Update from NACE President Scott McGolpin
2020 has brought new challenges for each of us, our families, colleagues, and NACE that were unimaginable just a few short months ago. We no doubt are living in historic times and the decisions we find ourselves tasked with are unprecedented. Just a few weeks ago, NACE found itself in the position of conducting our business on electronic platforms in lieu of holding our annual conference in person in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The Executive Committee and Board of Directors were placed in the unenviable position of having to cancel this year's conference for the first time in NACE history. A huge thank you to President Tim Hens for the work he did over the last year and for leading us through the economic shutdown created by the COVID-19 crisis. Over the course of Tim's term this past year, NACE was invited to the White House and has been instrumental in establishing NACE's position as the Administration's technical expert on local roads, as well as guiding NACE as it wrestles with the impacts of COVID-19. Tim, your leadership has been exceptional, and you have set the bar very high for future Presidents of NACE. Thank you for your service sir.
Also, a big thank you to our Executive Director, Kevan Stone, and his team Staci Morgan and Connie Radoulovitch. Their leadership and perseverance have been superb as we navigated these uncharted waters.
I would like to congratulate the officers of the NACE Executive Committee sworn in for the coming year. NACE appreciates your commitment to the organization and thanks you for accepting the challenge of leading in these uncertain times. Thank you to the Board of Directors, Committee Chairs and Committee Members for your leadership and extra effort to move NACE forward each year, which is what makes this organization one of the greatest I have ever belonged to. Thank you to our Members from across this great nation who are committed to NACE and improving the public service that we all are tasked with delivering every day of the year. I look forward to visiting and meeting many of you over the next year once travel restrictions are lifted.
Though we transition on the Executive Committee annually, there are items that carry on from one President to the next. A platform issue that will continue this year is an initiative to grow our membership through a pilot project that includes bringing townships on board from states that work closely with their counties, the best example being the State of New York. I am excited about working with Tim to bring this idea to implementation as this will potentially increase NACE's revenues and provide service to an underserved community of public officials.
In addition, over this next year, we will focus our energy and efforts in a few areas that are priority issues for the Executive Committee. We will take the lessons we have learned through this COVID-19 event to ensure that we as a national organization are fiscally viable into the future. Our budget annually is such that we depend on our conference to deliver the lion's share of our operating revenues on any given year. Losing our 2020 conference will require a few changes to how we operate over the next year to get us to Palm Springs. We will continue our ad-hoc finance committee, comprised of Executive Committee members, led by NACE Past-President Rich Sanders. This committee's edict is to focus on our finances and identify potential financial opportunities that may exist in the future to increase our bottom line and reserves.
As hard as it was for NACE to cancel this year's conference, it was just as hard on our Corporate Members and Exhibitors. These good people and businesses are dedicated to our organization and rely on the connections and business they receive from our membership for survival. In addition to our event, they are losing similar opportunities around the country, as other organizations are forced to cancel their events as well. Many of these exhibitors have been with us for a long time, and they are committed to all of us and deserve a special thanks for their continued commitment. I will work with the Corporate Member Services Committee to engage these folks to thank them for their continued commitment to NACE. Also, I want to spend time with them to explore ideas NACE can implement throughout the year, and certainly at our conference to get them in front of more of our members. Without their continued financial support annually, our organization would cease to exist without much higher dues for all of us.
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