Peter Mack, APMM President

President's Letter: The Power of the APMM

Fall is upon us and I hope you all are busy with projects. Last week I witnessed something that makes the APMM great: members helping other members. It started with one post to the MILE saying “Help, my machine is down!” and within 20 minutes a response came, “Send me the files, I can help”, later three or four more offers to help surfaced. We’ve all been in this situation, when a tight timeline project falls to pieces because a machine goes down at a critical moment. It might make you question why you are in this line of work sometimes, but as a member of the APMM, you have a network of support in your back pocket. You have the ability to tap resources around the globe at a moment’s notice whether it be advice, a machine need, or any of the other daily challenges that make model making unique.

The people of the APMM have your back and that is a POWER that many industries lack. While we might compete for jobs at times, once someone has a job they have a tremendous resource of knowledge if they’re thrown a curveball. I have seen this happen many times on the MILE, with members coming to the aid of fellow members. This reflects so strongly on what great people our members are and really makes me proud to be a part of the APMM. So, thanks to all of you for stepping up and helping each other out.

The POWER I just referred to is the backbone of the APMM's network. And there is an energy that is growing as plans for our 2018 Conference in Grand Rapids start to gel. We have had many people step up to say that they can help and I think there is only more to come. We still need a few more people to present workshops and share their knowledge and techniques. Because we operate on a shoestring, we can always use more financial sponsorships to help with the costs of putting on our biennial gathering. If your budget will allow you to sponsor or help fund an event or activity - regardless of the size - now’s the time to step up and make the 2018 Conference a huge success.

Working closely with our small group of conference planners I can already feel the energy growing. It’s that energy you feel when something big is about to happen. If you have been to one of our past conferences, you know the feeling you get on Thursday night while having a few beers and some pizza and seeing more and more people show up. Everyone’s excited, you’re seeing old friends, or meeting people that maybe you have only emailed with. Hearing stories about that job that didn’t quite go the way you expected. I love that energy and I hope that you will come to Grand Rapids and experience it with me and the rest of the APMM. I believe this is going to be a great conference for us. So start making your plans because online registration is open now - we're even offering a $50 discount if you register before the end of October! Come and get a recharge of energy and feel the power that makes the APMM such a great organization. I hope to see you all in March.

Thanks,
Pete