After the peaks and valleys of another busy summer season, CMSA’s fall chapter meetings are underway. Steve Weitekamp and I have started our round of visiting all 12 chapters throughout the state. Our first three stops took us to Twin Counties in Redlands, San Diego, and OC Beach Cities. Somewhere along the way, I started thinking about gold. I’ve been re-listening to a podcast about the California Gold Rush. In January 1848, James Marshall was working on a sawmill along the American River when something shiny caught his eye. Marshall and John Sutter tried to keep the discovery quiet, but… Read more: September 2026 Chairwoman’s Column

I have the opportunity to read more than a few industry newsletters, and every so often one of them captures a point that deserves repeating. My friend and colleague Howard Marcus of the Minnesota Transport Services Association recently made such a point when he addressed a comment that all association leaders hear from time to time: “I don’t get business from the association.” On the surface, that may sound like a simple complaint about return on investment. But the longer I have worked with members, chapters, committees, and industry partners, the more convinced I am that it misses the deeper… Read more: September 2026 President’s Comments