CHEMICAL CONSULTANTS NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2004
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:
2004 SUMMARY:
CCN held ten monthly meetings with attendance ranging between 25 and 70. During the year, membership was an estimated 530 consultants (a 10 percent increase). 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, the Philadelphia Section of AIChE monthly newsletter and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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 230 of our members have information about themselves on the site, which receives an average of 161 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 530 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.
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
| January | Getting What You Want | Dr. John Leslie |
| February | Legal Issues for Consultants | Arnold W. Winter, Adam G. Garson |
| March | Marketing 101 for Consultants | Joel F. Smith, Barry Meyers |
| April | Growth and Success as a Consultant | Burton S. Todd |
| May | Vendor's Night Services for Consultants | |
| June | Annual Picnic | |
| September | The Successful Journey from Chemical Consultant to Chemical Entrepreneur | Dr. David Armbruster |
| October | Finding Your Company's Needle in the Haystack – Internet Marketing | Nancy Vinkler |
| November | Take Advantage of ACS Insurance Plans | Jean Parr |
| December | Joint Meeting with the Joseph Priestley Society at the Chemical Heritage Foundation |
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
Mr. David deLesdernier served as Chair. Dr. Don Koestler began his two-year term as Chair-elect.
Dr. Marty Jacobs served as our Secretary and Dr. William Retallick served as our Treasurer.
James Holton served as Member-at-Large. James Chan resigned his position as Member-at-Large.
Committee chairs were Janice and Stanley Bell (Meeting Arrangements), William Reuter (Publicity), Mark DeLuca (Webmaster), 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.
Elections for Member-at-Large (2 positions) were held in November and the following results announced after the December meeting.
Member-at-Large James Holton Member-at-Large Wolf Karo
MEMBERSHIP:
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
With the ASC national meeting in Philadelphia, CCN decided to increase its exposure through a coordinated marketing effort.
FINANCES:
In 2004, CCN continued its policy of charging dues to members who want to have their own web page 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 200 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 2004 to help with program, publicity, web site expenses, mailing expenses, guest speaker dinners and supplies and equipment. In September we raised the price of the dinner meeting from $20 to $25 to cover the increased meal cost at the Cynwyd Club.
PLANS FOR 2005:
Ten monthly meetings will again be scheduled. Our January meeting will celebrate 10 years of assisting consultants in the chemical industry. The success of prior joint meetings with the Delaware Valley Professional Societies including the Joseph Priestly Society will lead to more such meetings.
We will continue to consider means of improving the CCN and it's services. Following up on our successful show at the 2004 ACS meeting in Philadelphia, we are planning to exhibit at the ACS annual meeting in Washington, DC in August 2005. 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 in the chemical professions.
Respectively Submitted,
David L. deLesdernier, Chair