Posted on October 15, 2020
WEDA Eastern Chapter Annual Report
I want to start by saying for myself and the entire Eastern Chapter board we hope you and your loved ones are safe and maneuvering through these trying and difficult times. I know we will all get through this and come out the other side better prepared for the future and ready to get back to normal.
We are required by the chapter bylaws to provide an annual report regarding the status of the Eastern Chapter. Typically, this would be conducted at the annual meeting, but since we canceled the meeting due to safety considerations surrounding COVID 19, we wanted to do so in this announcement.
The big news is we had to cancel our annual meeting scheduled for October. We made the decision early in the year, and it seems to have been the right one. We believe all WEDA Chapters followed suit, including the National Chapter. We were able to reschedule our event at the same venue and were able to renegotiate our contract without any financial losses. It was beneficial in a way because we were able to secure an excellent venue for the social event. More to come on that in the future.
Treasurer’s report:
Coming into 2020, we carried over $39,743.11. This year, we only have minor expenses to cover operating costs and deposits for the pending annual meeting. I want to make sure everyone realizes we anticipate the up front cost to hold the annual 3 day meeting will drain that amount to below $10,000. We recover based on registrations and sponsorships. So we want to thank you again for all your support in 2019, 2020 and look forward to your support in 2021.
Elections:
Since we were not able to have the meeting, and as allowed in our by-laws, the board decided to cancel the nomination and vote for a new member to the board. Since no one was stepping down from the board, there would have been one opening, Program Manager. Under our board progression, each current board member would move up a position, and the President would become the past President. We are always looking for volunteers to be on the board, so if you or someone you know who is an active member of WEDA would like to be on the board, we are looking for nominations.
Current Board:
• Andrew Timmis – President – J.F. Brennan Company, Inc.
• David Johanson – Vice President – Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company
• Walter Dinicola – Treasurer – Anchor QEA, LLC.
• Steve Miller – Program Manager – Ellicott Dredges
• Alexandra (Allie) Schafer – Secretary – U.S. Army Corps of Engineer
Safety:
As many of you are aware, WEDA has a very active safety culture. As part of that, WEDA has a national safety commission. Each chapter provides two members to make up the National Safety Commission. We are to provide one experienced (7+ years of industry experience) and a young (<7 years of experience) representative from our chapter. We were able to secure an experienced member, but we need a volunteer for the young member. If you, or if you have someone in your company or in the industry that is in the eastern chapter region, please have them reach out to me. This is a great way for a younger member of WEDA to meet with other people around the county and get a better understanding of WEDA.
I want to thank all Eastern Chapter board members for all their hard work this year. We look forward to seeing all of you in Charleston in 2021.
Thank you,
Andrew and the Eastern Chapter Board
