Newsletter December 2018

As 2018 comes to a close, I hope that you and thoseclosest to you had a healthy and happy year. Many ofyou may have heard me say on occasion that I like to “use thewindshield, not the rearview mirror”. But one of the greatthings about December is that it’s both an ending and theherald of a beginning, a natural break to take stock of wherewe’ve been, where we’d like to be this time next year, andhow we plan to get there.

MIASF is in great shape heading into 2019. The FortLauderdale International Boat Show was an enormoussuccess, and our partnership with Informa is stronger thanever. Our other events, the Broward County WaterwayCleanup and the Plywood Regatta, will start coming togetherbeginning in January, and a revamped Marine Industry Daywill be announced soon after. The MIASF Board of Directorshas shown great leadership throughout the year, and theassociation’s various committees remain actively engaged inmany facets of the community.

I think you will agree that one of MIASF’s greatest assetsis its team - a small group of dynamic and dedicatedindividuals who are collectively committed to promotingand protecting marine industry businesses and workers, aswell as making progress and effecting change. After muchthought and discussion, MIASF’s staff members will bemoving to a four-day work week. Starting next month, eachteam member will work four 10-hour days. The office hoursof operation will remain the same, Monday through Fridayfrom 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and there will be no interruptionof services provided.

As technology advances continue to disrupt the status quoin so many areas, it’s important for the association to remainflexible and evolve with ever-changing opportunities. Asthe world weans itself of the need for brick and mortarbuildings to conduct business, work/life balance has becomemore important than ever. This workday adjustment shouldallow the MIASF team to optimize the time they spend inthe office as well as the time they spend at home with theirfamily.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday celebration and I lookforward to seeing you in the new year!

Phil Purcell
CEO/President, Marine Industries Association of South Florida