Community Meetings

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We. We have a full agenda, and so let’s go ahead and just get started.

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We are scheduled for an hour, but we will stay as long as it takes.

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Back to discussing snowmobiles. We are certainly able to do that.

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So alright, so a quick agenda we’re gonna do you know, we have some reports from the the bulk and from my office, and then committee reports Graham have a special discussion about the executive director search end a special call for new members and also answering any questions about

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The new member program

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Few notes, please. By the way, if you have if you’re gonna make noise, mute your microphone just for all of us.

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But also note that this is being recorded so if there’s anything that you do not want to say in public, and be held accountable for, mute your microphone, if you don’t want to be on the video, please turn off your video camera, also remember that we have a chat going and we post up

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The video and the transcripts and the chat, and all the links.

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And we create actually a pretty good resource out of this.

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And that is over. At Nsi, tsp org. Just go to the meetings dropped down and there you’re gonna find the recorded meetings as well as a schedule of the upcoming meetings.

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We post the meeting also on Youtube. So it’s on our Youtube channel, which is just Ns Itsp, and so anyway, participate to whatever extent you wish, but also know that this is being recorded.

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So you know you, you need to monitor yourself because we’re not gonna monitor.

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You, with that we’ll go ahead and actually start with the content and the content starts with our President. Amy.

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Bad and check

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Alright. Thank you, Carl. Well, update from the board.

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You know this past quarter. We have been focused on filling committees, which we talked about last time and begged for your participation, and we did get lots of participation.

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So so that was pretty good. We also worked on setting the parameters for the executive director search, which we’re gonna talk about more later, I still feel like we could use more bodies on the marketing committee now, you don’t have to be artistic and you don’t have to be a

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Marketing professional. You just need to know a good idea when you hear one and be able to help us come up with great ideas.

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So please consider helping us out in in that area. We also created a new management.

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Sorry Communication Management Team it is yet to be populated, but its purpose is going to be to create official responses to cybersecurity.

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Events, from the industry, right from our perspective on the industry. It is also going to create, a ready to use set of materials for media.

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We need to understand our industry. What we do, what we stand for, and that kind of thing.

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The board is also becoming consumed with obtaining enough funding to launch this organization into a stable and self-sustaining financial future and to that end we are going to need additional vendor members, and we need your help to make those contacts so please contact carl and I with your

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Introductions, and I’m not going to say too much today, because I don’t want to steal a thunder from our hard-working committees except to say that you’re going to hear about the process that has been laid out for the executive search.

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Your opportunities to join that effort you’re going to hear about a new marketing campaign.

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New membership levels and activities of the Legislative Committee, which are really heating up.

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While I do still have the floor. I want to remind all of you that we have a presence.

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We need to have a presence at every industry event. So if you are going to an event, contact the host and request a nonprofit table, then we will send you a table cover and some business cards, and you get to tell everybody at that event what is great and why they should join this organization, and don’t

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be afraid to do it. It’s a really great experience you get to meet everyone that’s at the event and make some great business contacts.

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So Carline, I will help you out with that, and maybe even get you connected with other of our members that are going to be at that same event.

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So you can do it together I’m gonna be at Chicago along with Jason is gonna be in Chicago as well, and we’re going to have the table over there. So if you’re at Msp rescue, I think that’s the next time that we’re gonna be

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represented. Oh, we’re also gonna be at Smb, Texas.

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They have a table over there, too, so we need to get out next, you know.

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Make sure that the the entire world of this industry knows knows that we exist.

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Andrew, just piped into the chat that he’s gonna be at Ascii Edge in in Southern California.

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So, Andrew, we can get you some stuff. So thank you for all your help.

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And, Carl, let’s move forward with reports

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Very good, thank you. Unfortunately, Andrew Ascii doesn’t have a place for us to have a table at their events.

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So that’s just the way they are, and so I will see you there.

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So make sure you buy me a beer, but we won’t have a table there.

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So a few notes on the you know the stats of what we’ve been doing so right now, we as of like this morning we’re at 297 paid members and 568 registered members.

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So the paid members is up about 49. Since our last quarterly meeting, and we have been meeting our goals.

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So our our goal for this year is to renew everybody and get about 15 new members per month, and obviously, if we can do more than that, we absolutely want to.

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But we are reaching those goals. The number of vendors has remained the same.

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So we absolutely need more vendors, and you know part of part of what we need to look at is our finances right?

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And you know all of our board meetings are open and all of our committee meetings are open, and you can attend them online.

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I wouldn’t know that at the top of the website there has magically appeared a link called Resources, and it will give you access to all of the legislative handouts that Dennis talked about at our last meeting, but also all of the new things that are coming out in terms.

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Of Logos, marketing materials, and so forth. That’s where we’re going to post resources.

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And eventually that site will be divided up into multiple pages.

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And so forth, but go check out the resources link at the top.

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Also the meetings. Link has been expanded so that it now includes a list of all of the committee meetings that you can attend, and it has a direct link you don’t need to register for committee meetings or board meetings.

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You can just go there and you know you do have to be logged in as a paid member.

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But you can just go ahead and attend any of our meetings in terms of finances.

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We are doing. Okay, we’re doing what we had hoped to do, minus getting a new vendor here and there.

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And so right now, our cash is okay, but it will slowly, deep over time.

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If we don’t get additional vendors. So we really need a lot of members to to sort of pump us up.

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But we’re we also need those vendor partners down the road.

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Few announcements. The next meeting for all of us is May tenth, and that is just as always.

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The second Wednesday of the quarter, and so, second Wednesday, the second month of the quarter, so mark your calendars and join us there.

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I’m gonna have 9 posts, our social media links into the the chat.

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So you can join us on all of our social media and we’re gonna talk about that.

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The Marketing committee has put together some really great stuff and is pumping that to my team who is pumping it to social media.

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So nice, and chart of our Hootsuite account, and is doing an excellent job there.

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So when you see those posts like them and share them, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, or whatever, make sure that you help get the work.

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Huge. Thank you to our vendor partners and you know all of all of the people who are vendor partners have been participating.

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And I really really appreciate that. And so you know, please reach out to your vendors and ask them to participate at a higher level.

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We would love to have them engage, and they can just contact me.

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And I’m just Carl with a K. Carl. P.

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It’s small business, or I’m at the ends.

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I tsp.org and I’ll be happy to chat with any of the vendors.

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Yeah.

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Hey, Carl, I’m sorry. Do we have any sponsor packages to find that we could share with a a vendor

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Well, so we have a At on our website. There’s a vendor link.

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It says, get involved in one of the options is vendor.

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So there all the vendor partner program materials are there, and I think pretty clearly defined.

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If you have questions about what’s there, I would be happy to talk to you, and we can change that site updated whatever we need to do to make it more clear.

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One of the things that we’ve done with vendors is we?

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We we don’t want a tiered system where one vendor gives us so much money that they basically claim the right to put their logo on every single thing we do, and we appear to be owned by them.

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And there are vendors, that’s the only way they would give money, so that’s just the reality of it.

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So we want the vendors who are would say, We need you.

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We need strong partners. We need a strong industry in order to be successful, and so there is really only one vendor program you’re either in or you’re out.

