Hello Kansas Auctioneer Friends,
Well, 2014 is off and rolling; hopefully all of your auction calendars are filling up for the busy spring and summer seasons. Many plans have been made by your KAA Board of Directors for this year. I am happy to report the Board has been working hard to ensure the strength of our association and the membership. I am excited to be working with such an accomplished and capable group of auctioneers that are constantly working for the betterment of our industry.
In March, the National Auctioneers Association conducted the annual State Leadership Conference. Several of your Board members were able to attend. Rick James, Aaron Traffas, and I were able to be a part of this and came away with many great leadership tips and strategies to strengthen our association. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn and network with the leaders from other state associations. Also in April, we had our Spring Board meeting and met with the Governor to sign the proclamation for National Auctioneers Day.
As you are marking your calendars please remember that NAA Conference & Show is fast approaching in Louisville, July 8-12, followed by the KAA Summer Get Together in Hutchison the weekend of August 23-24. I encourage you, as professionals in the auction industry, to attend these events for the outstanding education, fun, and fellowship. Also, please don’t forget that our final round for the Kansas Auctioneer Championship will be on September 10th at the Kansas State Fair. This always proves to be a great time and incredible showcase of Kansas auction talent! Hopefully you will join us.
I am excited to announce that the Board has voted to implement the rotating Winter Convention schedule that was discussed at the Annual Meeting last January. After polling the membership present, we found that there was strong support to conduct our Winter Conventions in three pre-determined locations. From the poll, it was overwhelmingly evident that the most popular locations for convention are Wichita, Manhattan, and Topeka. We will be in Wichita for our January 2015 convention and plan to host 2016 in Topeka.
Hope you are all doing well and staying busy. I also hope to see you all at some of the upcoming events. I am available at any time to members with questions or concerns as I am honored to serve this year as your President. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need assistance.