When I think back on my journey becoming part of the Fluid Sealing Association, I can’t help but feel the tingly spark of excitement ignite the fire in my belly. Thinking about how far I’ve come often fuels my passion for moving forward. You see, I had been working as an account rep for Pump & Systems magazine, and my initial introduction to the FSA had come about as a result of internal discussions relating to their Sealing Sense articles printed in that publication each quarter. My first real exposure to the association, however, happened when I attended their spring 2011 meeting in Charleston, SC. My drive to attend came from a suggestion from one of my all-time favorite clients, who was at that time the FSA President – Ed Marchese of Proco Products, Inc.

Sitting in the marketing meeting, led by its chair Janet Jessen, I certainly felt out of my element! As we made our way through the agenda however, and even though I kept telling myself “not to talk”, I realized even then that I had something to contribute to the conversation. Following the meeting, I was welcomed by Scott Boyson who told me he knew just who I needed to meet – Ian Baynes. He then invited me to dinner, which apart from being a very pleasant surprise, gave me the opportunity to meet for the first time an amazing group of FSA members: Henri Azibert, Greg Raty, Phil Mahoney, and the lovely Pasha Raty! It was a memorable dinner, and I am still thankful for his kindness and the introduction to these amazing people. I know now… This is the way it is at the FSA.

By the end of the meeting, I had written a whole list of things we could do to help the FSA. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm to engage was not fully shared by my team, so I decided to looked for ways that I could help based on my area of expertise – social media – figuring this was probably the best, safest, and most impactful way to jump into the action.

Step #1 – I contacted Ian Baynes, Vice Chair of Marketing at the time, and asked him what he was doing with the FSA LinkedIn group. This is a great story he tells, but for me, I was just trying to help find a way to better showcase the FSA to the public! Step #2 – I redesigned the format of the LinkedIn Group as a public forum. My first completed “action item” at the FSA, and WOW did it feel good!

Shortly after this, I elected to follow a different and exciting new career path, one that would keep me engaged with the industry, but also one that would enable me to continue to participate as an FSA member. Unfortunately during this transition I missed my first and only FSA meeting; what kept me focused on returning were the words of Ed Marchese “You get out of the association what you put into it” from a speech he made at my first meeting. So… it was my goal to go to the next meeting and get involved!

At my next meeting, and to the group’s surprise, Janet Jessen announced she was changing careers and leaving the marketing chair position. I never would have guessed the next steps in a million years…

Shortly after the meeting and on a business trip to visit Proco Products, Ed asked to meet with me. Thankfully, Mike gave me a heads-up (like one minute) that he was going to ask me to take the Marketing Chair position. Thankfully, I had a moment to prepare my answer without being in a pile of tears saying… WHEN AM I GOING TO HAVE TIME TO DO THAT! Not to mention, I didn’t have any experience as a Chair of anything!

Thankfully, Ed offered to help me, and said that I would have a vice chair to help as well. I contacted the management company to advise them of the change, and as a means of getting me up to speed, they happily sent me the last 5 years of agendas to review. I noticed that “not much change” had happened within the marketing division in quite some time. So I decided my first mission, again based on my area of expertise, was to get the website improved and the social media channels active. Coming from a digital media company, I couldn’t be seen as leading any organization with an out-of-date website. Thankfully, the committee was in agreement. My second “action item” done – boy, was I on a roll!

I’m forever thankful that Ian turned out to be the best vice chair I could’ve asked for! His skills in marketing complimented mine perfectly. We put our heads together and created real change in the marketing committee. This also drove improvement and action across many of the other divisions. As part of the Technical Coordinating Committee [TCC] we helped create both the Branding Guide and a Protocols Manual. I still can’t thank Ian enough for helping with those! Let’s just say “protocols” are not my thing. My third “action item” – ok I’m done, hopefully you are getting the message on how this works!

Together we built a very active marketing committee with many action items to follow.From building a new website and SharePoint intranet, to shooting testimonial videos of FSA members, to engaging governmental bodies on Twitter, our committee was known as an active and “full of energy” group. This was my mission and I am still most proud to see the #FSAinAction! The members of the FSA are some of the most knowledgeable and talented people I have ever met. The list is too long to mention here, but I invite you to come to the FSA’s next meeting in Nashville. I will introduce you to them all!

My most proud moment was when Mike Shorts, the current FSA president, presented me with the FSA Award of Merit. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I was literally speechless. And if you have met me… you know that really is something! It made me feel like the hours I had put in meant something, and it gave me the drive to continue to be active in other groups; continuing my journey by increasing my participation through the Government Affairs and Strategic Planning Committees.