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But there’s different levels of giving based on what different vendors can afford

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Hey? Can I ask a question, Carl? This is Keith.

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Absolutely.

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Do we have anything that I off? I could download off the website to bring to Smb.

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Texas took tomorrow and Friday

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I will get you some materials. I did so we’ve probably talked about this offline.

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At the tablecloth and the card

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But basically, I thought we had mailed a tablecloth, and and you and you have stickers and and cards.

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Okay, so you just need handouts

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Yeah, I was just looking at. I can. I’ll take it and get it printed.

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Alright!

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I mean pay for it. That’s no big deal, but people want to see something besides my good looking face at a booth

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I don’t know why anybody would want anything else. Got it, anyway.

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We, I I will work on that

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Thank you.

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With that. Unfortunately, our Vice President can’t be here today as she’s making a presentation. She’s making a speech right now.

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So you, I’m going to introduce the committee to.

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So Mr. Dennis will kick off with you.

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Please don’t take the entire hour because you’ve done been doing so much work

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Yes, I noticed that that I I’m not actually Dennis Miller.

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Well, there you go!

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I’m Dennis Wilson, but so

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You know that’s been up there for, like 3 events, I I have no idea what where that came from. But anyway, Dennis Wilson

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The the comedian, the comedian is is Dennis Miller.

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He’s one of the few, if I remember right, that actually spells Dennis correctly with one end

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Alright goodness, awesome

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Anyway, I wanted to talk about the Legislative committee.

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We we have a great group of community members and attendees that have been working with us at that committee.

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Jason Harrison’s our Vice president, Keith Nelson is is the secretary we’ve got Andrew Crawford James.

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Ted Geezler. I hope I didn’t screw that up, and Trevor Deodorf besides that, with that Amy and Karl and and Jeff Grenier, who have been showing up for most of the meetings, and we’ll

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really want to thank you to our vendor attendees.

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Ben, Europe, row and joy abeland add cliptics, and 7 7 resp.

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Anyway, the we want to talk about our projects that we’re looking at for this quarter.

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We we currently have a couple of pieces done, which is the how to pamphlet on working with legislators, that that’s done in an up now as well as the first video.

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Which goes with the pamphlet, talking about the how to use of dealing with legislators.

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There’s another. We’re I’m not sure how how many.

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We ended up with a 7 to 10, probably in that area of these, 5 to 10 min videos that are more focused on the individual questions that the how to pamphlet talks about.

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So the second one we’re working on currently and and so this quarter we should have.

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Oh, probably in the range of 4 or 5 of them done next we’re we’re dealing with the wallet, sized battle cards, and a resources brochure that currently is is in process.

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We are working with the Marketing Committee on Potential Joint Projects and templates for videos and brochures and Powerpoints.

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That kind of stuff. Everything looks consistent across all of that that is being printed or or put on the social media.

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And last, of those things that are in process right now is the a potential example of a a legislation that we might put out for recommendation to to the legislators so they could see what kind of thing we’re interested in, how how we would answer the

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The question of of what is it that we need to do?

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Okay, we. We have a couple of others that that might pop in, but probably not.

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That’ll be for the next quarter. And so that’s it.

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Thank you, sir. I appreciate that. So so the the I do wanna just take a second and shout out to Daniel Burrow, who has been spectacular and just donated.

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I wouldn’t say maybe not hundreds of hours, but many, many dozens of hours, and maybe a 100, and really help the legislative committee with the the legislation into Zoom put together.

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You know some thoughts that are as as least restrictive as possible, and you know one of the things that’s kind of weird to think about is that if you go to any State in the United States of America, there is no chapter in the law entitled it Service providers or computer

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Consultants. So it’s very, very interesting. Given that, you know the people who cut your hair and your lawn have to be licensed with the stuff.

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Alright, finance, committee, Tracy sent me a note that she’s also getting a speech or or making a sales presentation today.

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So she’s not here

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Oh, you are okay. Well, now.

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I’m here. I’m here. I made it. You didn’t catch that last email, my other meeting canceled right before this one.

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So I was able to make it

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I did not alright, so Amy’s got a I mean a trace.

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Well, Amy does, too, but Tracy’s got a priority.

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Stick straight, and we’re more important than her clients. So

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What’s going on with finance

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Yeah, well, it’s a little bit slow time for us at this time.

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A year. However, we’ve been working with the Board on enhancements to the membership contribution program.

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Basically, some members want to give above and beyond what our standard membership offers.

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So we want to provide waste of doing that. And plus what you had said, Karl, we really want to be.

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Get our money more for members than for vendors, so this will help drive that we hope that more of our members will step forward, and we want to recognize members that do that and give above and beyond.

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So, let’s try to get this finance through our members instead of these vendors.

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Also, we do need another member, or we have 6 right now.

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Could use the seventh, you can be either an It service person or a vendor.

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At this point it doesn’t matter. We we’ve got a good balance on the team.

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You don’t have to know anything about accounting, or even math.

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You just have to care about how Ns, Itsp spends its money.

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We meet once a month for about an hour. If you’re interested, please put your contact in info in the chat.

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If that’s okay with you, Karl, if you put it there, I’ll go, or you can reach out through the Ns.

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Itsp website. Once you’ve logged in, you know, you click on a link called get ball and volunteer, and there you can volunteer relief for any committee you must be a paid member to volunteer on one of the committees by the way, we meet on the third Wednesday of every month

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At 11 Am. Eastern or 8 Am. Pacific, and that’s what I have

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Very good, sorry for coughing. I have allergies as usual, so, and and I just want to reiterate that the Finance Committee is mostly about policy.

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It it’s about. Where should we spend our finite resources and so the Finance committee is.

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They go through a cycle just just like any other finance organization, so they they’re going to be talking to the other committees.

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What do you have in mind? You know what what kinds of things do you want?

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Unfortunately, every committee wants to spend roughly a 1 million dollars.

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So you know you can’t all get into the budget.

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But the Finance Committee is is the organization that helps us put together the budget.

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So you just have to know about about what you want. This organization to be doing and not doing.

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You don’t have to do any math so alright, so Governance. Lisa!

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Marie Papp is the vice chair of governance.

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What is going on there

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Okay, thank you. Yes, Jason. Thomas is our chairperson, and he is currently out.

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But I am a try and uphold to his standards a couple of things is, as you all heard, about a welcoming kit as a new member.

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You have these nice little stickers, you have little ribbons to put on your badges as well as cards that you can hand out to perspective new members and, Carl, I will say we have a couple of events occurring here in Atlanta Georgia.

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And you did mention Ascii, which is in March for me, however, tomorrow, Friday, I am going to the Atlanta Cybersecurity Summit, so I don’t know if you want to overnight anything that would be appreciated otherwise.

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I’ll use what I have. So those are great items that were, you know, just handing out so it just kind of gives a little bit of advertising and marketing and and that also brings questions when you’re meeting with your clients.

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They ask, what’s this about? So you can bring it to to say what our credibility is with that being said.

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It’s understand that we also have a code of Ethics Committee that’s being formed.

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And we’re going to be working alongside with them and making sure that we make it comfortable for everybody to be a great Msp.

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Or it service Provider and the member. There was an email that came out in January of 2,023, and it’s in regards to membership, renewal on your member anniversary date.

