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 Dear Friends:
Association Management Group (AMG) has reached a memorable milestone and we have you - our client partners, suppliers, and friends - to thank for this momentous achievement. This month AMG marked its 25th year of service to the association and nonprofit community with the signing of two new clients – DBA International (DBA) and the National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP). While anniversaries are always a time to reflect on your history, we at AMG are celebrating the future of our association management company.
Over the past 12 months alone, AMG has experienced client growth of nearly 20 percent and employee growth of almost 16 percent and we anticipate another 10 percent increase in client growth by the end of 2007. We’re projecting a strong year and with several associations poised to make AMG their new home, we are excited about the developments the next 25 years will bring us.
From our highly skilled staff of credentialed professionals and association/nonprofit experts to our state-of-the-art technology designed to effectively manage member relations and allow our association partners to facilitate growth of their organizations, AMG will use this solid foundation to continue to build on its success. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory.” While AMG has achieved great strides during the past quarter century, it is our effort – our unyielding dedication to the highest of quality service and our commitment to continuous improvements to help our clients operate more efficiently - for which I am most proud. It is this effort, this assurance, that guides us with confidence into the coming years.
AMG is boldly embarking on the next 25 years with eager anticipation of the possibilities we recognize for our company, and for the association and nonprofit community. The increasing challenges our clients face represent opportunities for AMG to provide meaningful solutions. We are continuously reexamining the way our services are designed and delivered to meet the evolving needs of clients and their members.
It is an exciting time in the life of our company and I am pleased to share our accomplishment with you: the people and the organizations that have made the past and the future possible. Enjoy this edition of AMG Behind The Scenes and as always if you have comments or questions we welcome them. Look for more announcements as we will be celebrating our anniversary throughout the year and will be inviting you this fall to join us for a gala event to help us commemorate our past and kick off the next 25 years in style. [contents]
AMG welcomed the month of May with the signing of two full-service clients, DBA International and the National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. The two associations will be adding seven new staff members to the AMG team and bringing with them new experiences and skills that will blend perfectly with the office.
 DBA International is a financial services trade association comprised of members and partners from banks and financial institutions, law firms, credit bureaus, accounting firms, investment bankers, and Wall Street institutional investors. DBA International is dedicated to continually providing its members with proven management, best practices, ethics, educational programs and networking opportunities. AMG takes great pride in the trust that DBA International has found in the company to maintain their high level of service for their members. DBA International is looking to AMG to expand membership, create marketing opportunities and add value to members and the industry.
 Additionally, AMG will add its fourth Hispanic-related, full-service client, the National Association of Hispanic Publications, Inc. (NAHP, Inc.) to its roster. NAHP, Inc. furthers the excellence, recognition and usage of Hispanic publications by providing members access to professional development opportunities to better serve and empower Hispanic communities. AMG is fully prepared to help NAHP, Inc. further its mission, provide strong leadership, and guide sponsorship development. [contents]
AMG’s growth in 2007 has been mirrored by its clients’ growth, as several are adding new staff and services to benefit their members and stakeholders. This organic growth at AMG reflects the exceptional work of staff members, particularly regarding increased revenue and membership.
The Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals’ (SMRP) growth and ensuing workload necessitated the creation of two new positions. As a result, SMRP has hired two full-time staff members to deepen their certification services and to provide more robust membership services. “We expect to continue to grow more quickly with the addition of support staff in both certification and membership,” said SMRP’s executive director, Patrick Winters, CAE. “Our new staff members enable us to effectively execute the membership campaign and retention plans that we currently have in place.”
The Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) also seeks to strengthen membership with the addition of a director of business development. The director will be primarily responsible for selling membership, sponsorship, exhibit space, and other marketing opportunities for members and suppliers. “The repositioning of the association’s brand from Newsletter and Electronic Publishers Association to the Specialized Information Publishers Association has created numerous opportunities to expand our reach into new markets and expand the membership,” said SIPA executive director, Kerry Stackpole, CAE. “With these new markets comes the need for additional staff and resources to cultivate and maintain those relationships.”
