a conscious effort to integrate them into your work life. Want to be sure you’re making the most of your convention after it’s over? Here’s a checklist of activities to place on your "to-do" list...

Send in your evaluation form. You’ll play a part in making next year’s gathering even better.

Thank the convention organizers. Putting a convention together is hard work! A simple thank you note not only expresses your gratitude, but motivates organizers to stay involved.

Update your packing list. Did you find yourself short of supplies or personal effects? Note these on a new packing list which you can use next time you’re planning to travel.

Complete your expense reports. Be sure to attach receipts. Note the purpose of each business expense. File other documentation. This information will come in handy as you prepare expense reports and at tax time.

File important papers. You picked up brochures, clippings and other materials thinking they’d be helpful. Don’t lose them; file them appropriately right away.

Analyze the literature. Study the brochures and newsletters you picked up from the trade show booths. What content or graphic ideas can you adapt for your own printed materials?

Set at least one new goal for the coming year. What goal has become important as a result of your convention participation? Add it to your list of annual goals, and give yourself a deadline for completing it.

Add names to your data base. Names of prospective customers, especially, should go in immediately.

Test a new product. Did you get a lead on a new product or service? Offer it to your customers, and test the results.

Become involved. Identify at least one way you can support the AAF convention next year, or become more actively involved in association activities throughout the year. Your participation will pay big dividends to you...and to countless colleagues.

Training, training, and more training! It’s the secret of getting and keeping a job with a future. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent in worker training in North America, from high school and vocational programs, to courses for new employees, programs for professionals, and everything in between, according to the American Society for Training and Development in Alexandria, Virginia.

In a survey of 114.6 million workers, 57 percent reported that they needed training to qualify for their current jobs. The survey also showed that people with jobs that required training earned an average of $10,000 more annually than those whose jobs didn’t require it. The gap was even higher for salespeople: $15,000.

Almost 47 million of the workers surveyed had skills training or further job-related education after taking their present jobs. Though the cost of training programs is high, employers save money in the long run by having a well-trained, highly skilled workforce. Employees benefitted from training at every level and in a big way, according to the U. S. Department of Labor.

At their September 10 meeting in Fort Lauderdale, the Electrical Contractors Licensing Board was besieged by local building code officials who had been allowing local master electricians to install and service fire alarm systems. The locals argued that if a local electrician passed a local Block exam for a master electrician, the fire alarm work would be allowed.

The AAF argued against the local violation of state license laws. The association had received written verification from Block & Associates that no alarm questions were included in the master electrician exam and, therefore, the alarm work exceeded the technical knowledge of the electrician.

The ECLB had not allowed any master electrician local competency cards submitted for a state registration to be approved for a period of two months prior to the September 10 meeting. The board stood behind the state license law statute and advised local authorities that registered electricians may not perform any alarm work, especially fire alarm work, without obtaining a certified electrician license from the state.

The AAF Board of Directors selected Senator Fred Dudley (R-Cape Coral) and Representative Mark Ogles (R-Bradenton) as the association’s "Legislators of the Year" for 1997. Their awards were presented via video recording at the AAF Convention last month.

Dudley was selected as a result of his pushing for a clarification in law prohibiting local jurisdictions from imposing journeyman requirements on local building codes. Ogles was chosen for his leadership role as Chairman of the House Business Regulation & Consumer Affairs Committee and for his support of alarm issues.