Welcome to 2017—a year when many changes will enhance IAEI’s position in the electrical industry and will bolster your membership! You will have new products, exciting training opportunities, and additional support for Code enforcement professionals.
I have seen this great organization, which is respected throughout the electrical industry and the building community at-large, guide those who interact with electrical energy, achieve electrical safety often against great odds, and gain compliance with the Codes and Standards through education and training. Our mission and our work have touched everyone in our society who uses or comes into contact with electricity!
IAEI is now poised to make our voice even stronger so that it will be heard even more throughout the electrical industry. Over the next few months, our CEO will inform you of the exciting changes as they are implemented. Stay tuned and watch the newsletter, magazine, and email for those announcements!
Members and stakeholders of IAEI have recognized that the world has changed and that many younger people feel disconnected and not a part of the Association. The Board of Directors has heard that message loud and clear. Therefore, over the next twelve months, members will see a new outreach that is inclusive of all who participate and are involved not only in the enforcement of electrical safety but in carrying out safe and compliant installations. The Board accepts this mandate because it has come from you, our membership, and is one that the Board takes seriously. I am eager to hear continued input from our members throughout the year as IAEI’s new strategic plan takes root.
Over the past few years, you have been hearing about changes to the Association. Some of you may have participated in one of the focus groups that were held at the Section meetings or have done the online survey. Our industry partners were also surveyed about how they see the Association and where its place is within the electrical industry. The input has been invaluable for your Board of Directors to fully understand what you the members are seeking as resources. With the guidance of a professional consultant and input from a group of talented people from the Association who volunteered their time to serve on the Strategic Planning Committee, your Board has made a commitment to advance IAEI into the 21st century.
IAEI is about electrical safety and support for the enforcement community, but it is apparent the community has changed. Electrical inspectors continue doing multi-discipline inspections, but the inspectors themselves are not necessarily from the electrical trade. Many of them come from a digital background of communication and training. They do not receive their education and training from typical delivery systems.
To ensure that competent and quality inspections still occur, a new model of education and collaboration has to be put into place. The Association is working on adapting new models to meet the demand required by the new generation of enforcers while still maintaining the current delivery systems for existing members. This adaption requires a new path and one that responds quickly to the changing educational environment. A new strategic plan and policies that bring these new models to fruition is exactly what your Board of Directors and staff have been working on.
Lastly, the IAEI staff works tirelessly in providing all the services and resources that you request to meet your expectations. They are an amazing group who are committed to providing you the best service ever, creating and delivering products, books, training, and support. As we go through the ensuing changes with implementation and roll out of the new strategic plan, there may be a few bumps. Change always brings a little uncertainty, but you know that the staff of the IAEI International Office is there for you and they want your membership experience to be excellent.
Thank you for your membership and support of IAEI. I look forward to serving you and the Association this year. It is an honor and privilege to be your president during this exciting time for the organization we all love and respect. I look forward to a great year.
Here’s to IAEI growing even stronger as the leader of electrical safety and enforcement.
For 1 IAEI!
Dave Hill, 2017 President