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Volunteer Spotlight
Jim Laster, Past President of the WMMA®
Our editor caught up with Jim Laster, Past President of the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA®) to gain his perspective as a volunteer leader of an association faced with an unexpected change in key members of the management team. His no nonsense responses will hopefully provide comfort to other volunteer leaders experiencing similar staff transition.
For over 100 years, the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (www.wmma.org) has worked to increase the productivity and profitability of U.S. machinery and tooling manufacturers and the businesses that support them. Over that time, WMMA® has dedicated itself to the advancement of the U.S. woodworking machinery and cutting tool industry while promoting awareness of American technology in the woodworking industry. WMMA® has been professionally managed by Fernley & Fernley, Inc. since 1949.
Q. WMMA® recently experienced an unanticipated change in key Headquarters personnel. What was your initial reaction to the news?
A. Experiencing a change in key personnel means loosing a great deal of experience that will take time to replace. Working with Fernley & Fernley (F&F) however relieved the anxiety usually associated with such a change. We were confident that due to the depth of qualified personnel available within their organization, our association’s needs would be covered.
Q. Were you concerned with how a staff change might impact the progress of existing association programs?
A. We have a few programs that were heavily dependent on specific staff members that were leaving, however, due to a collaborative work environment at Headquarters, other team members at F&F were able to jump in to keep projects moving forward.
Q. Did the fact that WMMA® is managed by Fernley & Fernley, Inc., a professional Association Management Company (AMC) provide any comfort during this uncertain time?
A. The management of our association by a professional Association Management Company is what made the transition easier to manage. WMMA® has worked very closely with F&F over our long partnership to build depth into the management of our association, just for occasions like this.
Q. Although you and the other volunteer leaders were aware of the changes occurring at Headquarters, were services to members disrupted in anyway?
A. We were not in any way concerned about nor did we experience any disruption in services provided to our association.
Q. Hiring new staff members to interact effectively with volunteers, members, sponsors, and others with a vested interest in the association had to be a challenging feat. Was the recruitment process executed well and how much input did the association’s Officers have throughout the search?
A. It is always a challenge to find and recruit quality people to fill vacancies in any organization. The challenge is greater when the candidates you (the Board of Directors) wish to hire do not work directly for your organization; they are actually employees of the management company. The Executive Committee of WMMA® met with the F&F Human Resources Director and existing staff in Philadelphia to discuss the association’s expectations and map out a strategy to best fulfill our mutual goals. It is important to feel the relationship between the volunteer leadership and the professional staff is a true partnership, and that continues to be our working model for WMMA® and F&F.
Q. The new Headquarters Team recently executed a very successful annual meeting. It would appear that the recent transition in staff had little impact on standard operations. How would you respond?
A. Because of the depth of staff and the number of people who touch our account at F&F we were able to continue business as usual in planning and executing our annual meeting. Of the three people from WMMA® who were originally involved in the pre-conference planning sessions, I was the only one still standing three months prior to the meeting. However, well trained and experienced associates from F&F were able to step into the vacancies and pulled off a very successful event.
Q. You’ve worked closely with various members of the Fernley & Fernley, Inc. team for many years now. What key factors do you believe contributed to the smooth transition?
A. Having our former Executive Vice President, Ken Hutton, as part of the F&F staff and still active with WMMA® was a huge factor. Ken has been serving our association as V.P. of Public Policy and Industry Affairs for the past three years. Ken was able to temporarily return to his previous role without any hesitation. We were able to rely on additional F&F associates to take over event planning and management. Others simply took on additional duties and the job got done.
Q. What would you tell other volunteer leaders about the value of being managed by a professional Association Management Company like Fernley & Fernley, Inc. during uncertain times?
A. I see no way that the work of WMMA® could be managed as effectively without the partnership with F&F. The back office work alone is enough to bury a couple of full-time people. Our association prides itself in the programs and services we provide to our members, and we would not be able to do nearly as much without the resources of our Association Management Company.
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Jim Laster is Executive Vice President for Newman*Whitney, Division of Newman Machine Company, Inc. in Greensboro, NC. (www.newmanwhitney.com). He has been an active member of WMMA® for many years holding various elected and appointed volunteer leadership positions including serving as association president.