Additionally, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International will be adding a meetings and events manager to increase their focus on marketing and business development. As AMG and its clients continue to enjoy rapid growth, more positive changes are expected by year’s end. [contents]
The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT), the certifying body for trained sleep technologists and an AMG client for four years, recently topped the 10,000 mark for registered polysomnographic technologists worldwide. The number of certified sleep technologists has doubled since BRPT joined AMG. Under the guidance of AMG expert staff, BRPT is close to earning accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the RPSGT™ credential.
AMG is shepherding ANSI accreditation for the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals’ (SMRP) Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP) designation. SMRP has been an AMG client for less than one year and is experiencing overwhelming growth across the board.
Since the beginning of 2007, the SMRP Certifying Organization (SMRPCO) has acquired nearly two-dozen sustaining sponsors, and is quickly approaching its goal of 80. The exam process is running more smoothly under AMG leadership, with the turnaround time for delivering exam results cut in half. The number of people sitting for the exam is expected to increase by six percent, with more than 900 individuals taking the CMRP last year and more than 1,500 individuals expected to take the exam in 2007. SMRP’s membership department has already exceeded their individual membership goal for the year and has increased its member retention rate from 30 percent to 78 percent. SMRP’s long-term goal is to increase its existing member base from more than 2,200 to 10,000 by 2010. Staff members say the management support from AMG will make that possible.
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Metropolitan Washington (ACEC/MW), which has been an AMG client for more than 10 years, is enjoying record membership with 94 member firms and 15 associate firms. The association hopes to set an attendance high at its annual conference on June 21 at the Washington Plaza Hotel. During the “Innovation Meets Partnership” conference, ACEC/MW’s new board will be installed, including a new president and the addition of three board members.
The American Ambulance Association (AAA), which has been an AMG client for 5 years, signed a 4-year contract extension with the company. AAA celebrated its 16th Annual Stars of Life Celebration May 6-9 at the Washington Court Hotel. During the four-day event, 104 stars from 34 states and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago were honored for their service, sacrifice and inspiration in the ambulance industry. Among the honorees were six members of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad who were among the first responders on the campus following the shootings on Monday, April 16, as well as a first responder on the search and rescue team in Oregon that searched for the missing Kim family in late 2006.
The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA), which has been an AMG client for nearly 10 years, has taken their conferences to new levels of success with AMG’s help. Ten years ago, AHAA focused on education, but did not host a conference. Today, AHAA hosts two conferences each year, and the association’s conference, held April 25-27 in Chicago, drew 483 attendees, setting a record for AHAA’s annual spring conference.
The World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA), an AMG client for more than 5 years, will be celebrating WAEA Week in Zurich, Switzerland, May 21-24. This year’s WAEA Week event will be held outside of the United Kingdom for the first time since joining AMG. The change of venue not only saves WAEA money, but also provides a benchmark for the event’s attendance in different regions.
The first two days of WAEA Week will focus on a TV market, an inflight entertainment showcase for buyers and sellers of short subject and television programs. Booth space has sold out for the event, with nearly ten others on the waiting list. The last two days of the summit focus on education with workshops and breakout sessions that address the most critical and timely issues in inflight entertainment.
The Americas Association of Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Societies
(AAC/MIS), which has been an AMG client for three years, has increased its membership by 20 percent during that timeframe. AAC/MIS has announced that the theme for their annual conference is growth and expansion. The conference, which will be held in November in Montevideo, Uruguay, will focus on how members should plan to grow methodically so they do not max out their staff and resources. [contents]
 At AMG, diversity means embracing the worldviews and cultural and social frameworks of our co-workers, stakeholders, and vendors to contribute to our growth as individuals and as a business. Staff members come from many different ethnic backgrounds and together bring new insights and views that are reflective of the members our clients represent and the changing world. AMG has always made conscious efforts at maintaining a diverse workplace, and the Diversity Program will allow the company to formally acknowledge the diverse skills and experiences that each employee contributes to the AMG team.
