NPMA - National Property Management Association

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Phil Sanders to the post as NPMA Digest Editor. Mr. Sanders is a CPPA with over 30 years experience in logistics and property management. He is currently the Manager of Property Management for Battelle Energy Alliance, the Management and Operations contractor for Idaho National Laboratory. Phil says he loves to write, so I expect he will contribute to The Digest as well as edit our publication. He will be a great addition to the NPMA Digest staff.

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NPMA Chapter of the Year

Gary Quinn, CPPM, Director of Awards

The NPMA Executive Board recently voted to accept changes to the “Chapter of the Year” (COY) award criteria. The objectives of the changes are:

Make scoring the petitions less subjective
Make the criteria based more on chapter accomplishments and less on individual accomplishments
Create templates that allow a chapter considering submitting a petition to “fill in the blanks”
Provide incentives for chapters to petition for COY.

With the help of the region awards directors and several executive board members, we were able to simplify the petition, make the criteria more objective, and shift more of the scoring criteria to what the chapter accomplished as a group. In reviewing the entire package, the executive board voted to increase the award for the national winners in each size category from $100 to $1,000.

Over the past several years NPMA has made it clear that smaller chapters should compete for COY. The executive board recognized that smaller chapters are at a disadvantage to the larger chapters that have more robust financial and human resources available to support chapter programs and put together impressive COY petitions. The first step to leveling the playing field was to create awards for small, medium and large size chapters instead of just one COY award. The chapter sizes are based upon active membership on December 31 of the year, with one third of the chapters fitting into each category based upon their membership numbers. This allows the smaller chapters to compete on a level playing field against only the other small chapters.

The criteria were realigned to make the process more objective and aligned more toward chapter accomplishments. There are now only ten criteria, which measure:

The professionalism of the petition itself
Chapter participation at meetings, regional and national seminars
Chapter sponsorship of property management educational events
Certification levels of chapter members and efforts to increase member levels
Chapter programs (chapter meetings, chapter member speakers and outside guest speakers)
Chapter organization and structure (committees/goals/accomplishments)
Chapter membership retention and recruiting efforts
Regional and national level contributions to NPMA by individual members of the chapter
Chapter communications (newsletter/website)
Other accomplishments by the chapter outside educational and professional property management development, such as charity work or interaction and collaboration with other professional organizations.

The second step accomplished for this year was to develop easy to follow templates that will be made available to the chapters. One template is a Microsoft Word “fill in the blanks.” The other template is in Microsoft PowerPoint format. Either template allows the chapter to merely fill in the blanks or get more elaborate by inserting pictures, enclosures or video.

For those chapters that have been focusing on the criteria that have been on the NPMA website for the past two years, fear not. The new criteria are now posted and should not hurt a chapter that had focused on the old criteria. The changes are subtle, and the procedures simpler. To find out more about Chapter of the Year, click on the following link: Chapter of the Year Award

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E-mail Blasts – Promoting NPMA Programs & Events

Felicia Johnson, Marketing Manager

As the NPMA membership continues to grow (we are now at 4,000+), one of the best ways to communicate to our members is through e-mail blasts. E-mail blasts allow NPMA HQ to send one message to all members at one time. Generally, NPMA courses and certification programs are promoted via e-mail blasts; however, NPMA chapters and regions may also utilize HQ to promote their programs and events via e-mail blasts. It is a very simple process.

Contact Felicia Johnson at HQ via e-mail (fjohnson@npma.org) or telephone (727-736-4727).
Provide all the details regarding your program or event: date(s), location, time, cost, guest speakers and topics, etc.
Select dates when you want the e-mail blast distributed. (HQ will distribute two e-mail blasts per program/event.) Typically, 60 and 30 days prior to the event are good. If possible, notify HQ at least 90 days in advance of your event.

Please note: Because we do not want to inundate our members with messages, we try to limit our distribution to a maximum of three e-mails per week. NPMA courses and certification programs have first priority for scheduling, and e-mail blasts for chapters or regional events are scheduled accordingly.

