ATA President’s Message: Preaching to the Choir
The 2014 election is over and I for one am grateful that Doug Ducey was elected Arizona’s next governor. Doug will be a great governor and great for Arizona.
During this past year, I had the opportunity to attend a fundraiser for Doug with special guest Governor Chris Christie (R-New Jersey). Like most fundraising events, he talked about the need for a well funded campaign, the need to encourage your friends and family to go out and vote, etc. But then he said something pretty profound in my view. He said he knows that he is preaching to the choir. After all the people in the room were all politically active. From there Christie explained the lesson he learned from a preacher from upstate New York who said: “I preach to the choir so they’ll sing.”
Everyday we here at the ATA preach to the choir about membership, safety, political engagement, getting involved, and
If you are reading this magazine, I know I am preaching to the choir, but the success of this organization starts and ends with you – the membership. Here are some things we need to focus on in the coming year:
Help ATA with membership recruitment. You all know the benefits of being a part of this Association. Please share that with the people you do business with. Whether they a carrier or a potential allied member please encourage them to learn more and join. You all know that the best lead is a referral from someone who is a member. Remember there is strength in numbers.
Be and active part of ATA’s safety culture. ATA offers incentives and rewards for drivers and safety personal, but people don’t take advantage of these programs. Please submit your nominations for driver of the quarter, fleet safety awards, safety professional of the year; participate in the Truck Driving Championships and SuperTech competition; volunteer for our Share the Road program; participate in RoadCheck; and participate in our safety seminars and meetings. Participating in these programs will not only make you a safer, but could help your bottom line.
Be Politically Engaged. ATA is the sword and the shield when it comes to protecting advocating and defending the trucking industry. One of the main reasons we exist is to represent industry. But we need your help to ultimately be successful. If you see an email that asks you to take action please do so. We need your voice to help inform the legislature, regulatory agency, or law enforcement on issues that are important to us. Adding everyone’s voice makes us more powerful and more effective. You can also get involved by donating to our Political Action Committee. Even if it $25, $50, or $100, your contributions allows us to support candidates who understand our issues and the importance of trucking to our economy.
Let us know how we can better serve you. We exist to serve you. If there is something we can do better, please let us know. We will try and find a way to say yes.
Thank you again for letting me serve as your President and CEO. It is truly my honor to work for this association and its members. I wake up every day knowing that I work for an industry that is the backbone of the American economy. In the coming year we need to think big, work together, and show Arizona just how important we are to America’s success.