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So please read that email over because it does have some very interesting information.

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And lastly, Jason said to me, he was looking at, we’re gonna put on the table of a discussion in regards to it.

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Subcontractor space for a membership. As we know, currently, we know the big boys are starting to.

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Unfortunately lay off some. It professionals, but we know there is a great abundance of it.

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Professionals that would rather work as a subcontractor and help us out, and they can help cover when we want to go on vacation.

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Oh, what’s that? Or we might have, you know, some onboarding of mass clients all at one time, because you decide to start a second business, and they can be there to help.

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There you go! Carl

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Okay.

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Thank you, and please bring up the subcontractor question a few slides down the road when we talk about membership cause cause we, the the we actually have a plan for that alright.

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So so next up is Andy Higgins, with the Marketing Committee, which is the official distributor of stake knives for marking campaigns, and we have been doing quite a bit with the marketing committee and actually got some good messaging out so andy what is up with

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You guys

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Hello! Everybody! Excuse me if I to send into a bout of coughing, cause I’ve got the same allergies as call has.

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Cause we’re right down the street

00:23:17.000 –> 00:23:24.000
Alright marketing. Yeah, right? Exactly. Okay. Well, thanks to our current members, we’re working.

00:23:24.000 –> 00:23:25.000
We’ve got about 3 or 4 people working where on our committee, currently, Carl has been helping.

00:23:25.000 –> 00:23:32.000
Eastern encounters at one of those 3 or 4, but he does count, of course, because he’s car.

00:23:32.000 –> 00:23:36.000
He’s been doing a lot of heavy lifting with us, and we are still looking for new members.

00:23:36.000 –> 00:23:42.000
I was amazed to hear one of the committees as 7 people.

00:23:42.000 –> 00:23:46.000
That’s what we need to aspire to. We need lots of people.

00:23:46.000 –> 00:23:51.000
Please excuse me. We meet every 2 weeks on Tuesday late afternoon, 6 P. M.

00:23:51.000 –> 00:23:54.000
Central, which is for the California. It’s only 4 pm.

00:23:54.000 –> 00:24:04.000
But it’s a little late for Eastern, but we still have one guy who 10 sheep out on the east coast somewhere, who joins our meetings, so please reach out if you want to.

00:24:04.000 –> 00:24:07.000
If you’re interested in marketing. No, for a prior knowledge to marketing of marketing is required.

00:24:07.000 –> 00:24:16.000
We just we want ideas like, like, what car was saying, and some of the other committee members.

00:24:16.000 –> 00:24:21.000
So currently, it’s my understanding that we’re also responsible for membership.

00:24:21.000 –> 00:24:27.000
Since the Membership committee has been phased out, you may notice there was a membership committee back in the day.

00:24:27.000 –> 00:24:35.000
Something I wanted to just seize on before I want to talk about a couple of things was a point last night in the States of Union.

00:24:35.000 –> 00:24:42.000
Some of you might have watched it when Mr. Biden talked about subconscious.

00:24:42.000 –> 00:24:45.000
I think it’s that’s a perfect opportunity.

00:24:45.000 –> 00:24:50.000
He talked about side crime doing something about it, and what else other stuff he talked about.

00:24:50.000 –> 00:24:54.000
But I think that would be. That’s a great way to get into the conversation, even with your local legislature.

00:24:54.000 –> 00:25:06.000
Legislative people. So we have as a our friend, the comedian, Dennis Miller, was mentioning.

00:25:06.000 –> 00:25:16.000
We have been talking with the Legislative Committee to work with them on the following about legislation that legislation is going to be coming out on the State level.

00:25:16.000 –> 00:25:23.000
Of course. And we need our members. Anybody knows people who are at the state level.

00:25:23.000 –> 00:25:27.000
You know, in the legislature we need doesn’t matter what the connection is.

00:25:27.000 –> 00:25:30.000
We need to reach out. We need to get those connections.

00:25:30.000 –> 00:25:46.000
So we can be that Zach? Yeah, I know somebody who can be provide zoom marketing to provide you material. And that’s why we come in providing this material working with the legislative committee so that you guys can you know step up.

00:25:46.000 –> 00:25:50.000
And get yourself noticed. I mean, how’s that for marketing yourself?

00:25:50.000 –> 00:25:58.000
If you get noticed by your local legislation that’s that’s perfect it’s a win-win situation for Msps.

00:25:58.000 –> 00:26:05.000
So we’re gonna be producing the material that you can use to reach out to your local representatives.

00:26:05.000 –> 00:26:14.000
And then you’re a member of Ns, I, tsp, you gotta be a member of course, but if you have interest in reaching out you don’t have to be members of the committee right?

00:26:14.000 –> 00:26:15.000
You don’t have to commit to the time on the committee.

00:26:15.000 –> 00:26:20.000
You just have to reach out to us, and we can help you do that alright, and we want.

00:26:20.000 –> 00:26:30.000
A, and we want a 2 way conversation with you, so we can make sure we’re getting a consistent message out to everybody on this in this area.

00:26:30.000 –> 00:26:34.000
So that’s that’s a big area where we’re driving right now.

00:26:34.000 –> 00:26:40.000
Additionally what Carl mentioned about the social media with Nye and himself.

00:26:40.000 –> 00:26:51.000
We’re using a protocol hoopsuite where we’re pushing out social media management or managing the social media with that so that’s a piece of the whole puzzle, too.

00:26:51.000 –> 00:26:56.000
And that’s about it. A brain dump from me. Thank you.

00:26:56.000 –> 00:26:57.000
Alrighty. Thank you. So if you have any interest at all in helping promote the Ns.

00:26:57.000 –> 00:27:07.000
I tsp, please, Andy, why don’t you go ahead and throw your email in the chat?

00:27:07.000 –> 00:27:16.000
Or folks can email me, or nigh not the best way to get a hold of nigh is admin at Ns. I. Tsp.

00:27:16.000 –> 00:27:24.000
Org. And we need new members. So there you go, big announcement for a task force.

00:27:24.000 –> 00:27:39.000
One of the things that we want to do is get some people together and begin the task force to find someone find a some one or some company to help us with the admirative side of running this organization.

00:27:39.000 –> 00:27:52.000
So I cannot run my company and another full organization at the same time.

00:27:52.000 –> 00:28:01.000
So we have a task force forming the board has approved the task force and has asked people to volunteer for it.

00:28:01.000 –> 00:28:04.000
And the way this process is gonna work is that there will be a form to fill out.

00:28:04.000 –> 00:28:15.000
But first we’re asking people to send a very brief letter to admin at Ns.

00:28:15.000 –> 00:28:20.000
I, tsp org, and just say, this is why I think I should be on the task force.

00:28:20.000 –> 00:28:37.000
And this is my relevant experience. We will then the board on their regular meeting on the fourth day, Monday, will go through those letters of application, and invite people to fill out the online application form.

00:28:37.000 –> 00:28:43.000
And so the deadline for getting your letters into admin at Ns.

