Area Director's Report for December, 2011

This is your report from your Area Director.  We had a great year and we are looking forward to continued success.

1.  End of Year Projection:  Good news.  We were able to obtain another $12,000 in revenues from the IUPAC conference that we managed last July.  Although we contracted for a management fee of $18,000, we also gained an additional $2,000 at the end of the conference.  Our total revenue from this is now $32,000.  This means our projection from my earlier update will increase, with 2011 Revenue over Expense at approximately $464,000.  This was an excellent year and we look forward to another in 2012.  Please remember to help promote the spring meeting in San Antonio and the fall meeting/expo in Cincinnati!     

2.  Steering Minutes:  The 2011 Steering Committee met on December 6 and the 2012 Steering Committee met on December 7 at Division headquarters.  The gavel was passed to Joe Walker, who is the 2012 Division Chair.  You will see his theme and goals for 2012 at the end of this report.  As a reminder, Leo Goss is the new Division Secretary and Paul Glasgow is the new Directors’ Rep-Elect for 2012. 

3.  Items Due from Rubber Groups:  Please help assure your 2011 Rubber Group Chairs submit their Annual Report for 2011 (I have reports from Blue Ridge, Ft Wayne and Ontario RGs) and also let me know who the 2012 Rubber Group Chair will be (name and email address).  I need these to complete our Annual Report to ACS in January, compile the Rubber Group Statistics Report and also to communicate to the Rubber Group Chairs in 2012.  A copy of the Rubber Group Annual Report form is attached.    

4.  Required 2012 Area Director and Rubber Group Chair Membership:  Area Directors need to renew (or join) your ACS membership for 2012 as well as your Rubber Division membership.  This is required to be an Executive Committee member per the bylaws.  Also, Rubber Group Chairs need to renew (or join) their Rubber Division membership for 2012.  This is required to be a Chair of a Subdivision per the bylaws.  I appreciate your support and request that you advise me of all of these in January so that I can advise ACS.    

5.  2012 Booth Payments:  We have already begun receiving payments for the 2012 expo in Cincinnati as a result of an incentive program as follows:  “The Rubber Division is offering additional marketing benefits to help exhibitors promote their booths.  For any exhibitor who pays in full BY CHECK postmarked BEFORE January 15, 2012, the exhibiting company will receive the following FREE marketing benefits: Your logo will be placed on the exhibits page of our website as an exhibitor; Your booth will be highlighted on the exhibitor floor plans posted on the Rubber Division website and printed in the marketing material and onsite publications; and a link with an email address of your choice will be placed next to your company name on the exhibitor list (posted on our website) for people to contact to set up an appointment during the Rubber Expo.

6.  2013 Rubber Expo & Advanced Materials in Health Care:  Attorneys for the Medical Mart did not concede to our needed changes to their draft contract for the 2013 Rubber Expo & Advanced Materials in Health Care show, many of which are deal-breakers for the Division.  Based upon this and that there is no guarantee the facility will be completed in time, the Steering Committee voted to cease negotiations at this time and begin negotiations with the I-X Center for the 2013 exposition.  We are currently doing this as well as working with GES because they would not be able to be the decorator in 2013 at the I-X Center. 

7. Goals, Dates and Theme for 2012: Chair J. Walker advised that his theme for 2012 is to “Redefine, Re-Energize and Rebuild the Brand”.    His goals within this theme are as follows:

Redefine:  We have to answer these questions:

1.       Who are our customers?

2.       What is our product?

3.       What is our brand?

Re-Energize:  We have to be comfortable in who we are if we are going to be successful in attracting new members.  Ask new members if they will be active?

Rebuild:  1. We must advocate the need to be a member.
                        2. We must market success stories resulting from being a part of the division.
                        3. We must capitalize on the reputation (brand – old & new); drive the identity of being the “go to” for rubber expertise.

Leonard Thomas, CRG Rubber Division Area Director

Revised 01/10/2012