From the President’s Pen
Can you believe it’s already February 2010?! MACPP had a great 2009, taking the Mid-Sized Chapter of the Year award at Forum for the second year in a row, a record number of attendees at Forum, great professional development opportunities throughout the year, 12% membership growth, a new chapter logo, a revamped website, creation of “The Board Report,” Brett Wood, of Johnson County, KS taking the national Professional Buyer of the Year award, a great annual meeting in December with a large attendance. What can we do as a chapter to beat that?
There are lots of opportunities or MACPP chapter members to take more of an active role in the chapter than ever before. The formation of new task forces is happening now and will continue throughout the year. Some of those already organized include the joint vehicle bid, emergency procurement, and chapter member handbook. There is an immediate need for assistance with the chapter National Purchasing Month event in March. Additional opportunities are available with programs and seminar coordination, chapter publications, chapter of the year application, KCRPE planning in October 2010, 2015 NIGP Forum planning, reverse vendor fair planning for 2011, constitution and bylaws review, awards committee, and many others. If you are interested in taking a part in one of these areas, please contact me at rpankey@olatheks.org.
Be sure to watch your email. MACPP is planning a lot of chapter events and professional development opportunities for its members. Some of the events will include panel discussions and roundtables on basic nuts and bolts purchasing processes. I encourage everyone to please take part in these; please consider serving as a panelist and sharing your expertise on the topics discussed. Every one of us deals with buying, contracting, bids, proposals, and so on, yet each of us does it a little differently. Putting in your two cents when the opportunity comes could really help another chapter member. So, don’t think your knowledge or experience is not worth much—you could be surprised.
March is National Public Purchasing Month. The City of Lee’s Summit will host our event this year at the Lee’s Summit City Hall on Friday, March 12, with a half day event. Mark your calendars now for 3/12, 9 AM to Noon at Lee’s Summit. More information will be forth coming.
Don’t forget about the John Neger Scholarship, which is offered to all chapter members who satisfy the basic criteria. You can find the application form at www.macpp.org. If you have questions, contact Sally Grogan, our Professional Development Coordinator at sgrogan@nkc.org.
Let’s have a great 2010 together!
Russ Pankey, CPPB,
2010 MACPP President