00:28:43.000 –> 00:29:00.000
Itsp.org is February the twentieth 4, and then the board will ask people to fill out the form, and the reason that we’re doing it this way, just to be very honest is that filling out the form has turned out to be a very low commitment event

00:29:00.000 –> 00:29:09.000
And part of what we saw in the elections is people who, you know, there’s a whatever big, long form people put in their name and their email and hit, enter.

00:29:09.000 –> 00:29:10.000
And so we had, you know, candidates with no positions, no nothing, no information.

00:29:10.000 –> 00:29:30.000
No background, no links to their social media. So we want people to have to have to take some effort to demonstrate that they’re actually interested in putting out some work because this task force will probably go on for several months and it has an extraordinarily important job.

00:29:30.000 –> 00:29:46.000
So we are honored to be at the position where we’re growing fast enough that we need to move up to the next level of professional administration.

00:29:46.000 –> 00:29:57.000
And so side note, I’m not going anywhere. The board is approved for me to stick around for the rest of my life, so you know that that that’s not gonna be a problem.

00:29:57.000 –> 00:29:58.000
But I just can’t be, you know, balancing the budget and organizing all the people.

00:29:58.000 –> 00:30:02.000
And all that happy stuff. So anyway. So the the task force has a hugely important job.

00:30:02.000 –> 00:30:21.000
And so we encourage anybody who is remotely interested to send a very quick letter, just, you know, expressing your interest. Larry, you have your hand up

00:30:21.000 –> 00:30:30.000
Carl, I do have my hand up. Thank you. I I just want to say something very briefly, and it it speaks to everything that everyone has been talking about this morning, and I gotta say I just love hearing all this.

00:30:30.000 –> 00:30:37.000
I’m so happy that we’re doing so much.

00:30:37.000 –> 00:30:44.000
I just want to reiterate our vision. Our vision is that we want to become the voice of the industry and define the standards for professionalism in it.

00:30:44.000 –> 00:31:09.000
Services. And the reason I want to repeat that is because this is a vision that cannot be done without the support and participation of our membership can’t be done, and

00:31:09.000 –> 00:31:16.000
Doing this, I think, helps everybody. That’s a member. It doesn’t help the organization.

00:31:16.000 –> 00:31:24.000
The organization is just a vehicle to try to create these professionalism standards, these, the definitions.

00:31:24.000 –> 00:31:37.000
So I wanna I just wanna make the point that if you care about defining standards for professionalism in it, services having a say in what those standards are and making those standards standards right?

00:31:37.000 –> 00:31:45.000
Things that everybody in the it industry says, Oh, these are professional standards!

00:31:45.000 –> 00:32:04.000
What what we’re trying to do is an organization is provide an opportunity for you to be a part of that journey, and if if that’s a journey, if that’s a goal that resonates with you, and if that’s a journey you want to take with us, we absolutely want you there and we will

00:32:04.000 –> 00:32:17.000
find ways to have you help us that works for you in all of these committees, and all of these requests to promote us and to go to these events and hand out flyers and stuff.

00:32:17.000 –> 00:32:23.000
I just want to be very clear about it. The whole reason for that is to give you guys the opportunity.

00:32:23.000 –> 00:32:28.000
You guys and gals to help all of us define the standards for professionalism and it services.

00:32:28.000 –> 00:32:35.000
And if that’s important to you, that’s why we want your help.

00:32:35.000 –> 00:32:38.000
And and that’s why we need to do this together.

00:32:38.000 –> 00:32:40.000
Thank you.

00:32:40.000 –> 00:32:47.000
Alrighty, so anyway, if you have any questions, send them to admin or send them to Karlp, and we will help you out.

00:32:47.000 –> 00:32:56.000
I know that once we start spreading the word that we will have many, many ridiculously good talented people.

00:32:56.000 –> 00:33:04.000
I have been very, very impressed with the people who have stepped up on the various task forces and committees in the last couple of years.

00:33:04.000 –> 00:33:06.000
So alright.

00:33:06.000 –> 00:33:10.000
I I’m in press, Carl

00:33:10.000 –> 00:33:15.000
Plus Dennis Wilson, who I’ve known for 20 years, lets me make fun of him publicly.

00:33:15.000 –> 00:33:21.000
So there you go. So the membership. I do want to spend some time on this.

00:33:21.000 –> 00:33:26.000
And and to the question of subcontractors. If you are a subcontractor, if if you are somebody who used to work for whatever Intel HP.

00:33:26.000 –> 00:33:36.000
Microsoft blah blah blah, and now you’re you’ve got a job or what you wanna do is be a specialist in a certain area and help out other it service providers.

00:33:36.000 –> 00:33:51.000
It seems to me the the relevant role for you to play is to join as a professional individual.

00:33:51.000 –> 00:33:55.000
That cost is $125 a year, and you I just stay a, you know, a sole proprietor working for other.

00:33:55.000 –> 00:34:05.000
It, professionals. If you were working for Intel, you could also join as an individual member at $125 a year, and you retain that membership.

00:34:05.000 –> 00:34:08.000
It’s not tied to your company, so then you can move to HP.

00:34:08.000 –> 00:34:20.000
Or work for Dennis, or work for somebody else, and go back and work for Microsoft, whatever that that seems to be.

00:34:20.000 –> 00:34:30.000
The appropriate place for that. If you are a one person shop, but you might occasionally have subcontractors, or or have employees that you would want to be members as well.

00:34:30.000 –> 00:34:36.000
Then the company membership makes sense. So you would get one full.

00:34:36.000 –> 00:34:42.000
Professional individual membership as a company, but then you would also get for a associate memberships and that’s at the 1 50 range.

00:34:42.000 –> 00:35:04.000
So we are having a lot of people are having great luck, just, you know, moving over to the committee, the company memberships Kara has designed an excellent process that makes it very easy occasionally there’s some questions about the proration because the proration.

00:35:04.000 –> 00:35:14.000
Basically, we start a new membership. So you, there’s sort of the difference between what you have paid for and what you need to pay for.

00:35:14.000 –> 00:35:15.000
But we’re happy to work that out with people so that they understand where the numbers come from.

00:35:15.000 –> 00:35:28.000
But there’s a certain as much, usually a much smaller amount due today, and then it renews at the 1 50 level.

00:35:28.000 –> 00:35:46.000
We do have some people joining at the higher tiers, so depending on whatever you think is appropriate, I would say just a wild guess, but probably 80 or 90% of our membership is gonna be in tier one or tier, 2 but whatever it the size of your company is we think

00:35:46.000 –> 00:36:01.000
These numbers are very, very reasonable, and the the board has looked at this a dozen times, and the membership or the Finance committee has looked at it a couple of dozen times, and the Governance Committee has looked at it a dozen times.

00:36:01.000 –> 00:36:04.000
So you know it’s it’s a good model, and I think it makes a lot of room for everybody who’s in the industry. Right?

00:36:04.000 –> 00:36:22.000
So any questions on that before we move on

00:36:22.000 –> 00:36:26.000
Alright! Well, I highly encourage everybody who’s here.

00:36:26.000 –> 00:36:45.000
We also have a growth of I think it was fifty-ish people who joined as registered guests, and I believe that if you are in this industry, and if you’re on the list and if you are on our mailing list, we have about 2,000 people, on our mailing list, they should all

00:36:45.000 –> 00:36:53.000
Just spend the 125 or 150, and join, you know, I think we are not asking you for very much, and we are.

