CHEMICAL CONSULTANTS NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2007
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:
2007 SUMMARY:
CCN held ten monthly meetings with attendance ranging between 20 and 40. During the year, membership was an estimated at over 500 consultants. 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. There are some members from as far as Florida, Oklahoma and the West Coast.
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. Some members have reported inquiries and jobs that originated from the web site.
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 | NineSigma Sourcing Innovation Worldwide | Mr. Charles J. Brez |
| February | Some Learnings of the CCN Consultants,The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | Dr. Mike Bigwood, Dr. Stan Bell, Mr. Fred Hartman |
| March | Personal Branding | Mr. C.J. Timmins |
| April | Chemistry and Crime from a Real CSI Perspective | Michael McGinnis |
| May | Patent Drafting, Prosecution, and Litigation: The Role of the Chemical Consultant | William Youngblood, Esq. |
| June | Annual Picnic | |
| September | E-Marketing for a Consulting Practice | Dr. Marc Halpern |
| October | Legal Issues that Every Consultant Needs to Know | Markley Roderick, Esq. |
| November | Call an Expert - ChemInsight ™ | Thomas Smith, ACS |
| December | Joint Meeting with the Joseph Priestley Society at CHF |
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
Don Koestler served his second year as Chairman of the Steering Committee.
Stan Bell served the second year of his two-year term as Chair-elect.
John Newport served as Secretary.
Ron Bihovsky served as Treasurer.
Kathy Bullock and Roger Singer served as Members-at-Large.
Committee chairs were:
Janice and Stanley Bell (Meeting Arrangements),
Mark DeLuca (Webmaster) and Mary deLesdernier (Asst. Webmaster),
William Golton (Website)
David Vahlsing (Membership).
The Steering Committee also serves as the Nominating and Program Committee.
All committee chairs serve on the Steering Committee.
Since William Reuter resigned as the chairman of the Publicity Committee in 2006 the Steering Committee has been unable to identify a replacement.
The following were elected in this year’s election:
Steering Committee Chair Elect Ron Bihovsky Secretary Katherine Bullock Member-at-Large Martin Jacobs Member-at-Large John Brennan
There was a tie in the balloting for member-at-large. The Steering Committee decided to add both candidates to the committee.
MEMBERSHIP:
After a reasonable period of time for receipt of late dues, all names scheduled for removal from the CCN web site were
reviewed by the membership chairman and the treasurer. 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.
The membership chairman with the assistance of the treasurer put a strong effort into insuring that our membership list
was up-to-date and that those with a web-site presence paid their dues.
WEB SITE:
Our web site serves both our members and the public at large. In addition to information about the CCN and its meetings, every dues paying member has the opportunity to have his or her own page on the site, as a way to be found in searches and thereby get consulting opportunities. Nearly 200 members have taken advantage of this program. This year, unique visits to the site ranged from 300 to 500 per day. Work is underway to improve the visibility of the site in Google searches by redesign, and by inviting members to put more material on their individual pages.
PUBLICITY:
Our weekly ad in C&E News ran through the first half of the year. The steering committee decide to stop the ad and
gather data to determine if it was effective.
The Steering Committee is still searching for William Reuter’s replacement.
FINANCES:
In 2007, 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 Philadelphia Section ACS budget allocation that supports program and mailing expenses. This year there are 211 dues paying members in the CCN (up slightly from last year)
MARM 2007:
The CCN arranged for a half-day session, entitled “Success Factors for a Consulting Practice in Chemistry” at this year’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting of ACS, at Ursinus College. About 30 people attended. Key issues such as finding clients, résumés and other literature, marketing and sales, how much to charge, legal and tax considerations were discussed, and several consultants shared their experiences, good and bad. The program was very well received.PLANS FOR 2008:
Ten monthly meetings will again be scheduled. The success of 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. 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. It is expected that dues will be unchanged from previous years.
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,
Donald J. Koestler, Chairman, Steering Committee