In my last president’s letter, I wrote about “change”, change in our country, in the different industries, and in our own. Change is exactly what the GAA has been going through and good change it is. Although the first half of 2009 has been much about transition for our association, I am excited about the direction that GAA is heading going into the second half of the year.
As most of you know, we changed our association management company from NAA to West Georgia Association Management Specialists at the end of 2008. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, our friend and current association manager Linda Stanley is not going to be managing our association much longer. The summer conference will be her last with us. We will miss her and hope you will keep her in your prayers.
We will be announcing the new management company at the summer conference and talking more about the direction we are heading including regularly updated websites, emails, increased member benefits, membership drives, trade shows etc… It is great to be a part of the GAA right now and look forward to seeing the path it takes over the next year.
I hope everyone is making plans to to attend the summer conference on beautiful St. Simons Island. This is always a great event and a fantastic place to bring your family and enjoy the Georgia coast at one of Georgia’s Historic landmarks, The King & Prince Beach & Golf Resort. Attending the conference is open for members or non-members alike and is a great opportunity for anyone to network, gain industry knowledge, or simply earn your continuing education credits. For those of you who are not members, the summer conference is a great event to find out what the association is all about. Now is the time to become a member and be apart of the new direction we are heading.
To register for the convention, simply fill out the form in this newsletter or go online to www.gaaauctioneers.org to print it out. Also, don’t forget to make your room reservations at the King & Prince (1-800-342-0212)
In closing I would like to personally thank the Board of Directors and the members who have put forth an extra effort in the last 6 months of transition to help make the GAA a better association.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars! We’ll see you in St. Simons.
L.W. “Bo” Benton Jr.
GAA President