00:36:53.000 –> 00:37:01.000
We are doing a hell of a job. So that’s my opinion.

00:37:01.000 –> 00:37:18.000
Everybody’s already talked about events. But if you have events nigh is making a list of all the events that anybody tells her about, and then trying to contact the right people to see if we can get a table at their event, so I wouldn’t say it’s a full time. Job.

00:37:18.000 –> 00:37:28.000
But she’s spending lots of hours on that. So if you know of events that we should be@sendanemailtoadminatnsitsp.org if we can’t organize a table this year, we still want the on the list, so we can ask them.

00:37:28.000 –> 00:37:54.000
About organizing a table next year. Everybody on this call, unless you give us a bad address, should have received a mailing from us with welcome letter, and you know some guide to how to get around the website and some stickers and some business cards and so everybody has a little bit of what they need

00:37:54.000 –> 00:37:56.000
To attend events, as well as a little name, tag enhancement for your your name, Badge.

00:37:56.000 –> 00:38:04.000
We’ve ordered more of it, and so anybody who’s attending an event and wants to help represent us.

00:38:04.000 –> 00:38:10.000
Just send us a note, and we will get that out to you.

00:38:10.000 –> 00:38:14.000
Ben had his hand raised

00:38:14.000 –> 00:38:18.000
Thank you, Carl. I had a couple of comments I’d like to share one.

00:38:18.000 –> 00:38:22.000
I really appreciate Larry. I think it was Larry, you know, reallyiterating the purpose of the organization and the members and the journey.

00:38:22.000 –> 00:38:32.000
And I want to plug him and and and sort of that along those lines.

00:38:32.000 –> 00:38:37.000
So elliptics will be at 6 Ascii events this year.

00:38:37.000 –> 00:38:42.000
We, you know, these things are really expensive. Frankly, you don’t get a lot of boot time.

00:38:42.000 –> 00:38:45.000
It’s hard if you don’t get the speaking slot.

00:38:45.000 –> 00:38:50.000
And I would love for us to have a you know.

00:38:50.000 –> 00:38:57.000
Ns, i tsp brochure on our booth at every event put every other vendor, hey?

00:38:57.000 –> 00:39:01.000
Ask us why we’re supporting the the Itsp, right?

00:39:01.000 –> 00:39:18.000
So it’s a force multiplier for us. We attract like minded people that want to be on this journey and it’s it’s a community driven engagement whether or not you know, so I would encourage you to think about how the the handful of vendors that you do have you know

00:39:18.000 –> 00:39:32.000
Can create some momentum with you guys at these events. And then the other comment along the the the cyber side and we’ve shared this in the legislative group.

00:39:32.000 –> 00:39:41.000
But but you guys are force multipliers for cybersecurity, and that means for legislation and communication.

00:39:41.000 –> 00:39:51.000
So, if you have 10 clients or a 100 clients, you’re helping provide cybersecurity and good technology.

00:39:51.000 –> 00:39:59.000
So you know, one of the data points. I’m really interested in getting is, you have 800, you know, over 850 members providing services to over 15,000 small businesses in 25 states.

00:39:59.000 –> 00:40:11.000
Right, and all of a sudden you’re reach when you, when you illustrate that reach you.

00:40:11.000 –> 00:40:31.000
Become much more significant of that voice as you were the stewards, the shepherds, the trusted advisors, to thousands of small businesses, with thousands of employees and that’s a real mission, and I think you should be proud of it, and you should communicate it, and you should grow it

00:40:31.000 –> 00:40:33.000
I’m really thrilled to be involved

00:40:33.000 –> 00:40:37.000
Thank you, sir, and we are grateful to have you here.

00:40:37.000 –> 00:40:49.000
It’s funny, because I know both you and Larry, like have had have had the mission of this organization as part of your personal mission for more than 20 years, even though we have only existed for 2 and a half years.

00:40:49.000 –> 00:40:51.000
So I appreciate that. Alright. So now we’re de into the Q, a.

00:40:51.000 –> 00:40:58.000
Section, and Max will ask, well, have you hold your question for just a minute?

00:40:58.000 –> 00:41:08.000
But then we will get to it. One of the questions that always comes up at every one of these meetings is, you know, what’s going on with comptia and and so forth.

00:41:08.000 –> 00:41:11.000
And you know, kind of like, hey, how come come Toia isn’t doing this, or what is Kantia doing or not doing?

00:41:11.000 –> 00:41:15.000
And I I just want to let you know. I think M.

00:41:15.000 –> 00:41:28.000
Chain I’ve had 6 meetings since the last time we had our quarterly meeting, so we talk all the time, and so I invited Mj.

00:41:28.000 –> 00:41:29.000
To just come and answer the question. So what’s up with Comtia?

00:41:29.000 –> 00:41:39.000
And feel free to promote the communities and councils form coming up every mark

00:41:39.000 –> 00:41:43.000
Thanks. Carl. I think you know, in terms of answering the question.

00:41:43.000 –> 00:41:54.000
I guess I’d want to know what what questions you have, cause. There’s a lot going on with Comtia and and

00:41:54.000 –> 00:42:03.000
Well, one of the questions is like, Why should I join Nsa. Tsp, isn’t com tia already doing all of this

00:42:03.000 –> 00:42:11.000
Well, I’d say there’s certainly some overlap between what you’re doing and what is doing.

00:42:11.000 –> 00:42:16.000
But that overlap is is, you know, additive and complementary. You know.

00:42:16.000 –> 00:42:24.000
It’s it. We certainly don’t consider ourselves, or you to be competitive in any way, shape or manner.

00:42:24.000 –> 00:42:40.000
You know Comtia is a big open tent where a vendor, neutral nonprofit trade association and everyone is welcome to to participate I know a few of the folks on the meeting today are members, and and you know there may be others that I’m not aware of that

00:42:40.000 –> 00:42:48.000
Are members. But from that perspective, you know, we certainly like a lot of the things you’re talking about agree with a lot of the things you’re talking about.

00:42:48.000 –> 00:42:53.000
As you know, we used to directly lobby at the State and Federal level.

00:42:53.000 –> 00:43:07.000
We decided to get out of that work, because, quite frankly, our members were at odds with one another as to what was the best course of action or the best position to take.

00:43:07.000 –> 00:43:21.000
It’s one of the difficulties of being a large global trade association is that our members span the very smallest organization that could be.

00:43:21.000 –> 00:43:27.000
A single person could be an Msp. Could be a software developer who knows?

00:43:27.000 –> 00:43:34.000
All the way up to the gorillas in the industry, and, as you might expect, there’s oftentimes a clash of opinion within that within that broad spectrum.

00:43:34.000 –> 00:43:43.000
So we decided to get out of the business quite frankly.

00:43:43.000 –> 00:44:00.000
It was an extremely expensive business to be in so I applaud your finance committee for working the numbers and figuring out how to go at this effectively, because it can be all consuming.

