PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Kasey Abbott

Let’s do lunch at the Westward Ho on Wednesday September 5

 

Yes, you read right.  Lunch buffet will be served starting at 11:30 AM, with the program running from 12 to 1 PM.  We will be having 3 more lunch meetings and 6 or 7 dinner meetings/special events this year.

 

Why the change?  Well, I recently surveyed a number of ASHRAE chapters and they all said that having lunch meetings brought in younger members, and that attendance never decreased and almost always increased.  The Board of Governors decided that it was time to make the plunge – now I just have to make sure no one shows up at the Ho next Wednesday night! 

 

One immediate benefit from this change is that we have reduced the cost of the “Meal Prepay Option” by 20%.  Pay $80 now and save time and money over purchasing individual meals (dinner @$17, lunch @$12).

 

Which brings me to an issue that many chapters, including ours, struggles with.  We must provide the Westward Ho with an accurate count of how many people will be attending.  We then pay for that amount whether they show up or not, and no shows have cost our chapter - $200 in one case.  And we’ve had the other problem, where too many people show up, and we ran out of food!

 

Other chapters have decided to deal with this issue by adding $5 to the cost of meals for those who don’t RSVP, or implement methods that are only legal in certain middle eastern countries.  However, the SD Chapter is going to take a more positive approach and try to make this RSVP thing as easy as possible.

 

Please RSVP for the September 5th lunch meeting to jill.beatty@ddccontrol.com by Friday.  Or call her at 575.3739 if that is more convenient. 

 

And you will want to RSVP for this meeting because you will have the opportunity to learn, and provide input, on an issue that will have a very significant impact on the HVAC industry.  Steve Wegman, with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SDPUC), will be discussing various rebate programs that the SDPUC is considering to encourage energy conservation in both the commercial and residential sectors.  I know that Steve is very interested in getting input from our members, so please come to the meeting, get informed, and make a difference.

 

Finally, I would like to congratulate Rob deWit on keeping the streak going as the SD ASHRAE chapter remains one of only two Premier chapters in the region.

And yes, while maintaining our status as a Premier Chapter is important, it is not, nor should it be, the focus of our board and committee leaders.  The focus needs to be on the local members that we serve, and how we can provide them better value for being a member of ASHRAE.  In order for us to do this effectively, we need your input, so please feel free to contact me, or any of the fine volunteers you see listed in the Blueprint, with your thoughts and ideas. 

 

See you for lunch next Wednesday at the Westward Ho.

 

Sincerely yours,

Kasey

 

 

 

CTTC

Rob Marshall

 

Steve Wegman

Steve Wegman is an analyst for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission. Prior to joining the commission staff, Mr. Wegman worked as senior staff for South Dakota Gov. William J. Janklow.  Mr. Wegman has worked on numerous projects in South Dakota from the Wiring the Schools Initiative to construction and conversion of mobile science laboratories.

 

Steve will be speaking on proposed rebate programs through MidAmerican and Excel Energy.   See the attached link to read about the Commissioning Docket for the MidAmerican Rebate Program. 

 

http://www.state.sd.us/puc/commission/dockets/electric/2007/el07-015/el07-015.htm

 

 

Steve Wegman, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, 500 E. Capitol Ave., Pierre, SD 57501. Phone: (605) 773-3201. E-mail: Steve.Wegman@state.sd.us