From the Board of Directors Meeting

At its October meeting in Chicago, the board of directors unanimously approved elements of The ASHI Experience, including the recommendations of the strategic planning task force.

The board gave the go ahead to the following:

• Development of radio and print ad concepts that had been reviewed and endorsed by Chapter Leadership Day participants. The finished products will be available for distribution to chapters early next year.

• Efforts by Publicis Dialogue on ASHI’s behalf to establish Home Depot beta store sites for chapters to participate in the delivery of consumer education sessions.

• Work to continue on the 2003-04 Strategic Plan, with the next review scheduled for January 2004.

• Recommendations developed by the strategic planning task force at its September meeting.

The task force recommended and the Board agreed, the plan should include only strategies for performing The ASHI Experience, increasing membership value and being the advocate for the profession. Items unrelated to these goals will be eliminated. In addition, strategies will reflect the unique needs of each of our three member groups – solo, multi-inspector and franchisees. The Board also agreed the Membership needs a checklist to perform The ASHI Experience, and that it’s time to begin investigating the viability of service standards. (For more Stratgic Plan information, see “Basic planning premises,” facing page.)  

In other action

In addition to moving forward on The ASHI Experience and its supporting Strategic Plan, the board sent recommendations for changes to the MRC document back to the education committee.

It passed a motion to make minor changes to the disciplinary process for those who violate the ASHI membership forum protocol and user agreement to a warning via
e-mail. After a second warning, offenders will be placed on probation; a third and they’re out for 30 days. If, after returning, they offend again, a 90-day suspension. Any further transgressions earn a yearlong suspension. All users of the online forum will be required to have a valid e-mail address to receive warnings.

The board approved the following committee chairs and board liaisons for 2004:

ASHI Membership Forum: Mark Cramer, chair
Bylaws: David Drewry, chair; Jim Lee, board liaison
Chapter Relations: Dennis Parra Sr., chair; Brian Murphy, board liaison
Conference Planning: president-elect and vice president, co-chairs
Education: Scott Patterson, chair;
Jamie Dunsing, board liaison
Elections: Larry Hoytt, chair
Executive Director Evaluation: Mike Casey, chair; Rich Matzen, board liaison
Finance: Treasurer, chair and board liaison
Leadership: Steve Gladstone, chair and board liaison
Legislative: Andrew Kasznay, co-chair, state affairs; president elect, co-chair,
federal affairs and board liaison
Membership: Don Lovering, chair; David Whittle, board liaison
Officer Nominating Committee: Rich Matzen, chair and board liaison (Note: director nominating committee chair is selected by the COR)
Public Relations: Skip Kelley, chair; Jim Rooney, board liaison
Standards: JD Grewell, chair; Tim Stull, board liaison
Code of Ethics: Roger Robinson, chair; Chuck Belefontaine, board liaison
Technical: John Cranor, chair; Tom Murley, board liaison

Atlanta, Ga. was designated as the location for the July 2004 board of directors meeting, and tentative meeting dates for 2004 were announced.

April 16-17, 2004 – Director Orientation and Board Meeting, Chicago, Ill.
July 16-17, 2004 – Town Hall Gathering and Board Meeting, Atlanta, Ga.
October 22-23, 2004 – Chapter Leadership Day and Board Meeting, Chicago, Ill.
January 12, 2005 – Board Meeting, Austin, Texas

—————————————————————————————-

Basic Planning Premises

Since 2000 ASHI has relied on a strategic long-range plan, complete with tactics necessary to achieve its goals. With the introduction of The ASHI Experience, the Society needed a powerful plan to carry it through the next 12 to 18 months, and a 30-person task force tackled this challenge last September.

Members of the strategic pPlanning task force were provided with a number of  premises, some new and others well entrenched in ASHI tradition.

• The Standard of Service, once created, and the total ASHI Experience will be owned by ASHI and be available to only qualifying ASHI home inspectors.

• Members and Candidates with logo use will be eligible to use The ASHI Experience.

• The ASHI logo will remain in its historical likeness and a seal will be designed to be used to identify an ASHI Inspection Experience. Only qualifying members will have access to the seal.

• ASHI will continue to provide membership value in terms of service, tools for growth, political power, education, access to networks of other ASHI members, governance and, most importantly, information and knowledge.

• ASHI’s core purpose and values, and the big audacious goal established in 2000, remain relevant and will not be changed.

Core Purpose: To promote exemplary practice in property inspection services.

Core Values: 1) Commitment to our Code of Ethics; 2) Professionalism and adherence to our Standards of Practice; 3. The advancement of knowledge and the free exchange of ideas in the profession.

Big Audacious Goal: ASHI will be synonymous with property inspection.
The task force affirmed the stipulations and sent recommendations to the board of directors, which were approved at its October meeting. Made up of Members who currently serve on committees, the COR or the board of directors, four ASHI consultants, the executive director and staff, the task force continued its work as directed by the board.