From the Chairman’s Corner

August Editorial by VMASC Industry Board of Advisors Chairman Jack McGinn

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VMASC’s Industry Board of Advisors meets monthly with VMASC’s Executive Director to discuss items of interest not only to the Director but also to the industry membership. In between these sessions, I meet with the Executive Director to discuss any pressing issues that may arise throughout the month. The intent of these frequent meetings is to help make both organizations vibrant and productive.

In our recent July board meeting, the main topic of discussion was Dr. Sokolowski’s overview of his fiscal year 2013 plan for VMASC. It is encouraging to see VMASC’s emphasis on research that should result in intellectual property that can potentially be commercialized.

Additionally, as we expand our industry focus beyond primarily the DoD, we expect to see our membership base expand to other M&S domains such as medical, transportation, education, etc.

As a sign of the value of M&S for decision-making, Dr. Sokolowski was recently invited to attend a meeting with ODU’s President, John Broderick, former President, Dr. James Koch, and Virginia’s Secretary of Transportation to discuss Port of Virginia issues.

Dr. Sokolowski was also asked to author a letter to Virginia’s Governor to update him on what was going on in the region from an M&S perspective. Copies of this letter were also provided to members of our elected leadership.

Our quarterly Speakers Breakfast Seminars have been very well received.

Our most recent guest was Stihl, Inc.’s Mr. Simon Nance, Manager, for Training and Development. If you have not had a chance to avail yourself of these sessions, please make a date for the next one. Bob Armstrong has done a great job in lining up relevant speakers as we broaden our scope to areas outside of traditional DoD M&S customers.

We plan on starting a new event for the membership called a Research Networking Social. They will be based around a short presentation by a VMASC Research Lead followed by informal discussion and networking among not only VMASC Industry members but also companies from outside of the membership who may have an interest in the research area or in just the opportunity to meet with new companies to form business relationships.

Currently, we plan on hosting these events roughly three times a year. The first will be in the September timeframe and will be Transportation oriented. Details will be released to the membership in the near future. As with the Speakers Breakfast Seminars, we welcome other members of your company whom you feel should attend. When the announcement comes out, just let Charlotte know in the RSVP.

Under the coordination of Thomas Reese, we are in the process of developing a marketing and awareness video that will feature representative member companies discussing the role of M&S in their businesses as well as for the region and nation. We hope to have this effort complete in time for the annual membership meeting this Fall.

In closing, there area quite a number of activities member companies can take advantage of through their membership with VMASC Industry Association. We look forward to seeing you at these events throughout the year.

-Jack McGinn
Chairman, VMASC Industry Board of Advisors