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New member sort of

D

Dave Wetterstroem

Well-known member
Messages
68
Location
Ohio
Company
FrameMakers of Powell
This is actually my third time being a member of the PPFA.

First was back in mid 80's and the shop that I worked at was very active in PPFA and we had a strong local chapter with monthly meetings that were generally attended by 20-30 framers. It was a great time, but other than making local contacts didn't really help to grow the business. Of course at this time you could hang out a sign and customers would find you.

The second time I joined was around 2000. I remember the bad taste from it. I got my first newsletter and the second correspondence from the PPFA was a renewal notice. Any of you that know me could probably imagine the smoke pouring out of my ears.

Well this time around many of my friends badgered me for a few years. Then late Monday night Cathy Coggins got on me and had such a scary look on her face that I finally broke down and joined the next day.

I have been framing for 33 years and have owned my shop for 24 years. I met my wife at the shop and have been married for 23 years. We have grown the business to 4 locations with a production facility and a bunch of employees, then downscaled back to just a single location with no employees. Bigger isn't always better is the lesson that I learned.

So here I am, new member with a bunch of ideas for the direction I think the PPFA has to go for it to survive and for our industry to survive. I will post about this in the coming days/weeks, but first wanted to introduce myself.

Dave
 
Dave, Welcome!:wave:

I'm glad you told us that Cathy was the member who caused you to jump in with us. I will have to agree, she can be pretty scary!:shocked: But she will also be the first one to drop what she is doing to help.

We are very serious when we say we are open to new ideas and determined to help all of our members to grow their business.
 
Welcome Dave! You are a wonderful addition to PPFA and I can't wait to see some of your ideas.
 
Just so you know, lots of us have issues with PPFA. But we still stick together and keep working on solutions. I hope that becomes clearer to you as we go along.

The most important thing to consider right now is that we are really a volunteer driven organization these days. We are very different than we were even 5 yrs ago. Dwelling on how this came to pass just drains energy from what we need to do going forward.

Sometimes it is like herding cats, but any idea will get a fair hearing. But fair warning: I have often found that chiming in with an idea can result in being asked to work on making it happen!
 
Greg, I get that. Part of the problem with any organization is that people develop their own sacred cows. Just because they see value in it doesn't mean that it is valuable to the industry.

I am sure I am going to ruffle a bunch of feathers but things either need to change or the PPFA needs to go away making room for something to take it's place. I am hoping that we can go down the change route.

Dinosaurs couldn't adapt and they are all dead.

Just look at the thread about Jay Goltz. He doesn't respect the PPFA and neither do the majority of framers and vendors. Why is that? IMO because they are in business and see the PPFA as being about the craft.
 
Welcome David.

Bring you ideas, your openess and your willingness to roll up your sleeves and let's make PPFA great. I have been actively involved in PPFA for the last 10 years and for several years back in the 80s. I have always found value in my membership and involvement with PPFA, but perhaps now more than ever.

Harry
 
Harry, I am willing to work, I just don't know where to start.
I want to see the PPFA take on a more business focus where we can show a tangible ROI for the members.
Marketing is one area that I think the PPFA could be an asset to its members. I have been told that there are some items available, but right now, framers corner is my only access to the PPFA.

This is an different world than it was just 5 years ago. We now communicate by email and through blogs and FB posts. Wouldn't it be great if every member wrote a short 2 paragraph consumer focused article with a photo that could build a library for an email newsletter or a boosted FB post? I think I could even come up with an idea or two.
 
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