SERIOUSLY. NO LEAVING.

It’s here – my first NAPEO Annual Conference and Marketplace! Hard to believe that I’m running out of “firsts” already, but this is a big one and I know it’s going to exceed expectations.

Any regular readers of this column, or attendees at our other events this year that I’ve been fortunate to participate in, know what an appreciation I have for our dedicated membership. Every association doesn’t have this, and we’re much better off for it. For every issue facing our industry and our association, we have many willing industry partners to roll up their sleeves to find productive solutions.

There are countless examples of industry leaders who have given back to make NAPEO what it is today. At the Annual Conference we’ll award the annual Michaeline Doyle Award, recognizing someone who has dedicated their career to improving our industry and our association.

We’ll also celebrate a passing of the torch, or gavel in this case, when NAPEO’s board of directors welcomes David Feinberg (Justworks) as its new Chair.

I’d like to dedicate the rest of my column to sharing some thoughts about our outgoing Chair, Steve Politis (AlcottHR).

Steve has been actively involved with our association for more than half of our 40-year existence. Without making a big deal about how old that makes him, let’s just say that if his NAPEO tenure was a person, we could legally buy it a cocktail…

What’s impressive about this is not only his tenacity, but his ability to always find more ways to give back while juggling his important and demanding day job, and his family.

I’ve seen it firsthand in my short tenure. He has been thoughtful about how to move the association forward. An always-willing and available partner, Steve jumps at opportunities to help PEO peers, offers counsel on issues big and small, shows up in state capitals to advance the industry and is a tireless advocate for all things NAPEO.

Steve now joins an esteemed group of past- board chairs who have ushered our industry and our association to where we are now. And we continue to benefit from their industry experience and expertise.

So, no matter what he tells you about riding off into the sunset, I’ve suggested this is more like Hotel California – he can check out any time he’d like, but can never leave.

Steve was an active participant on NAPEO’s CEO search committee last year, helping to guide a process that brought me to this great industry. Since then, he’s been a patient counselor, generous with his time, supportive of me, present for the whole NAPEO team and impressive with his level of commitment to the people that make our industry so special. Probably because he’s one of them.

Join me in thanking our friend Steve Politis for his dedicated commitment to NAPEO, past, present and future. Seriously. No leaving.