I have grown so much during my 5 years at the organization. The FSA helped me personally and professionally. It helped me understand the importance of correctly sealing pumps, valves, and compressors, which I use, every day in my business. It gave me the opportunity to serve on a Technical Committee where I learned a great deal about standards, regulations, and equipment best practices. I have a great appreciation and respect for these amazing engineers that work hard to educate our industry on the best practices for sealing and containment devices. This helps save energy, leads to safe working conditions, and a cleaner environment.

I would encourage you to get involved. You don’t have to be an engineer – as my story shows. We all have talents to use that will allow this amazing team to build something new and drive positive change into the industries and customers we all serve.

It takes a lot to leave me speechless. But it happened this past week.

This week I received a Merit Award from the Fluid Sealing Association for my work with the Marketing Committee in establishing, maintaining, and growing the FSA’s social presence in the marketplace. This recognition was completely unnecessary and a complete surprise.

As a digital media addict, I goggled the definition of “Merit.”   Here’s what I found:

 

My favorite definition of “merit” is the British version, which states, “Making a Good Grade.” This statement reminds me of something my mom would say everyday as I went to school: “MAKE A 100” meant “DO YOUR BEST.” It was never about being perfect but about doing my best and applying my talents.  Then, we can help others.

And this award means a lot to me because it represents the work of many people, not just me. As I held the award for a photo, I was overwhelmed with pride when looking at the team gathered in the room.   It’s the same feeling I have when my son catches a line drive. It that feeling of making your entire body smile to the point of tears… even though I hate to let people see me cry. So…I fight that feeling with other thoughts.

There was a room full of people watching this happen to me and I was unable to say anything other than thank you. I wish I had maintained my composure better because there are a number of people that I need to thank for encouraging and supporting me in this journey with FSA.

First, I would like to thank Ed Marchese, President and CEO of Proco Products, who encouraged me to become an active member of FSA. Ed was President of FSA at the first meeting I attended and strongly encouraged me to share my talents with the industry. I remember his talk that day where he stated, “you get out of FSA, what you put into it.” Very true and inspiring words.

Second, Janet Jessen, who was the Chair of the Marketing Committee and VP of Global Marketing, Innovation and Engineering for Garlock Sealing Technologies, at that time, and I was deeply honored to meet her. She has a strong legacy in the industry and I was a little intimidated to be honest. I just kept telling myself…”you just got here…don’t talk…just listen and learn.” True to character, I didn’t stay silent for long.

During that first meeting, I received the assignment to talk with Ian Baynes, Director of Global Marketing with A.W. Chesterton Company, to learn more about a new FSA LinkedIn Group he created, and I started framing thoughts on how to help the Association.

It was during the next meeting I attended that my commitment to the Association grew even more. Not only did Ian deliver a great and inspiring talk to the team, but Janet also informed the Leadership Committee that she would be resigning as head of the Marketing Committee. On a personal level, I was disappointed in Janet’s decision because I was looking forward to working and learning from one of the best minds in the industry.

For the next few months, I continued my work on building a stronger and more consistent social media presence for FSA. A few months later, Greg Raty, FSA President at the time, appointed me to head the Marketing Committee. I was flooded by a wave of emotions. While flattering, there was no way I could follow Janet. In addition, I was in the first year of my own start-up venture, which required a full commitment of my own time. But the belief of Ed, Ian and others in my abilities confirmed my investment in FSA.

So I plunged head first into the FSA…. leveraging my skills and knowledge of digital media to help the FSA grow. I knew that our collective contributions to the industry create a stronger environment for companies to thrive. I wanted to help because I believed in the team, the people and the companies in this industry.

One of the best parts of leading the Marketing Committee was that I was afforded the luxury of gaining access and working with the incredibly brilliant leaders of the FSA. I even found myself attending Technical Committee meetings because I knew that this deeper information would translate into stronger marketing programs because I have stronger insights into the industry and its needs and future direction.

I remember that meeting well because the group was talking about the impeding approval of a new testing standard…that was initiated 10years AGO! I admired the resolve and contributions from people across the industry. It really reinforced the importance and power of industry Associations and their lasting legacies on so many people and companies.

Finally, I want to say a special thanks to Ian Baynes, whom I share this award with, and taught me more in two years about the power of marketing to lead, develop, and encourage others than I have learned in my 10 years in the industry. And, to all the Chairs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Technical Directors past and present… You should be proud of what you have accomplished, and I share my “good grade” with you!

P.S. I am now Vice Chair of the FSA Membership Committee… So if you want to join the FSA, let me know!