While the e-mail blasts are a great way to get the word out about an upcoming event, it is also a good idea to use other forms of communication as part of your promotion plan. You may want to check with the editorial teams for The Property Professional and The Digest to find out what you need to do to promote your program or event in those publications. Don't forget about your company newsletters and the local media. You can find news release templates on the NPMA website under "Chapter Support." News releases are also very effective tools for getting the word out about your event.

If you have any questions about e-mail blasts or promoting your events, please contact Felicia Johnson, Marketing Manager at NPMA HQ.

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NPMA Says Goodbye to Linda Smith

Linda Smith, Professional Development Coordinator, is leaving NPMA to return to the Northwest. During her two years at NPMA, Linda has been responsible for coordinating education, including on-site courses and the certification program. According to Bonnie Schlag, NPMA Executive Director, "Linda has done a wonderful job working with our members. She has played a very important role in contributing to the success of our certification program and the increase in our course enrollments." Linda's last day with NPMA will be on February 10.

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CHAPTER & REGIONAL NEWS

Tidewater Chapter Receives Charter

David Call

The Tidewater Chapter of the National Property Management Association is officially open for business. The chapter conducted its inaugural meeting on September 14, 2005 at the Olive Garden restaurant in Hampton, VA. Mr. Douglas Plude, CPPM, Tidewater Chapter’s first president called the meeting to order. There were 17 charter members and four guests attending the inaugural meeting representing property management specialists from various organizations throughout the Tidewater area.

Guest speakers for the event included Mr. Jim Dieter, 2005 Property Person of the Year, and Ms Christina Hutto, President of the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Chapter who also presided over the official installation of all new Tidewater Chapter officers. Additionally, Christina provided certificates to all charter members in attendance. Chapter officers include Douglas Plude, CPPM, President; Debbie Lassiter, CPPM, Vice-President; Brenda Barba, CPPM, Secretary; Susan Avery, Treasurer; Darryl Scott, CPPM, alternate Secretary; and Jennifer Batcha, CPPA, alternate Treasurer.

As there was no “old” business to discuss, the meeting focused on information exchange and strategies for continued success as property management professionals and as a NPMA chapter. All members and attendees expressed great interest in being associated with such a worthwhile cause and are excited about the future. The chapter leadership members genuinely desire to participate and grow a team of professionals that not only contributes to the professional development of the local chapter, but also reaches out to all property professionals in the Tidewater area.

Mr. David Call, ManTech International Inc, is a member of the Tidewater Chapter. David is a 25-year Navy veteran who joined the Navy PP&E Management Support Team in August 2003.

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Exciting Rebirth of the Rocky Mountain Chapter

Mike D. Russell, CPPS, Rocky Mountain Chapter President

Is your chapter participation declining? Are you struggling to figure out how to turn the tide and return to grander days? Well, you’re not alone. Our Rocky Mountain Chapter has been faced with this very issue for several years. Over the last five years, a small group of members managed to keep our chapter ticking with a faint heartbeat. These dedicated members served several terms as officers due to a lack of membership involvement because of family and work commitments. With the pace of today’s life and the cost of raising a family, it becomes a growing challenge for our members to stay involved, which is understandable. You may ask; “So how can you keep your members active? Well, I will say it is not an easy task and can be overwhelming at times.

The Rocky Mountain Chapter started by electing new officers in 2005. This was an attempt to bring in new blood and ideas. Our 2005 officers have drawn from the Chapter’s past officers’ experience to focus on structuring chapter activities to be more convenient for our members. Our first step was to craft a survey to send out to all of our members to gain a better understanding of what they liked about our chapter and what they did not like. This approach helped us gain insight into how to begin building future membership participation. The survey information we received about why people didn’t participate in Chapter activities ranged from our meetings not adding value, meeting times not being convenient, and lack of special topics and guest speakers. These were just a few of the reasons mentioned in the survey.

Both the new and past officers reviewed the survey responses and began discussing various ideas of how to restructure our activities and effectively communicate the changes. One important change was to provide teleconference numbers so that members could call in. We arranged for meetings to be held during the lunch hour. These new changes made it easier for members to participate, facilitated their participation through the call in capability, and supported their need to get home to their families and other responsibilities.