00:44:00.000 –> 00:44:22.000
And so when we when we did that, what we did at the same time, though, was, we do keep some, some certain consultants on retainer to keep an eye on different things that are going on in the legislative arena more at the Federal level than the State level for sure but we have visibility there

00:44:22.000 –> 00:44:36.000
As well. And so if and when we detect things that are of impact to our members, we assess it, we communicate it, we share it with the right people, but we’ve taken a different approach than the direct approach that that you’re taking I don’t.

00:44:36.000 –> 00:44:43.000
I don’t know if that accurately answers the question, but you know certainly I welcome any further questions

00:44:43.000 –> 00:44:44.000
Well, thank you for being here, and you know just the last meeting which we had in November.

00:44:44.000 –> 00:44:52.000
We had a big question, which is, you know, hey? Are we up or nonprofits?

00:44:52.000 –> 00:44:56.000
Are we a not-for-profit? What are we?

00:44:56.000 –> 00:45:03.000
And we are a 501 c. 6, specifically, because we believe that we need to be able to talk to legislators.

00:45:03.000 –> 00:45:13.000
And there’s a point at which that conversation, however you might define it, the law defines it as lobbying.

00:45:13.000 –> 00:45:14.000
Correct.

00:45:14.000 –> 00:45:17.000
When you do certain things. So so we need, we need to be as C. 6.

00:45:17.000 –> 00:45:23.000
And so dues are deductible on your taxes as do’s and subs, which is an operating expense, is probably better than a charitable contribution.

00:45:23.000 –> 00:45:31.000
But it means that we’re not at a a charity, right? We don’t.

00:45:31.000 –> 00:45:35.000
We don’t do charity work. So, anyway. So

00:45:35.000 –> 00:45:36.000
Yeah, we’ve just on that point. Carl comptia is the same.

00:45:36.000 –> 00:45:42.000
Come to as a C. 6. But our foundation comes to you.

00:45:42.000 –> 00:45:51.000
Spark is a C, 3. Because it is a charitable foundation, and we do make charitable donations into the industry.

00:45:51.000 –> 00:45:55.000
So we we sort of live in both worlds. But the Trade Association, much like what you described as A. C. 6.

00:45:55.000 –> 00:46:00.000
For for very similar reasons.

00:46:00.000 –> 00:46:06.000
Right so anyway, now’s your time. Mj.

00:46:06.000 –> 00:46:14.000
Is here. So if you have questions, let him know, and you know we have a very open relationship, and we talk all the time, and I’ve been a member of Ascii for a while.

00:46:14.000 –> 00:46:28.000
And so you know I I mean I’ve been a member of Comptia for for many, many years, Ascii also.

00:46:28.000 –> 00:46:33.000
But so you know, there’s there’s no fight between us.

00:46:33.000 –> 00:46:37.000
I think that we’re all both facing in the same direction and looking at same things.

00:46:37.000 –> 00:46:40.000
We just specially stuff. So

00:46:40.000 –> 00:46:41.000
Yeah, I think that’s a I think that’s a very fair comment.

00:46:41.000 –> 00:46:48.000
Dennis. I’m not sure if you’re comment was a question for me, or for that was just a general comment to the to the folks on the meeting.

00:46:48.000 –> 00:46:52.000
So, if if it is a question, please let me know. But yeah, you know, you mentioned our our communities and councils form.

00:46:52.000 –> 00:47:08.000
Obviously anyone who is a comptia member. You can attend any and all of our events as well as all of your employees, for free comptia.

00:47:08.000 –> 00:47:17.000
Membership is is structured a bit differently than your membership here and Ns, I, tsp, in that ours is company membership.

00:47:17.000 –> 00:47:19.000
So a company joins, and however many employees that company has all of those employees have access to the benefits as well.

00:47:19.000 –> 00:47:25.000
We don’t count every employees an individual member. We only count the company as a member.

00:47:25.000 –> 00:47:32.000
So a company could add 10 employees, all 10 people have access.

00:47:32.000 –> 00:47:41.000
They’re one member. A company could have 10,000 employees, all 10,000 have access to the member benefits, but that’s still only one member.

00:47:41.000 –> 00:47:47.000
So that’s just an interesting little distinction.

00:47:47.000 –> 00:47:51.000
But our communities and councils form is, is an annual event.

00:47:51.000 –> 00:47:53.000
We hold in Chicago every March it’s some.

00:47:53.000 –> 00:47:58.000
It’s our more intimate event has more of a North American focus to it.

00:47:58.000 –> 00:48:03.000
And it attracts typically 2 to 300 people. Give or take.

00:48:03.000 –> 00:48:16.000
So our more engaged members, who are active in the different communities and committees and councils that we have, and we come together for more of an interactive, collaborative couple of days of working meetings to sort of set initiatives for the year and what deliverables.

00:48:16.000 –> 00:48:32.000
What what resources we’re gonna produce. Content. We’re gonna produce new registers. We’re gonna produce new education trainings, we might develop, etc. So obviously, if you remember, anyone’s welcome.

00:48:32.000 –> 00:48:39.000
If you’re not a member feel free to reach out to me happy to happy to get you access to the event.

00:48:39.000 –> 00:48:44.000
The more the more people, the merrier I’ll be at Msp.

00:48:44.000 –> 00:48:59.000
Rescue next week as well. So I’ve got a couple of panels there, and we’ve got one of our workforce people there, so certainly, if any of you are attending that, please introduce yourself if I don’t know you’d be happy to happy to meet you in chat I

00:48:59.000 –> 00:49:03.000
Think you know, in terms of overall what’s going on with Comtia.

00:49:03.000 –> 00:49:06.000
You know our our focus is very much on our member communities.

00:49:06.000 –> 00:49:13.000
We’ve just launched a new dock community which is the countries of Germany, Austrian, Switzerland.

00:49:13.000 –> 00:49:18.000
That’s our global community where we’ll be launching a 6 later this year.

00:49:18.000 –> 00:49:38.000
So we’re continuing to expand our global footprint to share the knowledge and best practices in the industry globally, you know, my, my, my loose analogy for that is there’s no reason why a best practice that an Msp might might come across in Melbourne Australia isn’t available

00:49:38.000 –> 00:49:49.000
To an Msp. In Birmingham, England, in Birmingham, Alabama, in real time so we’ve got the ability to facilitate that global sharing and learning and best practices and understanding the nuances of different markets.

00:49:49.000 –> 00:49:54.000
If you have customers across markets and things like that, we have some tremendous.

00:49:54.000 –> 00:50:15.000
We have a a tremendous amount going on around cybersecurity. We have a dedicated cyber security programs, team that runs our cybersecurity information sharing an analysis program we’re launching a new organizational credential called the company of cybersecurity trust mark

00:50:15.000 –> 00:50:19.000
it’s. It’s an evolution of the former Security Trust mark plus.

00:50:19.000 –> 00:50:24.000
But it’s a whole new ball game on that, you know.

00:50:24.000 –> 00:50:46.000
Comptia has deep, deep expertise in certification and training, and a lot of our sort certifications and and trainings have been accepted by accreditation, organization standards, boards, and and meet different criteria for different requirements and we have every intention of positioning this trust mark

00:50:46.000 –> 00:51:01.000
To be something that will hopefully be a wedge against coming legislation, because it’s absolutely coming as well as to provide some, some guarantees and and hopefully preferential ratings around cyber insurance

00:51:01.000 –> 00:51:02.000
Very good, so Eric has his hand raised. Eric, do you have a question for Mj.

