January 2007
January 31st, 2007
Coming soon – the 2007 Annual Conference in Penticton, BC. Mark the dates in your calendar and plan to be there April 21st to April 25th. As usual the Annual Conference will be a combination of learning, networking and fun. The learning takes place on the Wednesday in the technology transfer sessions and on Monday and Tuesday through regular conference sessions. Plus you will have a chance to take part in tours on Sunday where you can see, first hand, some of the newest and best facilities in the water and wastewater industry here in BC and at the Trade Show where you will have an opportunity to speak directly with manufacturers, suppliers and consultants who know this industry. There will be many opportunities to meet with, and talk to, colleagues you know and those you want to meet at various venues at the conference. These might be a luncheon, or the banquet, or the Trade Show, or the AGM. And the fun starts with a golf tournament and does not end until the last card has been dealt at the fun casino after the banquet on Tuesday evening. If you haven’t already made arrangements to attend, check out the details on our website at bcwwa.org. Don’t miss it!
January 24th, 2007
Over the past months there have been many changes in the BCWWA office. We said good-bye to a number of our ‘old’ staffers and welcomed some new ones. If you have not been able to keep up – here is a quick update. Last February we welcomed our new CEO, Natalie Zigarlick. She is working with the Board to implement the various changes to governance and operations that you all see. In the fall we added a new position, the Communications and Projects Coordinator, which is held by Matt Derouin, to help to consolidate our facility arrangements and handle the various communications vehicles that are a part of BCWWA. We have a new Bookkeeper/Office Manager, Judy Zhang, who is handling both paying the bills and incurring some of the office ones. Starting next week Aaron Louie will be filling the vacancy in the Training and Education department. Plus we have added a conference planner, Judy Williams, to the list of people who are working in the best interests of BCWWA. And finally we are in the process of filling the vacant membership, CCC and general office administration position. David Icharia, our longest serving staffer, is working to provide historical perspective for these new faces. These people bring new energy and new ideas to the work that we do. All of the BCWWA members are encouraged to connect with our new staff team. If you have the chance to talk with them, please do, they all work for us.
January 17th, 2007
Next Wednesday, the 24th of January, is the deadline for nominations to the 2007 – 2008 Board of Directors. What is different about this year is the fact that the elections will take place in advance of the AGM, and everyone will have a chance to participate, even if they are not at the conference. If you have a particular interest in participating on the Board, or you think that a colleague or co-member would be a good choice, you have a week left to make a nomination for the coming year. Go to our "Call for Nominations" page and follow the directions for making a nomination. Soon all of our members will be asked to vote on their choice for representatives – because that is what the Board is, a group of representatives of the membership who work to serve the best interests of our organization. If you don’t want to be on the Board, or you don’t have the time, your perspectives are still important. Be sure to let us know what you think about what is happening with BCWWA and what you would like to see going on. You can call our CEO at any time, Natalie Zigarlick at 604.433.7824, to pass on your thoughts.
January 10th, 2007
The Board and Leadership Council met in early December of last year to look at potential directions for the coming year. We also considered the areas of priority of BCWWA energies, since we can’t do everything for everyone. One huge consensus – we are, and want to remain, the leading source of information and training about water related operations in BC and the Yukon. We have reached this status through courses and conferences, seminars and workshops, and we plan to continue with these ventures. But we are looking at ways to expand on these initiatives with things as diverse as on-line courses and new specialty sessions. One thing that all of the members, and potential members, of BCWWA can do to help make these aims come to fruition is to let us know the training that they want to see happening. Call me at 604.952.3425, or call our CEO, Natalie Zigarlick at 604.438.7824. We look forward to hearing from you.
January 3rd, 2007
The calendar year has just come to a close but the BCWWA year continues for several more months. In that time we will be working with our team to deliver more of what our members want to see. The 2007 Membership and Buyers’ Guide went out a few weeks ago. You should all have received yours by now, and if you haven’t please contact Matt at mderouin@bcwwa.org to let him know. You will see in this directory some information about who BCWWA is, how we are operating and member services and benefits. If your listing needs correction please complete the form on page 13 and get it back to us. We can’t change this year’s guide, but we want to update our information in the BCWWA database and ensure that it is correct for next year’s guide. An important part of BCWWA publications is the advertising that helps to bring those publications to you. A big thank you goes to our Manufacturer Supplier Consultant (MSC) members and supporters. With their help we are stronger, and with the directory, more accessible. I’m looking forward to a positive new year.