Other approaches were to bring in special speakers to discuss topics like UID, RFID and the pending FAR rewrite. This added value for our members and gave them a forum for discussing concerns, issues, and ideas on how their company is approaching these new requirements. To make it even more dynamic, we asked our government customers to also participate as guest speakers.

The next step was to build a vision for the Chapter that would increase membership excitement and evolvement. Our vision needed to address the very concerns that our members listed on the survey; value, training, and making meeting times palatable for busy members. This made the vision personal and communicated that the Chapter is listening to our membership and acting on concerns. I have to say this worked out very well for our chapter.

Committees were added to ensure survey concerns are reviewed and new ideas developed. We hoped that adding committees would increase interest and participation from our members. As an example, one of the new committees is a WEB page team. This team developed the Chapter’s web site to include links to key and valuable WEB sites. By far the most popular committee turned out to be the Regional and National Conference team who pursued hosting a Central Region Conference and pushing for a National Conference. Other committees of note are focused on member training, the Chapter’s newsletter, and membership.

The last piece and the key to pulling all of this together, as I’m sure you would agree, is effectively communicating the changes to our membership. We crafted a chapter email introducing the new officers, our goals as officers, and how excited we were to be challenged with making our chapter a valuable tool for their companies and their professional development.

The rest is, as they say, history. Our chapter meetings have increased from having 8 participants to having 26 to 35 of our 80 plus membership. We even hold quarterly meetings at a local restaurant, which now draws 20 plus members. Our Chapter has secured the 2008 Central Region Conference that our members are very excited about. We have a 12-person committee already in the planning phase. If that isn’t enough, we have begun talking with the NPMA main office to secure the 2009 National in Denver, Colorado.

As you can see, it is not easy work. We still have a long way to go before we take a rest. It is possible to transform your Chapter as well. I encourage your chapter officers to take the challenge of bringing excitement, value, and a vision to breathe new life into your local chapter.

A special thanks to Kathryn Green, Marilyn Richter, James Griffin, and Craig Augustin, members and past officers of the Denver Chapter, who all played a key role in keeping our chapter going and helping with the rebirth.

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NPMA Represented at GSA Conference

David Pradt, Western Region Marketing Director

On November 2, 2005, the General Services Administration (GSA) held a “Property Custodian 101” conference here at the Department of Interior, Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was sponsored by Mr. Eddie Panko, GSA Area Property Officer from Oklahoma City, OK. This was a one day event with 130 participants from Southern Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Northwest Texas.

The agenda consisted of:

Computers for Learning
Abandonment & Destruction
UNICOR Electronic Recycling
Utilization of Excess Property
Donation of Surplus Property
Procurement of New Property
GSAXcess.gov (FEDS)
Sales of Personal Property
Where to Find Property Information

It was great time to refresh our property skills and best of all “network” with other agencies in our area. In addition, we learned about the annual GSA Expo event that will be held in San Antonio, TX on May 16-18, 2006.

At every opportunity during the conference, I spoke about the National Property Management Association by giving out informational brochures on who we are and what we do. In addition, I handed out luggage tags, candy and pens that the national office provided for the event. Felicia Johnson, the NPMA Marketing Manager was most helpful with information and these items. I think we attracted some new NPMA members from our participation in this conference.

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TIPS/INFO OF THE DAY

Federal Center Chapter Sponsors Federal Property Certification Course

February 27 – March 3, 2006

Washington, DC

Department of Education Building
400 "C" St. S.W.

Course Instructor: Mike Driessen, CPPM

CEUs: 5.0

Fees:

Member: $660.00

Non-Member: $735.00

The Federal Certification curriculum is written for federal personnel and contractors who are involved in the property management cycle. It covers categories of property management from pre-acquisition through disposition of property. Principal skills and techniques required for effective management of assets or personal property are covered in depth. Tuition includes the certification testing fees for Certified Professional Property Administrator (CPPA) and the NPMA Federal Property Manual, a $165 value.

Special arrangements for individuals requiring only Modules 1 and 2 for CPPS Certification or only Modules 3 and 4 for CPPA Certification can be made by calling NPMA Headquarters at 727-736-3788. Cost for the two-day course is $400 for members; $475 for non-members (includes one-year membership in NPMA.)