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The Chairman's Corner
by Rick Hosea
April 2013
As I prepared to write my last column, I began reflecting on the
past year as Chairman. There is a great deal of good news to share
with our members, we should clearly feel good about the direction we
are headed in for many years to come. I have enjoyed my time serving
our Association the past 12 months, traveling around the state to
visit our chapters, national association conventions and chapter
fundraisers, which benefit both our scholarship and the Special
Olympics programs. I have felt welcome by all at each chapter
meeting; some of you I met for the first time.
I thought I
would look back on my time and recap some of the highlights as your
Chairman. I was proud to work with our then-Chairman Dennis Doody as
we worked to secure Steve Weitekamp as our president for an
additional 5 years. Dennis led the charge to develop a
well-structured contract extending our CMSA leadership through 2017.
I then worked with Dennis Doody of Blue Chip Moving & Storage, Inc.,
Steve Weitekamp of CMSA, Chris Higdon of California Moving Systems,
and Chuck Cole of Avocation, Inc. (CMSA Legislative Consultant) to
move forward our AB 2118 bill through the legislative processes as
it made its way through each committee meeting and onto the
Governor’s desk where it became law. In August, your CMSA Executive
Board came together in San Diego at my request to lay out a plan of
action and set forth goals for our Association. I am pleased to
report that we have increased membership over the past 12 months,
which was a priority for our entire Board. Both Steve and I traveled
back to Maryland to attend PAIMA and IAM conventions, which were
held consecutively and well-attended by many.
In March, Steve
Weitekamp, CMSA Legal Counsel Mark Hegarty and I met with Brigadier
General Jack Hagan, Director of the Safety and Enforcement Division
at the CPUC, in San Francisco in order to discuss many agenda items
benefiting both permitted movers and California citizens alike. We
were able to set up a working group made up of both PUC enforcement
personnel and CMSA members led by Steve Weitekamp. We are set to
meet in Los Angeles on April 22, and as needed after that. The
purpose of this meeting will be to agree on a platform for
improvement toward the implementation of AB 2118 electronic
acceptance and other enforcement-related practices, which will help
to put pressure on unpermitted operators who choose to ignore our
regulated industry. CMSA is going to become part of the solution by
working hand in hand with the CPUC to send a message that together
we are unified in exposing and shutting down illegal movers in our
state.
I would like to ask that you join us at our CMSA
Convention in May to learn more about our efforts to become a voice
for all permitted movers alike. We will have many speakers and lots
of new information to help you prepare for this year’s moving
season. From the very start, I have always maintained that we are
much stronger in numbers. Having a strong membership will help our
message resonate throughout California and to be part of the
solution for fair and equitable business environment.
Finally, this is not goodbye. Instead, I will do all I can to remain
active on the Board, as I soon become your Senior Chairman, and in
my chapter as we continue to gain traction to grow our Association
to benefit our members. I want to thank you all for your support and
involvement over the past year; I have received so much out of this
experience as your Chairman. I look forward to welcoming our
Chairman-Elect PJ Welch. I am confident that he will continue to
work hard to bring us all the value we expect from CMSA. I want to
extend much gratitude for those who have served on my Board; these
folks are a committed group of men and women who give so much of
themselves to ensure CMSA continues to be the strongest state
association in the United States. Lastly, I would like to extend a
big thanks to our entire CMSA staff; they have been instrumental to
me from day one with their endless support throughout my term as
Chairman.
See you in Santa Barbara!
April 2013
- CMSA
Communicator
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