CAPPO President's Message - February 2023

For those of you who were able to attend the 106^th Annual CAPPO Conference & Supplier Exposition, I hope you enjoyed the conference as much as I did and returned to your agency with newfound knowledge and re-energized enthusiasm to make professional and personal improvements.  Unfortunately, some of you were not able to join us. Others had to cancel at the least minute due to the storms that rolled into California during first few weeks of the year and stayed back to help your communities address flooding, fallen trees, mudslides, etc.  I commend you all for your hard work a dedication to support your communities and appreciate all that you do to minimize the storms impacts and help save lives. 

Although we just celebrated the conclusion of yet another successful conference, planning has already begun for the 107^th Annual CAPPO Conference & Supplier Exposition in Palm Springs next year.  Mark your calendars for January 21st – 24th!

The first meeting of the 2023/2024 CAPPO Board was originally scheduled at the end of the 2023 Conference in Monterey on January 12^th.  However, due to impending flooding expected in the area, the meeting was cancelled so that the Board members could get home safely.  The meeting was rescheduled and conducted virtually on January 19^th.  At the meeting, CAPPO Partner Program Chairs, Debbie and Wayne Casper, provided an update on the program. The two Director North vacancies were discussed.  Subsequently, a “call for interest” was sent to members in the North, and we expect to announce the appointment to fill the vacancies very soon.  The 2023/2024 draft budget was discussed and approved.  The CAPPO Strategic Plan was reviewed along with feedback received from the 2023 Conference.  Lastly, the Board has been working on developing “branding” for the annual conference which includes a standardized logo that will be used for each annual conference.  The design will allow for customization for each conference, while still maintaining a similar look and feel.  We are very close to finalizing and I am excited to share the results with you in the coming weeks.

The Board is scheduled to meet again March 29 – 31 in Palm Springs, July/August virtually, Oct/Nov in either Sacramento or Palm Springs and finally at the 2024 Conference in Palm Springs.

As National Purchasing Month is just around the corner, I hope you agency has plans to celebrate and recognize the importance of what your team does or your agency and community.  There are many ways to celebrate and I encourage you to take the time to do something, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem.  This year, the County of Sacramento is having our Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution recognizing March 2023 as National Purchasing Month.  Click here for a copy of the resolution in case you would like to use it as template to create a resolution for your governing Board.  In addition, we are having weekly mini-celebrations every Wednesday in March where our team we will gather and enjoy snacks.  The final Wednesday will cap our month of celebrations with a team luncheon.   These are a few simple things we are doing this year and there are many other goods ideas you can use to celebrate at your agency.  Join the CAPPOCafe on Thursday February 16 to share your ideas and/or post them to CAPPOConnect.

As I mentioned at the 2023 CAPPO Conference, I encourage you to become more involved in volunteering for CAPPO.  There are many opportunities, at the chapter, on a committee, or within the Board.  If you are considering helping out and don’t know where to start, reach out to your chapter chair, one of our directors, or one of the Board officers, including myself.  We would love to have your assistance and the experience is truly amazing and gratifying.

I also mentioned that I want (and need) your feedback (good, bad or indifferent).  I will be working to develop a process for you to do so, but in the meantime, you can contact anyone on the Board (via phone or email) or attend the CAPPOCafe (we usually have several Board members on each call).  Please take a few moments to share with other your ideas, kudos, criticism, etc. so we can take this feedback to make CAPPO better, stronger and more valuable to our members.

I hope to see you at a CAPPOCafe event, a Chapter meeting and/or the 2024 Conference!

Craig Rader, NIGP-CPP, CPPO, CPPB
CAPPO President 2023-2024