Ladies and Gentlemen,

After being your President for about five months, I've made some discoveries that I need to share with you.

The number one thing I've found out is that IAATI President Tommy Hansen is a strong believer in and a promoter of communications and networking. This is something I also strongly believe in. Tommy has been noted for the way his leadership style fits into today's world using an electronic medium to quickly get information to IAATI members.

That's why I was especially happy when I found that IAATI provides the IAATI WRC President with the ability to communicate with all WRC members who have email addresses by using a "mass mailing" system. This makes it easy to share information provided to me by IAATI President Tommy Hansen, to update WRC members regarding the current status of the chapter, and to send informational messages important to WRC members. After sending out several of these "mass mailings," to my frustration I found that not all WRC members with email addresses were receiving the "mass mailings."

After making several inquiries, I found that the only way you, a current IAATI WRC member with an email address, can obtain the mailings is to register for the "Members Only" section of the IAATI website at http://www.iaati.org. May I strongly suggest that you take the time to go to the iaati.org website and register for the "Members Only" section. It is the best way to keep you fully informed and involved in IAATI.

The easiest way to do this is to pull out your IAATI membership card and fill in the information exactly as you see it on your card. Go to https://www.iaati.org/Members_only_registration.asp and then fill in your IAATI Chapter Number IN-XXXXX-WE and then your first name and last name and hit Submit Entry.

Once you are signed up, you not only give me the ability to send you the "mass mailing" messages, but it gives you access to other IAATI members' contact email addresses and phone numbers for those all-important networking tasks that you have in your every day work environment. It also allows you full access to the Training Seminar information and the ability to register online. And it also gives you the ability to renew your IAATI membership online. You must be a "current," not inactive, member to remain registered in the "Members Only" section.

If you are unsure of your IAATI WRC Chapter Number (IN-XXXXX-WE) contact me and I can supply you with the number.

We are also working on a problem where some members of the "mass mailing" list have their email addresses rejected forcing me to send you the messages from a secondary server rather than from the IAATI server with the glabb@wrciaati.org mailing address.

There will be several training opportunities in the Western Regional Chapter in 2007, including the annual IAATI Training Seminar that will be held in Arizona in August, co-hosted by AATIA and IAATI WRC. The WSATI Southern Chapter will be hosting the annual WSATI Training Seminar in San Diego in September. A few days later CATI will be putting on their annual Training Seminar in Colorado. There are many other opportunities put on by local jurisdictions within the WRC. Please take the opportunity to attend one of these training opportunities (or all of them if you can). Today's sophistication requires us to be up-to-date with our knowledge of how the thieves are doing their "job" so we have a better idea of how to do ours.

Please take the time to also go to http://www.wrciaati.org for information, training opportunities, photos, and to find out more about your Western Regional Chapter Officers and Directors. We are here to try to help you.

The annual IAATI WRC elections and general meeting will be held at the WSATI Training Seminar in San Diego in September. If you are attending the seminar, please take the time to attend the WRC general meeting and participate in the election of 2008 WRC Officers. If you have a desire to join the IAATI WRC Executive Board for 2008, please contact me or any of the current 2007 Board.

Both the Lee S. Cole Officer of the Year Award and the Gerald "Jerry" Boyer Memorial Award will be presented at the WSATI Training Seminar in San Diego. Please check on the information regarding these awards on the main IAATI WRC page. Nominations are now being accepted for both these awards.

In closing, I continue to say it is my privilege to be your elected 2007 President.

Sincerely,
Gary Labb
2007 Western Regional Chapter President

Click Here to view the President's October 7, 2008 Message

Click Here to view the Past President's October 7, 2008 Message

Click Here to view the Past President's September 8, 2008 Message

Click Here to view the President's July 1, 2008 Message

Click Here to view the President's May 28, 2008 Message