It’s time to pass the gavel. It has been a pleasure serving the past two years as President of AWFS®. This coming at the end of 18 years serving on various committees, on the board of directors, as trade show chairman and up through the officer ladder. There have been some good times and there have been some lean times. It is good now to be seeing a resurgence in the industry, as we come off of a couple of show cycles with continued growth while seeing indicators of steady growth heading toward 2019.
Some of the greatest pleasure has been the people you get to know and work with. It has been a great group spanning through the years of people dedicated to promoting the growth of the woodworking industry. I have felt fortunate to have been associated with them, gaining friendships, all while working toward a common goal. There are some on the board who have been serving in some capacity for over 10 years providing consistency as well as an influx of new committee members and board members, new faces with new and fresh ideas.
When you take that and put it together with a most amazing association staff led by Angelo Gangone, it often amazes me what this staff is able to accomplish. I’m sure that this combination of experience, dedication and new ideas will sustain steady growth and an important presence in the industry. I feel fortunate to have been able to contribute to some degree. As I pass the gavel to our next President, Phillip Martin, I am sure the Association will be in very capable hands. I thank all members of the Association for allowing me the trust and time to serve and to look forward to continuing to serve the Association.
Sincerely,
Archie Thompson