President's Message

Time to MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Not everyone was able to join us in San Antonio to celebrate the past year of great leadership by Larry McMahon and to help me kick off the next year of this vital organization we know as NASBP.

First of all, let me once again give a heartfelt thank you to the membership of NASBP for allowing me the privilege of serving as your President for the next year. This organization has made a huge difference in both my career and my personal life, and so it was very easy for me to choose "Make a Difference" as my theme for the coming year.
  
Over the years I have watched this organization grow into an association that is proactive on many fronts and that takes challenges head on. The staff and leadership work tirelessly to gain positive results for its members, the industry, and the clients and public we serve. NASBP makes a difference in Education, in Advocacy, and in so many other areas of NASBP Member Services.
 
As I write this, I have just returned from Washington, D.C. where I attended our annual NASBP Legislative Fly-in. While our numbers are small compared to many groups that come to Capitol Hill, we are extremely effective, and every year we and our issues become better known. Our U.S. Congressional Representatives and their staff are now recognizing who we are, learning our issues, and looking to NASBP as a resource. It is noteworthy that they often reach out to the NASBP staff for information when issues that involve surety arise on the Hill. NASBP has forged strong relationships with many Congressional Members and, right now, NASBP stands a very good chance of having federal legislation passed that will greatly benefit our industry and the public at-large that uses the surety product. If you are not familiar with the Security in Bonding Act, H.R. 776, I strongly encourage you to become familiar with it and do everything in your power to help us see this important legislation become law. If passed, H.R. 776 will make a difference, now and for many years to come.

Legislative efforts are just one example of how NASBP can and does make a difference for all of us. Our educational offerings include our in-person Levels I, II, and III classes, several new online continuing education courses and our very successful NASBP Virtual Seminar series. NASBP is always adding more. If you have not yet visited the NASBP website, www.Suretylearn.org, you should do so now to see how we are trying to make a difference by educating small and emerging contractors about what they need, not just to get a bond, but to be successful and viable for years to come. This is but a small example of how NASBP MAKES A DIFFERENCE for you.

Now, I challenge each and every one of you to examine how you make a difference for the surety industry that has been so good to all of us. Our friend, teacher, and mentor Jack Curtin told us over and over that we must protect and nurture this great business of ours. Many of you are active in the industry and if you are, I salute you. Then, I challenge you to find someone to encourage to become active. Allow and support others in your offices to become active. Much of our committee work is done on conference calls, so you don't need to leave your office to participate. If you can't go to Washington, D.C., you can visit your U.S. Senators and Representatives when they are at home in their districts, or you can become an advocate for surety issues at your state and local level. The bottom line is that there is no excuse for not being active, we can all do something to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

In my closing remarks in San Antonio, I said that at the end of my year as President I can only hope that I will have made a difference. We all need to look at ourselves every day and ask ourselves if we made a difference. Only you can answer that question for yourself. I hope you will join me in trying to MAKE A DIFFERENCE for NASBP, our industry, and our clients and the public, whose dollars we protect.
Thanks again for allowing me to be a part of this great association.