CHEMICAL CONSULTANTS NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2002
The
Chemical Consultants Network (CCN) is a topical group of the
Philadelphia Section of the ACS that has also been recognized and
supported by the National AIChE. It was organized in December 1994, and has held monthly meetings since February 1995. It is run by a Steering
Committee consisting of its elected officers, committee chairs and two
members at large. We believe that CCN is the first and only organization for consultants within the American Chemical Society. The name “Chemical Consultants Network” was adopted to reflect the purpose of the group which is to enhance members’ opportunities to use their professional expertise as consultants.
MISSION: To form a volunteer organization to support members in
expanding the meaningful use of their expertise, by:
2002 SUMMARY:
CCN held ten monthly meetings with attendance ranging between 25 and 50. During the year, membership remained flat at an estimated 366
individuals. Part of this flattening, when compared to significant growth in previous years, is due to the effort of the membership committee
to keep our directory up to date. On the other hand, we continue to attract new members at our monthly meetings as well as directly through
our web site.
The membership is about 60% chemists and 40% chemical engineers. Most members reside in the area between Wilmington, DE, and Princeton, NJ, although there are a few US members from as far as Florida, Oklahoma and the West Coast. In addition, we now have international members residing in Canada, UK, Australia and Japan. Meeting notices are published in the publications of the Philadelphia, Delaware, Princeton and Trenton ACS Sections, and the Philadelphia Section of AIChE monthly newsletter.
The CCN website ( www.chemconsultants.org ) continues to provide member data for all interested in CCN member skills, meeting notices and other information about CCN in an attractive, user-friendly format. An additional purpose of the site is to function as a self-service consultant resource for potential clients. More than 170 of our members have information about themselves on the site, which receives an average of 120 visits per day. Many members have reported inquiries and jobs that originated from the web site.
In addition to the web site, a paper directory, that includes key words about each member's specialties, is distributed to all members and currently contains information on over 300 chemists and/or chemical engineers.
MEETINGS
Ten meetings were held in the evening, usually the second Wednesday of the month, at the Cynwyd Club in Bala Cynwyd, PA. They consisted of a social hour, a dinner, a business meeting, and a talk. The October meeting was held jointly with the Delaware section of AIChE.Five Steering Committee Meetings were held to plan for future meetings and discuss ways to improve the CCN.
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
| Jan 9 | Running a Small Chemical Business | Charles A. Garber |
| Feb 13 | The ACS Industry Liaison Program | Hank Whalen |
| Mar 13 | The Need for Forensic Consultants | David J. Schoor |
| Apr 10 | The Thinking Manager Toolbox | Bill Altier |
| May 8 | EPA's Waste Minimization Program | Noah Borenstein |
| June 19 | Annual Picnic - at the Cynwyd Club | |
| Sep 11 | Changing Careers | David Schwartz |
| Oct 9 | Consulting for a Large Construction Company | Daniel Keating |
| Nov 13 | Persuasion | Norbert Aubuchon |
| Dec 11 | Vendor Night | Dave Vahlsing, Organizer |
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
Dr. Michael P. Bigwood served the third of his 3-year term as Chair. Dr. William Retallick started a third two-year term as Treasurer, and
Dr. Edward Smith began a two-year term as Secretary. James Holton served the first of his two year term as Member-at-Large and. On the Fall
ballot, Dave deLesdernier was elected to a two year term as Chair Elect and Donald Koestler to a two year term as Member-at-Large
In the Spring, Robert Haluska resigned form his position as Member-at -Large. No interim replacement was sought as this position was due for election the Fall. In August Dr. Edward Brame, Chair-Elect, unexpectedly passed away. Ed was scheduled to take over as Chair in January of 2002. Henry Clancy, former Chair, has agreed to serve as interim Chair until our new Chair Elect is brought up to speed. An anticipated election for a new Chair Elect will be held next Fall.
Committee chairs were Janet and Stanley Bell (Meeting Arrangements), William Reuter (Publicity), Mark DeLuca and Norman Santora (Webmasters), William Golton (Website) and David Vahlsing (Membership). The Steering Committee also serves as the Nominating and Program Committee. All committee chairs serve on the Steering Committee.
MEMBERSHIP:
In March/April 2002, our annual telephone and email effort was made to contact members who had paid the CCN website fee in prior years but not for the current year. Response was good. A few indicated they are no longer active consultants and wished to resign. After a reasonable period of time for receipt of late dues, all names scheduled for removal from the CCN web site were circulated within the CCN steering committee for final approval prior to removal. The membership committee was called on several times to review the qualifications of applicants who are not chemists or chemical engineers. Those reviewed were accepted as members due to the fit of their business expertise with the objectives of the CCN. The Steering Committee will review and rule on all future non-chemist and/or non-chemical engineer applicants in the same manner.
PUBLICITY:
Our weekly ad in C&E News ran throughout the year.
FINANCES:
In 2002, CCN continued its policy of charging dues to members who want to have their own webpage on the CCN site - $25 for ACS and/or AIChE members, $35 for non-members. The dues are used to pay for the website and publicity, and to complement the annual ACS and AIChE grants that supports program and mailing expenses. There are approximately 150 dues paying members in the CCN. In addition to the support from the Philadelphia ACS, the National office of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers also provided funding in 2001 to help with program, publicity, web site expenses, mailing expenses, guest speaker dinners and supplies and equipment.
PLANS FOR 2003:
Ten monthly meetings will again be scheduled. The success of the joint meeting with the Delaware Valley Section of AIChE will probably lead to more such meetings. We are also considering holding one of our 2003 meetings at the Chemical Heritage Foundation.
We will continue to consider means of improving the CCN and it's services. The text of our ad in C&E News has been updated to emphasize the broad expertise collectively offered by the CCN members. The revised ad will appear throughout the year staring in January. The website will be updated regularly and publicized more effectively. Dues will be collected from CCN members to support web site activities and member web pages and we will again apply to the Philadelphia Section of the ACS and the National AIChE for financial support. We will continue to work with ACS and AIChE officials at the local and the National level to improve services for and recognition of consultants.
Respectively Submitted,
Michael P. Bigwood, Chair