After the holiday season, The California Council members did not waste any time but set sail promptly in working on membership with the passion even more energized on a mission to “GROW”.  I am proud to say that we have officially marked our 100% member retention.  Our journey is more challenging now as we MUST accomplish the remaining goals within the next few months with the focus on “GROWTH” and we must help every association meet our RVP, Kathleen Kerstenbeck's challenge of 10% growth then on to my goal of 20%.

I want to congratulate those Chapters who have already met these challenges. For more details on member growth, please visit the Membership Page on the Council website.

The New Year started off with a great Inter-Coordinating Council Meeting hosted by the IWNSD on January 21^st in San Diego. It was a great meeting; the presenters did a fabulous job. Thank you to Julie Brown, President of San Diego Insurance Staffing for a great presentation on marketing yourself in this down economy and to Kathy Marshall for the fabulous presentation on dressing up/down in a professional world.  We left feeling very “synergized”.  Hats off to IWNSD for a great meeting and a great topic, “The Leadership Ladder”.

It was amazing to hear stories from some of you on how IAIP has a successful tool for them on the “Leadership Ladder”. For those who have not taken advantage, remember we have our Mentoring Program which has been doing well.  I spoke to a few protégées and they were very pleased with the Mentors they have been paired with. If anyone is interested in seeking a mentor or becoming one please take advantage of this great benefit. We have so much talent in our association we can take advantage of and help us GROW both personally and professionally.

Our Association has so many benefits to offer including but not limited to Personal and Professional Growth, Education, Networking and many more.  Brush up on your elevator speech so you can grab every opportunity you get to help us GROW our association.

Reminder, The Region VIII Conference is in Hawaii from April 11- 15^th.  The Honolulu Association of Insurance Professionals has been working very hard and has a lot in store for us.  If you are planning on attending but have not registered yet please do so now clicking this link http://www.cvent.com/events/2012-iaip-region-viii-conference/event-summary-275b4f6fa66d48e9949f5c8e5324c59a.aspx I hope to see many of you there.  

Please mark your calendars; The California Council meeting hosted by the Insurance Professionals of Santa Barbara is on September 7-8. Stay tuned for more details.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.  Remember to continue BUZZING, “GROWTH” on our journey on the stairway to success.

In Fellowship,