President's Message from
Don Westbrook

The beginning of a New Year is a time for reflection on the past and a look forward to the future; in other words, gauging where we stand as an organization. Over the past three years that I have been involved with the local section I have been amazed at how active we have been as a local section. For instance, the new and improved web site that Gary Shrum developed and maintains is an excellent resource that provides us with both current and historical information. Newsletters, program updates, member contact information, meeting minutes, and government affairs updates can all be accessed from the website. Additionally, annual dues and PDC/Fall Conference fees can now be paid online through Paypal.

Speaking of programs, all of our meetings, PDCs, and conferences have been very interesting and well attended this past year. Mark Smith is currently planning a Spring PDC on machine guarding and we will also be holding several telewebs on various IH topics throughout the year at the Sagebrush restaurant in Oak Ridge. We also have the informative newsletter that is published quarterly by Janet Rowe-Eikenberry, which keeps us up to date on membership news and emerging IH issues.