It’s yet another steaming hot day in the Southern California desert as I sit down to write this article. While the temperature and humidity remain high, a quick check of the books confirms that this year’s peak season is coming to an end. As much as I would like to take a break or take a trip to put some distance between myself and the moving business, I always find the slow months to be much more stressful than the busy months. Summertime brings many challenges to my business. How to service an extra order when you are already overbooked? How to make space in crowded warehouses for another storage lot? Wintertime also brings many stresses. How do I keep my employees busy? And new for this winter: Is that truck worth investing in a CARB-compliant exhaust system and keeping it?

 

Fortunately, I was able to take a quick break in August and attend the second-ever Executive Board Retreat in Napa. I must admit that last year I thought Chairman Rick Hosea and CMSA President Steve Weitekamp were crazy to organize a meeting during the middle of the season to discuss issues important to the CMSA and the moving industry. I could not have been more wrong. I would like to thank all of the Executive Board members who attended the retreat. As a group, we discussed strategies to not simply increase membership but how to increase participation of all members and what value is added to movers who are members of the CMSA. We discussed member expectations and what types of programs could be developed that would provide unique benefits to CMSA members. We discussed what we, as Board Members, could do to encourage and develop future leaders of the CMSA. We also agreed to support one another by attending as many chapter meetings and chapter events as possible and to encourage as many members in our chapters to also participate in other chapter events.

 

The Executive Board Retreat, like every other CMSA event I have ever attended, would not have been as successful without the support of our Associate Members. While I could never thank all of the Associate Members for their dedication and service to both the moving industry and the CMSA, I would like to point out a few members for their contributions to the CMSA and to me personally. I would like to thank Lisa Paul and Paul Hanson Partners Specialty Insurance for helping to find an incredible meeting space in Napa and for sponsoring the Saturday night dinner at the retreat. I would like to thank Mark Hildreth and New Haven Moving Equipment for sponsoring the retreat’s Friday night dinner. On a more personal note, I would also like to thank Mike Blower and Jason Blower of Pioneer Packing for taking my father and I on an incredible trip to San Clemente Island aboard the Pacific Pioneer. I feel that I am fortunate to be able to partner with many Associate Members for the goods and services provided so that I may keep my moving business running smoothly and efficiently. I feel even more fortunate to have become great friends with our Associate Members and would like to thank all of them for the good times!

 

As summer turns to fall, I would like to encourage all CMSA members to begin attending chapter meetings. The CMSA finds its strength in its members and their participation. As Chairman, I look forward to meeting with as many members as possible as I visit each chapter. I have the responsibility of listening to your concerns and presenting those concerns to the CMSA Board. I encourage all of you to work with your Chapter Presidents and help them as they plan meetings and fundraisers that support the CMSA Scholarship Fund. Please join me at your local meeting as I travel to each chapter, making new friends and having a great time.