From the Desk of Executive Director Richard Putnicki

My message today is a short one of gratitude to you all. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all RMEL members for your understanding of the scheduling impacts, your notes of appreciation for your association, and the generous offers of assistance during this unprecedented situation we all find ourselves in. I have never had more faith in our members than I do now. The past few days have allowed me the opportunity to participate in many of our monthly Education Committee calls. With each call, I am in awe of the responsiveness of the member companies and their ability to adjust work practices "on a dime”. Three weeks ago, we were hearing about this emerging pandemic, not fully understanding the implications we would be facing. The speed and agility of how our member organizations were able to respond while maintaining business continuity was amazing. This a true testament to the leadership within our membership and our industry. 

RMEL Board and staff recognize this is also a critical time for our association. With the postponement of our March and April events, along with the cancellation of the Spring Conference, we recognize there could be a strong possibility that other events may be canceled, thus impacting a key foundational element of the value of RMEL……networking! The RMEL Board of Directors and Education Section Committees are stepping up in a big way by exchanging ideas on ways to help members collaborate by providing timely and relevant programing that can help members navigate the impacts of COVID-19.  

In addition, I have received numerous emails from members offering any assistance they can provide in developing and maximizing an RMEL eLearning platform, to potentially include webinars, podcasts, and virtual roundtable discussions. When the dust ultimately settles, and we are able to re-engage with our event offerings, our members will now have expanded options to build their learning experience. I am hopeful that I will have more news on this very soon! The RMEL membership's willingness to help makes it so clear to me why the people in our industry have relied on your association since 1903. 

Please continue to follow the recommendations from our safety and health professionals. Practice social distancing, stay home when possible, and be mindful of the challenges ahead. Let us all do our part to navigate through these unprecedented times!