“Diversity is about creating a culture where each employee can thrive, feel included, and contribute to the company. Every employee at AMG is responsible for ensuring the success of the Diversity Program,” said J. Bruce Wardle, CAE, President and CEO of AMG.
The Diversity Program includes diversity training events for staff members that will help each person understand AMG’s definition and policy on diversity. A Diversity Council will be formed to ensure that the program is maintained and understood by the staff. Quarterly staff events that celebrate diversity will be a staple of the program.
AMG introduced the Diversity Program to the staff with a TeAMG hosted International Potluck Luncheon on Friday, May 4, 2007. Employees proudly volunteered to bring side dishes that represented something about their culture. AMG staff members enjoyed food from around the world, including Germany, Southern United States, Poland, Mexico, El Salvador, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, Spain and more.
Click here to read more about Diversity at AMG.
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Associations rely on AMG to save time, money and staff resources and to free busy volunteers and executives from operational hassles such as human resources. One important service that AMG provides its clients is defining selection criteria to recruit and hire the ideal Executive Director to lead an association. In addition to the specific needs of our clients, our AMG executives must be willing to think, according to President and CEO Bruce Wardle, CAE. They must be invested in, and committed to, the long-term success of the organizations they serve, as well as exhibit demonstrated competence in managing similar organizations. Overall business acumen and knowledge are essential, he notes, and preference is given to executives who have earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation.
Two new executives have joined AMG in the past few months and two new executive positions will be filled to serve the incoming clients.
 AMG welcomed 20-year association veteran, Cathi Eifert, CAE, as Executive Director of the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT). Cathi is a previous employee of AMG and worked as the Chief Operating Officer of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) until 2005, when the association grew too large for an AMC. Cathi missed the camaraderie and exchange of information among the staff at AMG and when AMG posted a position for the Executive Director of BRPT, Cathi knew she would be a good match for the association and for the company. Cathi brings to BRPT her certification experience from NAMB, as she supervised their certification program and she also serves on the Certified Association Executive (CAE) Commission for ASAE.
 AMG also has welcomed Jim Kabbani as interim Executive Director of the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA) and strategic consultant to the company. Jim’s expertise in strategic planning is imperative to AMG as the company continues to plan for growth and search for new opportunities to serve clients. When the position of an interim Executive Director for WAEA opened, AMG senior management knew that they could count on Jim’s experience and professionalism to guide the association through this transition period. Jim uses his strategic planning expertise to help companies build and expand. In 2001, he helped start a wireless internet company, Wise Technologies. The company primarily worked with airports providing wireless internet access. This form of airline entertainment and a heavy international background makes Jim the perfect match to continue the success of WAEA and AMG.
“We look for entrepreneurs who can make things happen for their association,” says Wardle. “We also look for executives who can be brokers of ideas and facilitate visionary thinking throughout the association leadership. In the end, the decisive factor in selecting an executive is whether the candidate has the ability to earn the trust and confidence of the Board members.” [contents]
 AMG brand ambassadors, TeAMG, once again led the company in a successful charitable fundraiser, this time benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Throughout the months of March and April, AMG employees pledged to walk, donate, and raise money from friends and family to this great cause. An overachieving 76% of AMG 's staff members participated, more than doubling the original goal of $1000. The donations, combined with a generous match donation by AMG President and CEO, J. Bruce Wardle, CAE , totaled $ 2,526!
"A paper shoe was posted on the doors and cubicles of AMG team members who participated in MSWalk fundraising efforts," said TeAMG co-chair, Melanie Penoyar. "It was wonderful to see a shoe on almost every employee's door."
TeAMG decided to support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society after learning that a fellow co-worker's mother was affected by the disease. "It is easy to feel helpless when you see a loved one suffer from a disease like MS. Once TeAMG began the fundraising process, I felt so empowered by the support from the staff and company," said Jessica Martinez, Associate at Communications Marketing Group. " AMG is dedicated to embracing issues that affect its employees and the community at large." [contents]
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