CHEMICAL CONSULTANTS NETWORK ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1998
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 chairmen, 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:
1998 SUMMARY:
CCN held ten monthly meetings with an average attendance of about 40. During the year, membership grew from 215 to 285. (In the four years of its existence, CCN has grown from 24 to this total!) The membership is about 60% chemists and 40% chemical engineers. Most of them reside in an area from Wilmington, DE to Princeton, NJ, although there a few members from as far as Florida and the West Coast and Oklahoma. Meeting notices are published in the publications of the Philadelphia, Delaware, Princeton and Trenton ACS Sections, and the Philadelphia Section of AIChE monthly newsletter.
Another area of accomplishment is our growing influence in ACS and AIChE, which has resulted in a major project to provide liability insurance to their members. Recently we have been consulted regarding a new survey under preparation by ACS.
This year CCN got invloved with community affairs for the first time by arranging for the local ACS and AIChE Sections to provide support for the local PBS station's fund raising campaign by taking a shift of on-screen phone answering - resulting in much needed good will for the chemical profession in the Philadelphia area.
1998 was an outstanding year in which CCN's website has undergone major improvements and is considered the main focus and route for providing member data for all interested in CCN member skills. The site provides meeting notices and other information about CCN in an attractive, user friendly format. An additonal purpose of the site is to function as a self service consultant resource for potential clients. Visits to the site have risen to more than 600 per month, and based on informal surveys, many of the listed members appear to have obtained consulting leads via the CCN web site.
In addition to the web site, a paper directory, which includes key words about each member's specialties, is distributed to all members and currently contains information on 215 chemists and/or chemical engineers. Our members were further served when we published and began to distribute a flyer, and we ran a series of advertisments in C&EN
MEETINGS:
Ten meetings were held in the evening, usually the second Wednesday evening of the month, at the Cynwyd Club in Bala Cynwyd, PA or at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science). They consisted of a social hour, a dinner, a business meeting, and a talk. Five Steering Committee Meetings were held to plan for future meetings and ways to improve the CCN Two of the regular meetings were held joinly with the Philadelphia ACS and one with the Association of Consultants Chemists and Chemical Engineers in Princeton, NJ.
Date Topic & Speaker:
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES:
David H. Vahlsing continued to serve his second year in office of a two-year term on January 1, 1997. Treasurer and Secretary were William Retallick and Wolf Karo, respectively serving the first of a two year term for each office. This Fall, Michael Bigwood was elected Chair-Elect (succeeding to Chair in 2001), and Robert Haluska was elected to a 2-year term as Member-at-Large of the Steering Committee. Henry Clancy will automatically succeed to a 2 year term as Chair on January 1, 1999.
Committee chairs were:
MEMBERSHIP:
Membership composition and needs were surveyed in late 1997 and an anlysis of this survey was made by Dr. Marc Halpern in late December of 1997 and subsequently by Dr. William C. Golton and David H. Vahlsing. Information from the survey was used to help the National ACS determine how to formulate a Professional Liability Insurance program that is on the verge of being offered as a member benefit to dues paying ACS and AIChE members. The CCN survey was also useful in determining other interests and the satisfaction of members with the CCn programs. A new survey is being considered for sometime in 1999 to help the officers of the CCN to continue to improve, and to meeet changing (if so) members needs. In addition, the membership committee is reveiwing membership criteria with goal of defining requirements more clearly for potential new members and to help direct and focus CCN's programs.
FINANCES:
IN 1996, CCN instituted $25 dues to pay for the website and publicity, and to complement the annual ACS grant of that supports program and mailing expenses. Only paid up members will be listed on the website. 85 members were paid up by late 1998. The National office of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers also provided funding in 1998 to help with program, publicity and web site expenses.
PLANS FOR 1999:
Ten monthly meetings will again be scheduled. Results of the recently completed comprehensive survey of the CCN membership will be considered for means of improving the CCN and it's services. The website will be updated regularly and publicized more effectively. $25 dues will be collected from CCN members to fund this service and we will again apply to the National AIChE for financial support as one of their topical groups, in an amount equal to what we request from the Philadelphia section of the ACS. 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
David H. Vahlsing, Chair
Jan 14: "Penn Tech Assistance Program" Douglas Tharp
Feb 11: "How to get Results using the CCN Website" mark DeLuca
Mar 8: WHYY Volunteer Telethon, joint with ACS and AIChE Mar 11
Mar 11: "ACS Professional Liability Insurance" Ena Castro, ACS
Apr 28: "Consulting in Chemistry, A Career... or a Retirement Activity" Donald J. Berets
May 13: "Negotiating Principles" James J. Farley
June 17: Annual Picnic - at Bill Golton's Home
SUMMER BREAK
Sep 9: "Preparing Proposals and Pricing assignments" Peter Lantos
Oct 21: "IBMA, A Consulting Business Case Study" James R. Fisher
Nov 12: "Working Overseas as a Consultant...for Free?" William C. Golton
Dec 9: "How and How Much to Charge for your Services" Dr. Marc Halpern
Tom Happ (Meeting Arrangements)
Michael Bigwood(Publicity)
Mark DeLuca (Webmaster)
Bill Golton (Website)
David Vahlsing (Membership Committe)
The Steering Committee also serves as the Nominating and Program Committee. All committee chairs serve on the Steering Committee.