President’s Message

Continuous Improvement Through a Sharpened Focus

By: Jeff Baldwin, PMI President and Engineering Manager, T&S Brass and Bronze Works

In last month’s issue of PMI News, you learned about the recent CEO Forum held at PMI headquarters. The CEOs of 11 of our member companies assembled to offer input and insight to PMI’s strategic plan. I was very pleased that the outcome of the Forum echoed my theme for PMI this year: Focusing on Core Values. Consistent with earlier messages from our member company CEOs, we are encouraged by them to continue to do what we do best and to avoid the temptation to be distracted from our mission.

As noted, “Focus” is the theme of the 2013 PMI Spring Conference which is approaching quickly: April 7-10 in Austin, Texas. PMI is indeed getting back to basics. We are honing our skills and effectiveness in the areas of Technical Expertise and Advocacy/Outreach. The PMI staff has put together another information-filled conference, which should not be missed. We will be proactively exploring and preparing for the challenges our industry will present to us in the coming months. Len Swatkowski, PMI Technical Director will treat us to two presentations: one on the national legislation affecting the lead levels in plumbing products, as well as a workshop on “Green” codes and standards. Dawn Robinson, PMI’s new Communications Manager will report on the terrific progress she and the team have made in the areas of social media outreach. Our lobbying team will be on hand as always to provide updates on external forces affecting our industry.

We will hear an array of featured speakers from a variety of disciplines, from throughout the industry and around the world, on critical topics. We will continue our discussion on Plumbing as a Profession and learn how we can work together to better communicate and reflect the important work of our member companies and the entire plumbing industry. We will leave our positive footprint on Austin through our charitable works with the United Way on Saturday, April 6. We will have some fun too and experience a bit of Austin flavor as we enjoy a “Dine Around Town” event on Monday, April 8.

Finally, you will start to see some of the results of the hard work by the PMI Board of Directors over these past months. We are exploring a new conference rotation and pattern, a new template for leadership training, a new dues schedule, and better-defined roles for Board Members and Committee Chairs. The result is an organization that efficiently meets the needs and expectations of you, our members. Continuous improvement is the name of the game. We must continue to evolve and re-invent ourselves if we are to remain relevant in today’s demanding world. We must stay focused however—never losing sight of what is important and what we do best.

I am looking forward to working with each of you as we continue to sharpen our focus in Austin!