PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Brian Swope, CPRC
Farewell from President Brian Swope, CPRC Well, we made it…sort of. To say the least, this final column is a little different than originally expected! This is generally considered to be the President’s Welcome to the annual Convention. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the Convention and Expo plans did not happen. As you all know, after careful consideration and review of all options, FRSA’s leadership canceled the Convention. So, there will be no “Welcome” letter. Instead, this will be a thank you letter for all who have helped and meant so much to me this year. First, I want to thank my wife, August. August, you have held down the fort at home for the past year, as well as the previous years, as I have moved through the Executive Committee chairs. Between the Board meetings and conference calls, you have allowed me to take on this added responsibility. You also stepped WAY outside of your comfort zone and chaired the Ladies Committee this year. I could not have done this without you. I also want to thank my parents, Keith and Diane Swope. Mom, you do so much for us. Whether it’s taking the boys to school several times a week or dropping everything for a last-minute babysitting tour of duty, you are always there for us. Dad, thank you for holding down the company while I have been out for meetings. Between Florida Building Commission and FRSA meetings, it has added up over the past few years, and I thank you for always being there. I want to thank FRSA staff. Until you go through the chairs, you don’t really know how much they do behind the scenes on a day-to-day basis. They work extremely hard to make things run as seamlessly as possible. I want to thank all of our Board and Committee members. As you all know, FRSA is a member-driven Association that relies solely on volunteers. This association would not be what it is today without your hard work and dedication. Finally, I want to thank all our manufacturers, suppliers, exhibitors and sponsors. The financial stability of this Association is a direct result of your continued support.
In closing, I want to thank all of you for the privilege of serving as President this past year. It has truly been an honor. As many of you know, much of the financial success of the Association every year hangs on the success of the annual Convention and Expo. As times have changed and the economy goes up and down, the Convention has also responded. I can FRSA President remember as a little kid Brian Swope, CPRC Vice President, being in the trade show Tampa Roofing Co., Inc. and wondering how they got all the massive equipment inside the building. The Convention has always been an annual event that is automatically marked on the family calendar every year and something we look forward to. This year, things are obviously quite a bit different. Canceling your largest source of revenue is not exactly the most ideal situation to be in, but it was the right thing to do and the Association will get through it. As always, FRSA’s associate members and sponsors stepped up to the plate and quite a few have chosen to roll their booth funds from this year over to next year, helping to soften the blow to this year’s budget. However, there are a group of exhibitors who went above and beyond and donated their booth fees to FRSA. This is a tremendous gesture and I would like to thank each of you. The companies are: A.C.T. Metal Deck Supply Berridge Mfg. Co. Eagle Roofing Products Goss Inc. Gulfeagle Supply Insurance Office of America IR Analyzers / Vector Mapping Johns Manville Mid-States Asphalt Millennium Metals Inc. PBP Sales Corp. Polyglass USA Inc. Resisto USA Roof Assessment Specialists Inc. Thank you all for your continued support of FRSA! Brian Swope, CPRC
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