00:51:02.000 –> 00:51:08.000
Or on something else

00:51:08.000 –> 00:51:10.000
Yeah, I do. Good morning. Can you guys hear me? Okay. Good.

00:51:10.000 –> 00:51:12.000
Good morning. Yeah.

00:51:12.000 –> 00:51:14.000
Yes, indeed!

00:51:14.000 –> 00:51:15.000
So I I guess I actually have 2 questions but I’ll I’ll go to Mj.

00:51:15.000 –> 00:51:23.000
First I operate in kind of a unique space. I am a self-employed it field engineer.

00:51:23.000 –> 00:51:36.000
I serve basically Mss and other it service organizations.

00:51:36.000 –> 00:51:43.000
I’ve been, I I really don’t do any client direct work.

00:51:43.000 –> 00:51:48.000
So, I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years.

00:51:48.000 –> 00:51:56.000
I’ve been doing it without the need for having an a plus certification.

00:51:56.000 –> 00:52:02.000
I’ve in all that time I’ve really haven’t been asked by anybody that in order to work for me, you have to have an April certification.

00:52:02.000 –> 00:52:07.000
I know you guys still have that program, and I know you believe in it strongly.

00:52:07.000 –> 00:52:19.000
Make the case to me why somebody like me should have the a plus certification

00:52:19.000 –> 00:52:25.000
Well, you may not need it. It may not, it may not be an appropriate certification for you in your space.

00:52:25.000 –> 00:52:31.000
It in, and a plus is isn’t isn’t the only one you know.

00:52:31.000 –> 00:52:36.000
We’ve got networks plus security plus. And then we’ve got more advanced certifications.

00:52:36.000 –> 00:52:42.000
Beyond that you know where we do our certification business is.

00:52:42.000 –> 00:52:43.000
Does the majority of its work outside of the traditional Msp.

00:52:43.000 –> 00:53:00.000
Channel, if you will so enterprise public organizations, government agencies, those are the types of organizations that may require an a plus, a network plus a security plus or an advanced one in their work.

00:53:00.000 –> 00:53:13.000
You should never pursue a certification if it doesn’t provide you with the ability to expand your professional capabilities or generate more revenue by being able to capture more customers.

00:53:13.000 –> 00:53:21.000
If a plus doesn’t do that for you, I wouldn’t.

00:53:21.000 –> 00:53:22.000
I wouldn’t make a case that you should pursue it.

00:53:22.000 –> 00:53:27.000
I would certainly make a case that you should keep your skill sharp, and that you should look for opportunities to enhance your own career.

00:53:27.000 –> 00:53:46.000
Development and differentiation in your market. But if an individual certification, whether it’s ours or anyone else’s, doesn’t provide that value, I wouldn’t invest that money in it.

00:53:46.000 –> 00:53:51.000
Okay, thank you for that answer. I’m glad to hear that.

00:53:51.000 –> 00:53:57.000
One other side question I had, and this points more back to the Karl.

00:53:57.000 –> 00:54:02.000
The organization in general. You’re talking about membership before, and I apologize.

00:54:02.000 –> 00:54:07.000
I was driving, so I couldn’t get in when you were looking for questions in that area.

00:54:07.000 –> 00:54:08.000
But that’s probably in general something that I would throw out that.

00:54:08.000 –> 00:54:18.000
Maybe you guys would want to look at in the future would be the space of us, I guess.

00:54:18.000 –> 00:54:26.000
Independent service providers. Again, I’m somebody who works mainly for platforms.

00:54:26.000 –> 00:54:41.000
Things like, you know, field national work market. But I also work for other It service organizations and Msps directly to provide, like, you know, smart hands type support that kind of thing.

00:54:41.000 –> 00:54:48.000
And maybe some, you know, marketing directly to those sort of individuals.

00:54:48.000 –> 00:54:49.000
As to why it would be a good idea to belong to an organization like you know.

00:54:49.000 –> 00:54:57.000
Ns, its

00:54:57.000 –> 00:54:58.000
Well, so I, as I mentioned then, I I think the professional individual membership is perfect for you.

00:54:58.000 –> 00:55:07.000
It it allows you to participate fully, to vote, to sit on committees.

00:55:07.000 –> 00:55:23.000
You know all that stuff, and in the at the end of the day you need this industry to be as professional as possible, so that you are respected at the Github when you start having a conversation with somebody.

00:55:23.000 –> 00:55:28.000
So many people, especially people in really big businesses. They hate it.

00:55:28.000 –> 00:55:37.000
People, right the entire Dilbert cartoon is based on the premise that it sucks and the people who provide it suck, and the way that their company support it sucks right?

00:55:37.000 –> 00:55:54.000
And so there’s a you know. There’s this uphill climb to be respected even in your own workplace, and I just think that we need to make that a thing in the past, you know people make fun of lawyers.

00:55:54.000 –> 00:55:59.000
But but people respect them. People know they need them, and they don’t. You know.

00:55:59.000 –> 00:56:19.000
They they make rumble about the cost, but they don’t grumble about whether or not they need to have a lawyer in the room, and every company on earth needs it, and and yet they they kind of grumble about having us in the room, and and so I think there’s a huge need for our industry.

00:56:19.000 –> 00:56:29.000
To focus on actually improving our own reputation, not just among legislators and lobbyists, and the media, but among our own clientele.

00:56:29.000 –> 00:56:33.000
And so that’s all of what we’re doing.

00:56:33.000 –> 00:56:41.000
And you know as Larry pointed out earlier, our goal is to is to actually help improve the reputation of our industry.

00:56:41.000 –> 00:56:44.000
And you know that’s that’s one of our stated goals.

00:56:44.000 –> 00:56:48.000
So I think your money is well spent as a professional member, even if you don’t belong to a specific company for the next 5 years.

00:56:48.000 –> 00:56:58.000
So anyway, we we can build and and we’ll build marketing programs around that.

00:56:58.000 –> 00:57:02.000
It just takes money. Keith has his hand up

00:57:02.000 –> 00:57:24.000
Yeah, I just wanted to comment for on the Comtia certifications as I write, curriculum for the California community colleges and universities having those Comtia certifications at our non vendor verification of our testing criteria has been because as as well

00:57:24.000 –> 00:57:25.000
So even legislators on that you start saying, well, I got a Cisco certification.

00:57:25.000 –> 00:57:47.000
They go. I don’t care, but when you say I have an independent organization that certifies us and set some standards that has had real value and allowed us to create a cybersecurity program jointly with come to you, we’re we’re piloting at riverside

00:57:47.000 –> 00:57:52.000
Community colleges to get people into our industry and body people.

00:57:52.000 –> 00:57:57.000
So I think that’s one of the huge values of those certifications

00:57:57.000 –> 00:57:59.000
Great Point, Keith.

00:57:59.000 –> 00:58:00.000
Yeah.

00:58:00.000 –> 00:58:11.000
And I would just point out in general, I mean Amy, and I’ve talked about this roughly a 1,000 times in the last year there’s a massive need in our industry to refocus back on certification.

