President's Letter: Toward a New Global Alliance
Randle Pollock, FSMPS, SMPS National President and Principal, Walter P. Moore
A dream fulfilled it may not be (quite yet), but with a formal agreement now in place with the Chartered Institute of Marketing: Construction Industry Group Scotland (CIMCIGS), SMPS just took a step toward becoming a truly international organization.

At a CIMCIGS event in Glasgow, Scotland, I recently represented you as the keynote speaker. Hosted by an impressive group of national leaders, and treated like a veritable rock star with a gaggle of admirers, I also signed a formal partnering agreement between SMPS and CIMCIGS, one of several SMPS peer groups in the United Kingdom, with its chairman Rob Cargill, a regional director with FaberMaunsell (an AECOM company). This first, small step toward a more formal relationship—possibly including a new chapter or two—confirms that we share common goals of education, information, and certification for our members. In addition to other things, we will endeavor to develop and market programs and publications for the benefit of our members. There is a long way to go before we are ready for any chapter formation. But for now, this is a necessary first step.

For those of us who have long envisioned SMPS as a truly international organization, this was an exciting moment indeed. At the threshold of a potential new future for SMPS, it was also a richly rewarding moment for me.

So, too, have been the many chapter visits I recently have made—to Atlanta, Austin, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh. During those visits I usually present a program, helping to raise some funds for the chapters, and try to meet with local boards to learn first hand how they are doing, their successes and challenges. With some chapter officers it is a first chance to get acquainted. With others, it is a time to renew relationships, having met before at national or regional conferences or at the Chapter Presidents' Leadership Symposiums, the most recent one of which was held very successfully last month. (Talk about a great new class of incoming chapter presidents! They are fantastic—no less dedicated, but older and wiser and more seasoned than ever. In this class there are even a few—I call them the "boomerangs"—who have served before, both on the local and/or national boards. Imagine that.) Occasionally, as a result of these visits, we even make news (www.finance-commerce.com/recent_articles/040508b.htm).

It was all just a prelude to the upcoming last and final quarter of our term of office. All in time for Build Business, the upcoming SMPS/PSMA National Conference (www.buildbusiness.org) in August in New York City. I can't wait for that!

About the President
Randle Pollock, FSMPS, is principal in charge of marketing for Walter P. Moore, engineers and consultants (www.walterpmoore.com). Based in Houston, Randy can be reached at 713.630.7488 or rpollock@walterpmoore.com.
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