A message from the President.

As I put pen to paper, my first thought was to say that there's nothing more fun than working hard, knowing that you are doing the right thing, and seeing the results come to fruition. Then I thought that my wife might have issues with me over that statement, so I'll tone it down. There is a lot of enjoyment derived from knowing what you are doing is right, working hard to make it happen, and seeing good results of the hard work. That work ethic sure beats not having direction and hoping that things get better.

Of course, I am referring to our jobs and the businesses we manage. However, this work philosophy can apply to life in general .... a team you are coaching, a church you are involved with, or the volunteer work you do for an association. Given that you agree with the enjoyment part, the key generally is to know that you're doing the right thing.

In my experience, I have found that the up front time it takes to establish the right direction or strategy is half the ballgame. In fact it is very hard to get people to join you or to even motivate yourself when you are not sure about the direction you are going. If your direction is not clear then the hard work that you will surely invest might send you further off course. Real significant progress can be made when you and your team are convinced that the direction you have established will get you to your destination. I have seen it many times in my career.

At PIMA, we are working hard and we are having fun. The organizational change establishing a seven person executive committee to manage association operations has enabled us to set direction and strategy more effectively. We believe our new direction will help us to accomplish our goals faster and more efficiently.

Critical to our success is to provide immediate and practical value to the paper industry we serve through leadership training that builds management excellence. We are focused this year on providing this training in three ways:

* Web cast leadership seminars

* Regional leadership skills training

* National Management Conference

Key committees including Training and Education, Division Support, Marketing, Membership, and Specialist Groups are coordinating their efforts to ensure we stay the course and reach our goals.

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Many volunteers are behind the hard work and energy in these various committees. We can see the association heading at a fast rate of speed in the right direction. And it is fun because we can see the result of our energy is going to produce the value that we all know the industry needs.

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If you would like to be a part of this, contact PIMA at www.pimaweb.org or send Diane or myself an email. Sure you can improve your leadership skills by attending the training courses offered by PIMA, but you can learn even more by being part of the leadership of the association.

Come on--Join in the Fun!

Harry Seamans

PIMA President

Diane Murdock 

Affiliate Chair

Seamans is Vice President of the Pulp and Paper-board Division of Potlatch Corporation. He has worked for the company since he received his Masters in Paper Science from the Institute of Paper Chemistry in 1977. He is an active member of Dixie's PIMA Division and joined National PIMA s Board of Directors in 1999.

Murdock is Director of Business Development for Appleton International. She has more than three decades of experience in the paper industry, has written a variety of articles in technical journals, presented at industry associations and is past Chair and speaker for the Papermakers Conference.