Message from the President - December 2011

It hardly seems possible that the Holiday Season is fast approaching, and the Fall Session for your NBPMI Board has slipped past so quickly. It has been a busy but, I believe, a very productive session indeed.

First, NBPMI is in the final stages of introducing a new “front office face”. Bernice Leger, who has provided administrative support to NBPMI for more than fifteen years, is leaving us to concentrate on other objectives. During the past several weeks, the transition of services has been taking place, and in December we will complete the move to a new administrator. Please join me in welcoming This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , SCMP, as the new front-line representative for our Institute.

Wendy completed her SCMP designation in 2010, and promptly retired from NB Power. She brings a strong planning and administrative background to her new position, and your Board and I are confident that that her recent experiences in completing the SSCMLP program will provide a beneficial perspective for students and members alike. With the transition to a new office based out of Fredericton, please note that our website has been updated with our new mailing address and phone number.

Next, your Board has formally adopted several Objectives to help guide its activities during this year and beyond. I am happy to report that we are making solid progress already in working towards those objectives and will continue to provide you with ongoing updates through our new website. For more information on those Objectives, see the end of this article.

In addition, as a result of a Board request to the membership, several volunteers have stepped forward and offered to work with the Board in achieving Institute Objectives. Several of those volunteers were able to join us at a Board meeting in Sussex held on November 9th, and have subsequently stepped further forward and converted that interest into a full commitment. We thank those volunteers in helping move our Institute forward, and welcome them to “the team.”

As President, I offered several potential areas where volunteers could assist their Board in making NBPMI stronger: Membership Development, Ethics Committee, NBPMI Awards Committee, and the 2012 PMAC National Conference, Rising Tides, being hosted by NBPMI in Moncton in June 2012. For more information about how you might help advance any of the noted topics, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

From a National front, a key factor under discussion during the Summer and Fall of 2011 has been the negotiation between PMAC National and the various Institutes to re-formulate our financial model. These negotiations have recently drawn to a successful conclusion, and the resulting agreement which will take effect in April 2012 – PMAC National’s fiscal term – will help NBPMI remain strong and concentrate on providing services and support to its membership.

Closer to home, we are fast approaching the time for supply chain professionals at all levels to take advantage of the nearby location of the National Conference, which as mentioned is taking place in Moncton from June 6-8, 2012. This will be the best opportunity for many SCM organizations in Atlantic Canada to attend and experience the benefits of the PMAC National Conference with reduced travel expenses. If full conference attendance is not possible, a one-day registration should be considered, and the pre-conference seminars may provide access to topics that might otherwise be too distant. The Conference Catalogue, with full schedule descriptions will be coming in early 2012, so watch for that and carefully review topics of interest to you.

Finally, I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of our Institute members and their families, a Safe and Happy Holiday Season. May you take time to reflect upon your accomplishments during the past year, and set meaningful objectives for yourself for the coming year. Most importantly, however, take time to enjoy time with those closest to you – share family gatherings, special moments with family and friends, and the sights and sounds of the Holiday Season. When you’re traveling, take care and allow some extra time, to arrive safely and reduce travel stress.

Happy Holidays, and all the best in 2012.

2011/2012 NBPMI Institute Objectives