It is now the first of January and we have all been through the countdown now. Happy New Year! I am sure for most of us, our at home to-do lists were a lot longer than we had time for but somehow everything that was important got done. We wonder why we worried about it when we set down with family and friends, enjoy an evening by the fireplace, or just take a few moments to relax.

Hopefully your at work to-do list is somewhat smaller at this time of the year. Accounting and taxes are looming ahead of us. As we look into the New Year, foremost on everyone’s mind is next year’s fiscal budgets and how they will fair in the 2011 legislative sessions. We, as well, are looking for the consumer confidence in the private sector.

We are faced with an endless number of challenges; the first of those is simply finding jobs and then landing them. We somehow need to profit from this work by controlling costs and expenses. There is more technology available than ever and more is coming. Do we need more software to help us? Where can we improve our job performance or our business model? What can we do to enhance our ability to bid more work—do we need more or different products? With the largest number of exhibitors ever and two days packed with great sessions, I think everyone in attendance (all 426 of us!!) found something to take back with them and ideas to help answer many of the questions above.

Even with GPS and jobsite management programs available to all of us, we still need the basic management skills based on today’s best practices. Technology is great; it has enabled us to do things that we could only imagine just a few years ago but we can’t let it overwhelm us. We need good solid resources for information on what will help us sustain ourselves as an employee and an employer in changing times. Again, there is no better place for learning than at the ASBA Technical Meeting where you can attend informative sessions, listen to outstanding speakers, discuss innovations with exhibitors and enjoy the camaraderie of our attendees.

Similarly, our Winter Meeting affords the opportunity to attend sessions and enjoy the camaraderie of other attendees but, more importantly, the Winter Meeting is where the real work of the Association is done. If there is something you would like to see featured at a Technical Meeting please put your ideas forward. The best way to do so is to bring those to the various roundtables at our Winter Meeting. There is no better place to become involved in this great Association than on the white sands of the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. This conference is February 11th through the 13th and this is where we not only have a chance to work, learn, and participate but, as well, relax! We all need to get our batteries charged up for this coming year.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Winter Meeting in the Bahamas. Again, we will plan here for another great Technical Meeting. If you are unable to attend such but do have a topic that you would like to see covered, please send it in to ASBA, a Board Member, or someone that will be in attendance.

Don’t forget your passport!

Again, Happy New Year and I look forward to seeing you at Atlantis.