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Volunteer Spotlight
Interview with Dr. Richard W. Johnson, President, Tin Stabilizers Association (TSA)
Q. The TSA relies on its management team to provide timely data-driven web activity reports as well as handle highly confidential information about its member companies and customers. Does knowing that Fernley & Fernley (F&F) is an AMCI-ANSI Accredited association management company (AMC) provide you with a sense of security that information will be handled appropriately?
A. The TSA has benefited from F&F's data management system in two different ways. With our web site under F&F we are able to receive regular reports of activity that allow us quickly and easily assess what content visitors are scanning, thus giving us an opportunity to understand the viewer's needs. On matters relating to privileged or confidential information, the data management system F&F uses has produced excellent results. Their staff follows strict procedures that ensure no breach of information takes place.
Q. The TSA interacts with allied organizations and specialized consultants on a regular basis to fulfill its mission of promoting the safe and effective use of tin stabilizer products. How has your Headquarters Team served as liaison to effectively facilitate communications between these organizations?
A. When our organization was formed F&F helped us scope a companion vision and mission related to the allied organizations with which we needed to both announce our presence and establish collaboration. Since our efforts deal heavily with issues management, such connections are extremely valuable and critical. This has continued through ongoing work involving some very critical regulatory areas.
Q. How does the management team transition new volunteer leaders into their role without imposing on their busy schedule?
A. Our association is small, yet it has experienced significant changes in leadership. This has resulted in leaders assuming new positions with little background, and leaders coming on board with minimal experience with the association. F&F has been excellent in providing special information and training sessions for these volunteers to bring them up to speed as quickly as possible.
Q. One of the advantages of working with an AMC is their ability to provide flexible staffing options to accommodate peaks and valleys in association activities. Have you found this to be a valuable benefit during your years on the Board of the TSA?
A. The business environment is constantly changing, and associations must be in a position to change as well. Such changes can often impact the support staff, including management support. In our case we moved from a new association needing major startup support, through a high activity work phase, to what is now more of a low maintenance state. These three phases required different levels of management support in terms of manpower and experience. F&F has been able to increase and reduce staff hours in such a way that our service needs have been fully supported during each phase.
Q. The TSA is comprised of well educated members who work in a specialized section of the chemical industry, many of which possess a scientific degree. Non-profit managers usually don't possess similar credentials nor a comprehensive understanding of items such as organotins, methyl, butyl, or octyl tins.
A. Our association deals with a highly technical line of products which have very specific and unique issues to manage. Most people it is fair to say have no knowledge of what we do. However, F&F have recognized this and made the effort necessary to allow their staff to understand the parts of our business and issues that are critical to the association's work, and have used that knowledge to provide effective management of our group. They connected our issues with their experience base to help guide us in our activities.
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Richard W. Johnson is Regulatory Manager for the Packaging and Building Materials business at Rohm & Haas, a developer of specialty and performance materials for customers in more than 100 facilities with operations in 27 countries. Mr. Johnson has been actively involved in the TSA since its inception in 2001.