President’s Message

“Make Every Minute Count” In February!

With the 1,440 extra minutes all of us have in this leap year month, consider spending a few of them taking action in three areas of importance to NASBP and the surety industry. Take a peek at the new and enhanced NASBP websites, learn as much as you can about SuretyPAC, and refer a small or disadvantaged contractor organization to the joint NASBP/SBA March 6 summit!

NASBP.ORG Website & Associated Sites	NASBP SuretyPAC	SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program

Our Automation and Technology Committee, led by Chair Joshua Etemadi, and Committee Staff Liaison Steve Karlin have an important agenda this year—overhauling NASBP’s website, NASBP.ORG. Already, a refresh of the home page has been accomplished. Check out the new homepage. Further work will be done behind the scenes throughout the year to update, streamline, and revise existing website content and to enhance website navigation, making for a better user experience. Other elements to pay particular attention to include the associated site for the Be Guaranteed To Succeed campaign, NASBP’s public relations outreach to surety bond stakeholders and the public. This site continues to evolve for the purpose of assisting surety professionals in their promotion of the value of bonds. The Be Guaranteed to Succeed site includes tools, such as short “Surety Story” videos and a communications toolkit that contains extensive informational material, making it easy to convince stakeholders that surety bonds help generate positive outcomes for all project participants. A further associated site is the new NASBP Surety Pro Locator that NASBP developed and launched recently to help connect NASBP professional producers with potential clients. The evolution of NASBP.ORG and associated sites will help all of our efforts to help share the considerable benefits of bonding.	One of the key components of an effective government advocacy program to protect and promote surety bonds is a robust Political Action Committee (PAC). Howard Cowan, Chair of the NASBP SuretyPAC, recently reminded us about this in his letter emphasizing the importance of engaging with SuretyPAC. He points out that the success of our efforts on Capitol Hill, now and next year, hinges on building relationships with members of Congress who survive the upcoming election in November. Maintaining these relationships in the future will be especially challenging, because we are anticipating that several who support the surety industry may not be re-elected. We also will be challenged with educating a group of “freshmen” members of Congress. SuretyPAC engagement of individuals is made possible by those individuals providing prior authorization to receive SuretyPAC communications. Please consider completing the SuretyPAC online prior approval form! By doing so, you will give SuretyPAC permission to ask you for your support, thereby sustaining advocacy efforts to ensure a prosperous future for surety bonding and surety professionals.	As part of NASBP’s ongoing cooperation with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Surety Guarantees, Director Peter Gibbs and his staff and NASBP leaders, such as Small & Emerging Business Committee Chair Chris Downey, and NASBP staff will co-host and participate in a summit meeting in Washington, DC on March 6 for the leaders of small and disadvantaged contractor organizations. NASBP and SBA are inviting construction associations and groups, such as the National Association of Minority Contractors, Women Construction Owners & Executives, National Hispanic Construction Association, and others. The program will provide information about extensive resources regarding surety bonds that help emerging businesses succeed. Event registration is available online. Members also should consider putting on local bonding education programs using the NASBP Bonding Awareness Program toolkit created by the Small & Emerging Business Committee and found at the SuretyLearn platform. (access requires a NASBP login).