President's Letter: A Season of Change

I am writing this as your President-Elect knowing we have quite a bit of change occurring all around us in our personal lives, communities, the Association, and our general society.  While we head into this continued change, our main focus should be clear communication and a plan for how we move forward while navigating these uncharted waters. As AATC members, you need to know that the Association Staff, Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee are committed to constantly looking for ways to help your colleagues, product service partners, and communities come through these constant challenges for the better. As demonstrated by our mission statement, the Association has an obligation to provide guidance through these changes by focusing on the following items: education, advocacy (local, state, and national), networking, and inspirational leadership.

EDUCATION:  Whether it's in person or online, we encourage all members to attend one or more of the many class offerings we have throughout the year. Don't let your office or maintenance teams do the same thing they have always done when there is probably a newer and fresher way to do it. You have to put into your staff what you want to get out of them, especially if you want to enhance the output for your community. We have outstanding experts and professionals committed to sharing the current and relevant information for your teams to take back and apply to your community.

So far, we have experienced great success with our Pool School, HVAC, Fair Housing, Leasing classes, NAAEI Credentials. There are many more courses to come over the next few months! You can view our entire education lineup here: https://www.aatcnet.org/events/education.

ADVOCACY:  This was one of the ways I first discovered what this Association does for its members. AATC's advocacy efforts are second to none! The Association has stood up and raised our hand when local, state, and national governmental points of view differ from concerns/needs of owners, communities, and staff which impact us short and long term. We could share examples of AATC's advocacy at work, but there are too many examples to list. So know this, if you want to be part of making a difference for our industry, then reach out to the Association to learn how you can help advocate.

NETWORKING / RELATIONSHIPS:  I have invested a lot of my time getting to know many members in a short time span and have made some great friendships that will last a lifetime in and outside this industry. Reaching out to Owner Manager Groups and Product Services Partners with questions and receiving wonderful experienced feedback is invaluable.  Networking is there for anyone wanting to invest the time to get to know other people and listen to their points of view; as a mentor of mine has always stated to me, "No one of us is smarter than all of us working together."

LEADERSHIP:  Having Leadership skills is not something that comes naturally but seeing the diversity and types of leadership being used by many different successful people and companies does nothing less than help sharpen and hone your own leadership skills. With so much experience listening and learning from, I have been amazed and appreciative at what I have learned from the many leaders in our industry.

On an important note, you may be wondering why I am writing this instead of AATC President Jason Busboom? The answer is that Jason's oldest son, Blake, was in a sports-related accident. At the time of writing this article, Blake has been at the Children's Hospital for the last three weeks, which has undoubtedly put their family and Blake to the test of change. Therefore, I would ask all members, in their own way, to keep the Busboom family in your thoughts along with anyone for which you know is struggling with difficult challenges ahead.

In conclusion, this Association is as good as the members who actively participate in making it a success—that means you're all part of what makes AATC amazing. No matter how you participate, more voices can help you find the right path. Thank you for allowing me to serve you as part of the AATC's leadership.

Michael Payne, Allmark Properties, is AATC's President-Elect and serves on AATC's Executive Committee.