A Message From Our Chapter President

September, 2009 - A Letter to APICS Tappan Zee Chapter Members

Dear Chapter Members,

This weekend Karen and I are taking our Daughter Stephanie to college and next week our son Shaun. I cannot believe how quickly they grew and how well they are doing. Karen has done a fine job and has fully supported my commitment to you.

Well the 2008-2009 chapter year is over and what a year it has been. First let me thank the Board of Directors for the excellent work they have done. Your chapter has a board of dedicated volunteers who are eager to see the chapter succeed, but getting enough people to volunteer their time is one of the biggest challenges we face.

Based on our Cbar application this year it looks like a GOLD level of performance again, thank you captain Cbar (Virgil Charles). Our finances are in very good order, thank you Bob Marsanico. We marketed our education offerings with Rockland Community College and the local press. We continued to hold our CPIM classes with one of the areas key businesses and provided well attended joint PDM's. If you have not been to a PDM in a while you are missing out on a great networking opportunity and excellent topics and speakers. During our joint strategic planning meeting with ISM-7 Counties and CSCMP NYCONN we planned for the 2009 - 2010 PDM offerings.

I would like to thank Serge Migdal, Kathy Dyer, Katie Mayer and Ron Hammond for their chapter support. Contact a board member and thank them; they deserve a plug. This year we plan to adopt additional strategic partnerships to enhance our offerings and service to our membership and area business professionals. We are committed to help our members build knowledge and skills in operations management to enhance and validate abilities and accelerate careers. This fall we plan to roll out a local CSCP offering and are planning to hold a seminar this spring. Please stay tuned the next year starts shortly.

My membership is due, yes I plan to renew but each time I ask what is the value proposition is? What is the overt benefit? Why should I trust APICS with my time and personal commitment? What's in it for me? I do not know the figure but I have probably provided at least 4500 volunteer and instructional hours and at least 20 PDM presentations over the last 25 years. I know that is a lot of time. Back when I joined I was very concerned about this commitment and I am glad to tell you that the decision to get certified, volunteer and remain active with APICS is one of the best career decisions I made. It provided the needed training, networking and assistance that was critical. In simple terms I have remained gainfully employed, received numerous advancements and learned a great deal because of that decision. The bottom line is what do you as a business professional bring to the table for your employer? My years with APICS have kept that seat available. Although APICS has had a few rough years meeting my standard for the value proposition recent initiatives have started to close the gap. I truly believe that this society will continue to give me a good return for the time investment I have made. Remember a delighted customer is a repeat customer.

A recent study conducted by the from the Cameron School of Business at the University of North Carolina Wilmington released the second quarterly Operations Management Employment Outlook today. “Hiring and employment are critical elements of economic forecasting and the data in this report indicate a slight upturn in the economy and improved unemployment numbers over the coming year,” said Drew Rosen, professor of operations management at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a member of the research team. The initial data collection took place in March 2009, with a second round of data collection in July 2009. A random sample from a population of 30,000-plus operations management professionals was surveyed to identify prevailing compensation levels and anticipated hiring trends for operations management professionals over the next year.

These figures simply affirm my point. The increase in the Quality area is one reason why I worked to get my Six Sigma Black Belt. At this time I am on my fourth large scale Black Belt project. Further, survey respondents indicate that APICS CPIM designees get paid, on average, approximately 10 percent more than those without the designation. If that is true then it equates to approximately $225,000 more in my pocket over those 25 years since I joined. Similarly, APICS CSCP designees earn approximately 12 percent more than those without an APICS CSCP certification. So the value is there and only you can take advantage of it. Today, APICS is releasing its Supply Chain Manager Competency Model, which follows guidelines set by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. The model will serve as a guide for individuals considering careers in supply chain management, professionals seeking advancement, and human resource managers hiring in this fast-growing field. We will make this guide available to our members once it is ready. So get involved the next 10 years could make all the difference in your value proposition. Indications are in-sourcing is starting to bring manufacturing back to the US.

If you are just starting out in the operations management field or are mid way I would like to make a challenge. Take a moment and think of what other organization today provides a higher probability you getting the momentum as shown above, networking and the tools to get your seat at the table and help you meet your goals. If you have one please provide me with the data to support your position. If APICS is not already partnered with that organization I will personally cover the cost of one dinner at one of our PDMs in the up coming year for you, limited to five people.

And lastly, for you certified folks who need to submit their certification maintenance application this year, below are the Top 5 ways to maintain your APICS certification. Staying certified could make all the difference on that next job. Thank you for your time and for you continued support. Feel free to contact me: President@apicstz.org.

1. Be an APICS Member , 6 points a year.
2. Participate in an APICS Webinar , 1 point per instruction hour.
3. Go to APICS Conference & Exposition, 24 points.
4. Earn another APICS Certification, 20 points
5. Get involved with the APICS Tappan Zee Chapter, 6 points a year for board participation.

Sincerely,
David Tooker , CFPIM QI 6sBB LBC