00:58:11.000 –> 00:58:17.000
You know, if people sometimes poop who and say, Oh, you know, I know somebody who got their Mcs in a weekend.

00:58:17.000 –> 00:58:21.000
And I, okay, whatever. But the reality is, I don’t know anybody who’s taken 5 or 6 or 7 exams on something and not actually learned a lot of really useful information.

00:58:21.000 –> 00:58:26.000
It’s just like any other education you get. It doesn’t all stick.

00:58:26.000 –> 00:58:37.000
But but you know how to know things, and you know how to learn things and how to look things up, and how to find things.

00:58:37.000 –> 00:58:42.000
And so I think all certification is good, and that’s why one of our eventual plans is to, you know, encourage people to to go get additional training, whether it leads to assert or not.

00:58:42.000 –> 00:58:51.000
And to eventually have a program of having continuing education credits and having organizations like Comp.

00:58:51.000 –> 00:59:04.000
Tia be on the list of, hey? You can get your continuing hours here and here and here and here, and certainly absolutely no question.

00:59:04.000 –> 00:59:12.000
Comtia would be on that list. Max asked the question, have you considered the idea of local chapters?

00:59:12.000 –> 00:59:23.000
I’m tired. That’s a huge amount of work, and and, to be honest, we used to have kind of the framework for all of that.

00:59:23.000 –> 00:59:41.000
I think half the people on this call who are or over the age of 50, used to belong to an It user group or an a small biz or a small server windows, small business server user group and a lot of those have gone away.

00:59:41.000 –> 00:59:42.000
And you know we can bring them back. But man, that’s a lot of effort.

00:59:42.000 –> 00:59:51.000
So, Max, if you want to volunteer

00:59:51.000 –> 00:59:52.000
It’s it’s easier than it used to be, because, like our our user group still exists all the way.

00:59:52.000 –> 01:00:01.000
Haven’t met in a while, and we use meetup as that.

01:00:01.000 –> 01:00:08.000
So you know the the the opportunity is there, but it just takes somebody to be dedicated to putting out a lot of work empty.

01:00:08.000 –> 01:00:13.000
You wanted to say something else to Eric.

01:00:13.000 –> 01:00:16.000
Oh, I just I just put it in the in the chat.

01:00:16.000 –> 01:00:17.000
Oh, okay.

01:00:17.000 –> 01:00:21.000
Sorry I just. I just made the typical mistake of hitting enter too soon.

01:00:21.000 –> 01:00:27.000
Well, yeah, oh, yeah, just, you know, a big organization.

01:00:27.000 –> 01:00:28.000
So the certain businesses over here, and the membership is actually a different log on different website.

01:00:28.000 –> 01:00:41.000
So you know you I I need a membership or a log on for both.

01:00:41.000 –> 01:00:42.000
So.

01:00:42.000 –> 01:00:43.000
Yeah, yeah, we’re we’re like a business within a business.

01:00:43.000 –> 01:00:44.000
If you will

01:00:44.000 –> 01:01:01.000
Yeah. And Dennis Wilson put in a note that techfest Dave Cybert, has been a big supporter of ours, and, to be honest, so as Harry Browsford, who’s got an event that we’re gonna be at in Chicago and

01:01:01.000 –> 01:01:10.000
We’re gonna be at techfest, and both of them have given us shout-outs in their marketing in their newsletters and from the stage.

01:01:10.000 –> 01:01:11.000
Okay, Carl, connection.

01:01:11.000 –> 01:01:14.000
And so we appropriate that other comments. Questions, yeah, Larry.

01:01:14.000 –> 01:01:20.000
So I want to go back to this business about chapters

01:01:20.000 –> 01:01:25.000
Chapters are an interesting

01:01:25.000 –> 01:01:35.000
The ticket, element to what we’re doing and what I want to say is absolutely the same thing that Carl said.

01:01:35.000 –> 01:01:41.000
I just wanna put my own little spin to it, if I may

01:01:41.000 –> 01:01:46.000
Hmm, hmm! It’s important to remember. What are we?

01:01:46.000 –> 01:01:50.000
Long-term goal is our purpose and help intimately connected.

01:01:50.000 –> 01:02:00.000
It is to developing standards for professionalism and being seen as the the source for that.

01:02:00.000 –> 01:02:11.000
So to the, to the question about local chapters, and I want to reiterate absolutely we’ve thought about that.

01:02:11.000 –> 01:02:26.000
There needs to be somebody who has passion. Who says I, I think this local chapters, or a vehicle that we can use to enhance our efforts and achieve our ultimate goal.

01:02:26.000 –> 01:02:27.000
More efficiently, more effectively, sooner, with greater impact.

01:02:27.000 –> 01:02:34.000
You know you know where I’m going. With all these words.

01:02:34.000 –> 01:02:39.000
It’s about, you know. More is better. Right? It’s it’s, how do we do this? Better?

01:02:39.000 –> 01:02:50.000
And if that vehicle of local chapters will give us that opportunity, and if it’s a it’s a broadly enough shared idea that other members of Ns.

01:02:50.000 –> 01:03:05.000
It. Sp. Have a passion for local chapters that are it designed and engineered to support that vision and mission.

01:03:05.000 –> 01:03:13.000
Then it will be easy for us to to create a place for those people to come and execute.

01:03:13.000 –> 01:03:22.000
Which is the only way that the capacity to create them support them and maintain them, can be delivered.

01:03:22.000 –> 01:03:32.000
It. It can’t be done any other way. So I say this for anybody who feels like local chapters would be important.

01:03:32.000 –> 01:03:37.000
It takes the members to bring that to us, and to say, we think this is important.

01:03:37.000 –> 01:03:49.000
This is, why would you guys consider reaching out to your, to your membership and seeing if there’s enough other people who agree with this, that might be willing to participate.

01:03:49.000 –> 01:03:58.000
And I. I speak for myself as a board member. I am not speaking for the entire board, but I will advocate for this to the entire board.

01:03:58.000 –> 01:04:01.000
If any member can come to me as a board member and say, this is what I think we should do about local chapters in the these are the people I’ve found.

01:04:01.000 –> 01:04:11.000
That are want to participate. I’ll take your case to the board and and advocate for you.

01:04:11.000 –> 01:04:19.000
But until we have that, it’s more than we can handle the board, the the staff, the our volunteer leaders.

01:04:19.000 –> 01:04:22.000
We just can’t. We don’t have the time right?

01:04:22.000 –> 01:04:39.000
We can’t make 25 h in a day. So I I I don’t want that to go away, because I think it’s a very potentially powerful idea, but it has no, it has no fuel without the passion for members to fuel, it, thanks.

01:04:39.000 –> 01:04:44.000
Well, and to be honest, you know I always say that the Legislative Committee is like, you know, how does an antidote, an elephant?

01:04:44.000 –> 01:04:47.000
One bite at a time. Legislative committee has so many things that eventually we hope to do.

01:04:47.000 –> 01:05:02.000
And we’ve talked about having local organizations that help, because it’s the local people who have to lobby their legislatures.

01:05:02.000 –> 01:05:06.000
I can’t lobby in Connecticut. I can’t lobby in 49 States.

01:05:06.000 –> 01:05:19.000
I can lobby in Canada right? And so on the day that we have events, and we actually