We Can All Be Present To Win 

Whether you are reading this in your office, your office at home, or the Home Office, you know that we are in unprecedented times. For me, I’ve traded an almost daily commute on BART for a quick walk upstairs after breakfast to my office at home. I actually get more work done and put in more hours in front of my laptop, but I certainly miss my lunches with underwriters, dinners with clients, and chats with co-workers over a cup of coffee.

As we all move forward to the “new normal,” the NASBP and its leadership continue to work hard to maintain our traditions and values while implementing new initiatives and new methods of communications to reflect the changing times. Certainly, the impossibility of hosting our 2020 Annual Meeting reflected the advent of significant change and underscored the importance of staying connected no matter the obstacles.

Being Present in the Virtual World

Our Annual Meeting has traditionally honored our outgoing president and kicked off the incoming president’s term coupled with a celebration of all things surety. While we had all planned to descend upon The Broadmoor to do so, the pandemic changed all of our plans.

Thankfully, the NASBP staff; Immediate Past President, John Bustard; and Program Chair, Nick Newton were able to pivot quickly; and we held the first “virtual” main event in our 78-year history—the NASBP Virtual Event: Bonding With Bandwidth. The Virtual Event was a success with over 400 registrants, and I am sure many more have viewed the meeting via replay that is housed on our website at learn.nasbp.org/products/nasbp-virtual-event-bonding-with-bandwidth. I was pleased that virtual delivery of information and educational programming offered the opportunity for member and affiliate employees at all levels to share in this event, live or recorded.

I believe that the in-person Annual Meeting is an irreplaceable celebration of surety, as a unique, yearly gathering of old friends and new acquaintances to discuss current trends and to obtain new tools and resources to maintain our professional edge. In the absence of the ability to host the Annual Meeting, our May Virtual Event provided us with a good template on how to utilize new technologies to continue to connect with our membership and present meaningful content.

Being Present for the Opportunities Ahead

The changes arising from the pandemic, which we all have experienced, have been unanticipated and rapid. But these changes cannot be viewed simply as challenges; in fact, these changes also present significant opportunities. As the economy and markets change, the value of a NASBP member’s knowledge, experience, network, and market access will be of greater value. Your involvement in the NASBP will give you a competitive edge. Take a moment to survey all the activities undertaken and the materials and information that NASBP has released during the COVID crisis, including advocacy resulting in acceptance of electronic signatures on bonds by the U.S. GSA and DOD and the podcasts, virtual seminars, and posted resources, including NASBP Blogs, NASBP Press Releases, and government agency notices, illuminating steps to take for the benefit of your and your clients’ businesses. These were delivered promptly in “real time” while volunteers and staff had to adhere to work-from-home and social distancing mandates.

As we look ahead, we are planning our Regional meetings, Mid-Year Board meeting, 2021 Fly-in, and the 2021 Annual Meeting in Nashville. I believe that this process requires being both an optimist and a realist. We have to continue to move forward but with an eye on possible pivots to continue to advance. One thing for certain, however, is that that everyone’s health and safety is a foremost concern for NASBP.

Being Present in Our Association

My theme, Must Be Present To Win, is absolutely relevant in these times. When we consider the three pillars that are the foundation of the NASBP, we can all be present in key areas of our career and our association.

In Education, our on-line courses, virtual seminars, and now podcasts,“Let’s Get Surety—Let Me Hear Your Bonding Talk,” are all accessible wherever and however you work. We have new issues arising on a daily basis, and the immediacy by which we can provide valuable content to our members is remarkable. In fact, I hope you have been going to the NASBP Blogs and the NASBP Coronavirus Resource Center for up-to-date information related to the Payment Protection Program, electronic bonding, impacts of the coronavirus on contract agreements, project site guidelines, and more that you can share with clients and colleagues.

In Networking, our Virtual Event: Bonding With Bandwidth came into being as a response to the inability to provide an in-person meeting, but that format now serves as a model for options to network in the future. In fact, we have scheduled a series of NASBP Virtual Events. Be sure to place the July 22 NASBP Virtual Event: Being Present and Connecting Surety in a Virtual World held from 1 to 3 p.m. Eastern on your calendar and learn more by reading the article about it in this issue. We continue to have our Executive Committee meetings and other committee meeting via conference calls, Zoom, and Skype. Through involvement in the NASBP, you gain a network of industry experts with local and global knowledge.

In Advocacy, we know that we must continue the good fight to protect, preserve, and promote surety bonding. We’re fortunate that Larry LeClair, Director of Government Relations, knows the Inside of the Beltway better than anyone. Mark McCallum has contacts with critical trade associations to ensure that we always have a seat at the table. The 2.0 version of the NASBP Producer Communications Toolkit, to be published in July, will offer valuable new resources and guidance in talking about the surety product with projects owners, architects, lenders, and contractors.

We know that infrastructure will play a part in the re-boot of our economy; educating public officials and other stakeholders about the value of the surety product through the NASBP Be Guaranteed To Succeed public relations campaign is another example of an on-going NASBP initiative with special resonance for these times.

Being Present for Those in Our Past, Present, and Future

I’m thankful for the myriad efforts of NASBP staff, our member leaders, and Past Presidents, especially John Bustard. The hard work that they have all put into this organization in the past provides every member with the opportunity to thrive in these challenging times. Now it’s time for each member to be and remain present in our cherished Association. What you give is what you get!

In closing, my wife, Lisa, and I look forward to our 2021 Annual Meeting in Nashville. We will again celebrate surety, gather with friends, look forward to a bright future, and be thankful for all that we accomplished in these unusual times.

Mark Munekawa is Senior Vice President – Surety of Woodruff Sawyer in San Francisco, CA. He can be reached at mmunekawa@woodruffsawyer.com and 415.399.6482.