WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

I hope everyone who attended the annual conference got everything they expected and more out of it. It was great to see friends, network, learn and walk through the marketplace and visit all the vendor partners who support our industry. This year’s Annual Conference and Marketplace brought me back to the 90s when this inexperienced 20-something first knew he wanted to be in NAPEO (formerly NSLA for you long-timers like me).

I probably should not admit this to you, but being we are all friends here, I will. I remember my first NAPEO Annual Conference because it was in Hawaii. The next year it was in the brand-new (at the time) Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. I knew right then I wanted to be part of this industry. I may not have understood PEO back then (and some days I question if I even know it today) but I knew I could at least go to great places and stay in nice hotels with some smart and cool people. Fast forward two and a half decades, I have the honor of serving you all as your chair for the next year.

I have several goals and priorities for the upcoming year, and I encourage you to read about all of them on pages 30-33. However, I’ve highlighted a few here.

EMBRACING INCLUSIVITY

One of my foremost goals is to elevate our focus on inclusivity. In today’s dynamic business environment, we must recognize the value of diverse perspectives and backgrounds. By embracing DE&I initiatives, we not only create a more welcoming industry but also tap into a wealth of innovation that will propel the PEO industry to even greater success.

FORGING PARTNERSHIPS FOR SYNERGY

Collaboration lies at the heart of continued progress. I would like NAPEO to not only be the “Voice of the PEO Industry” but the voice of the SMB community. Groups like the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and Chambers of Commerce could make powerful allies to selectively align with when we advocate for SMBs. By strategically pooling our resources and expertise on an issue, we can drive remarkable synergies that will positively amplify the impact.

KEEPING THOSE WHO SERVED “INVOLVED”

I am a big believer in getting new people involved, and I will continue to focus on that, as I believe it is incredibly important. I do feel we have not taken advantage of former industry leaders who still want to help the industry prosper. There is an industry joke about the “Dead Chairman’s Club.” Once a chair serves out their immediate past chair year, they kind of become forgotten. My thought is, why not have them continue to share their knowledge and experiences with the next generation of leaders? I believe we should invite them to board meetings and strategic planning sessions, not with any voting rights but just as a voice to share, so new leadership can have some of that historical knowledge as they make their decisions for the industry.

My three additional initiatives are nurturing new entrants, re-visiting leadership terms, and seeing how NAPEO can use AI to our advantage. Luckily for you all reading this article, I was limited to 650 words. The joke about all these grand plans is I believe we can get these done because of the extra day we all get with 2024 being a leap year.

I am eager to serve as your chair and grateful for the trust you have placed in me. We’re all in this together!