I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July. Happy 248th birthday to America. Welcome to full-on summer and the attendant heat. Heat advisories are all over the country, and meteorologists are offering advice to beat the heat. I’ve got an ASPE advisory on avoiding the heat: The best advice from me is to make sure your Chapter’s Annual Report is submitted on time. (It should have been completed by June 30.) The Treasurer’s Report is due by July 15. This is a Convention year, so it’s particularly important to submit those reports in a timely manner. The Board of Directors has to review both reports for every Chapter, and a majority Board approval of your reports is required for rechartering and, ultimately, for sending your Chapter Delegates to the Convention. This has been a public service announcement from your benevolent ASPE President.
As President, one of my responsibilities is to provide an informative, captivating, and thought-provoking article each month in ASPE Pipeline. That is tough work. Once in a while, I think maybe I touch on the informative part—the other two, maybe not so much. I do wonder how many ASPE Pipeline readers actually take the time to peruse these articles, so let’s try something. This month, and this month only, we’re going to run a contest to find out. I’ll provide the big prize offering and the details on how to win it. The catch is that you’ll have to read this article in its entirety and answer an ASPE-related question.
Another perk of being President is that I have latitude in the content of my ASPE Pipeline entries. The only caveat is that it does need to relate to ASPE and our industry…eventually. Follow me now as we venture off the tracks ever so slightly.
It’s a Saturday as I’m writing this, and this morning I went to my local home improvement store. Notice that I did not mention the name of that particular store. My intent is to keep my story entirely nonproprietary. Speaking of nonproprietary, did you know that all presentations for your monthly technical sessions and seminars for our Tech Symposium and Convention must be nonproprietary? (Did you get the ASPE tie-in?)
I picked up some plants and mulch and then spent the morning in the yard. I made sure to quit before the temperature got too high. Before showering, I took off my smart watch (nonproprietary brand) and checked the health app. My steps at that moment were 7,458. Why did that number sound familiar to me? Then it hit me. I sprang to my nearby laptop and opened the June 6, 2024 ASPE membership standings spreadsheet. There it was: ASPE membership totals showed 7,458! Was it a coincidence? If you’re an NCIS fan, you know that Leroy Jethro Gibbs says there is no such thing as a coincidence. (Maybe it was a reach on my part to achieve another ASPE tie-in.)
Right now, my publishing agent is standing behind me. She’s reminding me of my contractual obligation to maintain an ASPE focus. She was instrumental in getting me this gig, but I may have to remind her of my artistic license clause. Okay, back to ASPE.
All Region Meetings for 2024 are now in the books. We’re compiling highlights from each Region Director for the Society’s archives. The consensus is that attendees made the most of their respective gatherings. The Chapter representatives exchanged information, raised concerns, had concerns addressed, and left with new energy and ideas for their home Chapters. Thanks to all of the attendees and our Region Directors for making the meetings successful.
Congratulations are in order for the 126 newly credentialed Certified Plumbing Designers. Those individuals successfully completed the exam in April and can now add CPD to their titles. Also, congratulations are extended to ASPE’s newest Chapter—the Southern Indiana Chapter. Formerly the Evansville satellite, the Chapter met the requirements of ASPE’s Bylaws and the Policy & Operations Manual and petitioned for charter. The Board of Directors voted an intent to charter, with an official vote taking place at our July Board meeting. The new Southern Indiana Chapter will hold its charter ceremony in September. I’d like to recognize the Central Indiana Chapter for their support in guiding Southern Indiana to full chapter status.
Finally, don’t forget to register for the 2024 ASPE Convention & Expo. That event will take place in Columbus, Ohio on October 18–23. We’d like to see you there. Visit expo.aspe.org by July 25 to get the early bird rate.
If you’re still with me, here’s the moment you’ve been waiting for: the big giveaway. Here are the details. We’re going to give one lucky member a copy of an ASPE publication of their choice. There are two requirements to win. First, you need to be the 13th person to email ASPE’s Director of Communications, Marketing & Publications, Gretchen Pienta, at gpienta@aspe.org. That’s the 13th distinctive email address. You can’t send 13 emails from a single email. You also need to answer this ASPE question: Each year, Chapter Annual Reports are due on June 30. What date are annual Treasurer’s Reports due? Too easy? Maybe so, but in the past a Chapter or two has submitted their Treasurer’s Report after that date. Not this year, though.
Let’s get those emails going. We don’t want Gretchen’s inbox to overflow, so as soon as number 13 comes in, we’ll notify the lucky winner. Thanks to everyone for stopping in for this month’s article. Enjoy your summer. I will be back for the August edition—more informative, more captivating, and more thought-provoking than ever before.
