Get involved

November 13, 2014

By Ray Barry, NAID Deputy Executive Director

As many of you know, this is the time of year we all start planning for 2015 to make ourselves and our businesses healthier. We start looking back at 2014 and what we could do better and hopefully implement new things personally and professionally for 2015. My hope is that you consider getting more involved in NAID, your industry’s trade association.

As a former NAID president, and now a NAID staff member, I have a unique perspective on why it’s important to get new industry professionals involved in NAID each year. As a former board member, I served with some very knowledgeable and bright individuals who shared one common goal: advance the secure destruction industry and NAID. There is a strong correlation between advancing the industry, NAID and organizations in our industry. For example, if you look at the current NAID Board of Directors, they are all successful companies that vary in size, demographic, geography, services provided, age, and, most of all, perspectives. It’s important to have diverse representation on NAID committees and boards because those different perspectives, backgrounds, and opinions can contribute to a smarter and healthier industry. That’s why NAID has 2,000 member locations worldwide and counting.

I discuss industry and association issues with many of you regularly and one question always comes up: “Ray, I want to get involved more with NAID and help shape the association and industry and grow my business. What’s the best way to get involved? ”

If you want to get involved with NAID but you don’t know how, here are some ways to do so:

• Volunteer and participate on one of the several NAID committees like the public relations or conference committees.
• Join a monthly NAID Board of Directors conference call. These are open to all members. See what’s being discussed to stay in tune with the industry.
• Attend one of the two face-to-face NAID board meetings a year. If you are already attending the annual conference, it would be easy to join the meeting at the end. It’s open to any NAID member.
• If you are already part of a committee, volunteer to be the chairperson of the committee. This will help you become a NAID board member in the future.
• Run for a NAID Board of Directors position.
• Call me at 602-788-6243, ext. 2012, and we can discuss the best ways to get involved that make sense for you and your company.

In the next few weeks, you will see an announcement about the NAID nomination process beginning. This is an important time of year for our association. If you have ever thought of being part of the board or you know of an industry professional that has, please do not hesitate to nominate yourself or someone else. NAID is as good as all of us make it.

I am Ray Barry and I approve this message