I hope the warm weather has arrived in your city and you are enjoying it as you are reading this month’s message.At the beginning of the year I made a commitment to the OIAA executive: we were going to work very hard this year, and we were going to have fun doing it. I know for sure that the executive has worked very hard this year, and I certainly think we all had fun doing it. I would like to say thank you to the executive for all their hard work. They have certainly kept our members active and involved.
I turn the leadership over to your incoming president, Spencer Bailey, who will certainly continue to keep the association’s best interests in mind and move our organization into the future. Congratulations, Spencer, and all the best in your year as president.
At this time of the year we have some executive members who move on so others can have an opportunity to serve on our executive. I wish to thank Brian Nauss, Ed Tillaart and Jackie Timothy for all their hard work and volunteer time while serving on the executive. No words can say how much we all appreciate it. Being the president is a very time-consuming position, and we all know that time is precious and support is needed from other individuals. I wish to say thank you to my wife Christine and my kids Roger and Amanda for the support they provided throughout my term as president. I would also like to thank my employer, ING, and my fellow co-workers for their support this past year.
During the past 12 months I have been invited to many insurance functions and OIAA chapters. I wish to thank everyone for inviting me and for the hospitality that was provided. You can just imagine how many people I met, but I can certainly say they made me feel as though I had known them for some time, as we all share common concerns and situations in our industry. As someone said, “Be proud to be an insurance professional, and let the public know you are a professional.” We all know that this will be my final president’s message during my term as the OIAA president, but I can assure you that it will not be the last time that you will hear from me or see me. Even though my term as president has come to a completion, I don’t feel it is the end. I will continue with my involvement in the OIAA as much as possible. It is the continued support that all of you give the association that makes the OIAA successful, and your continued support will ensure this in the future. A leader can bring an organization forward, but only its members make the organization work. Remember, it is your organization. I am proud to have been your president over the past year, but I am even prouder to have been a member of the OIAA during my years in the insurance industry. If there is one thing that you appreciate while being involved in the OIAA, it is that you make a lot of friends. I consider each and every one of you friends. Thank you for the opportunity of allowing me to be your president this year, but most of all, thank you for being a friend.
In closing, I am looking forward to seeing all of you in my hometown, Thunder Bay, in 2006 for our first Out-of-Town meeting; please show the support that the Thunder Bay chapter has shown for your chapter. If you are ever in Thunder Bay, please give me a call! I will be more than happy to spend some time with you, even if it is only five minutes.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer with your friends and love ones.
