Letter from the Chapter President

I am very pleased to announce the beginning of a new Schuylkill Valley Chapter Year with a lot of exciting events planned along with the expansion of our membership base to include the members of the Pottstown Tri County Chapter. I welcome those APICS professionals to Schuylkill Valley and look to plan our educational offerings within the geographic extensions of Eastern Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties.

The past chapter year was a successful one with Schuylkill Valley receiving continued recognition from APICS as a leader in Chapter Management and Education. Our continued association with neighboring professional societies such as the National Association of Purchasing Managers (NAPM), the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) has done much to provide a mutual sharing of each group’s body of knowledge. The networking opportunities at many of these joint events were very beneficial to all. The partnerships with Penn State Berks and Reading Area Community College (RACC) have provided venues for APICS workshops and classes to reach beyond traditional chapter borders. Participation in the events of the Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry continue to promote the APICS brand of quality Operations Management Education to local businesses.

As we look to continue this success, we will present some best practice workshop topics in the areas of Enterprise Resource Planning, Lean Enterprise Management, Global Sourcing, and Supply Chain Planning. Our classes in APICS Certification, Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), and, Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) will maintain the high standards of the operations management profession. With monthly professional development meetings held both during lunch and evening time frames, we offer many opportunities for learning and networking. Look inside this newsletter for the list of monthly programs especially developed for your professional development.

The chapter cannot execute without the dedicated work of a special group of volunteers that make up Schuylkill Valley’s Board of Directors. I am very proud and grateful for the continued dedication of these professionals to bring the best product possible to our members and customers.

So, please look over this newsletter and go to our web site, www.apics-sv.org, to see our schedule of events for September and the balance of the 2008/2009 Chapter year. Our members are our first concern. Please let us hear from you on areas of interest and concern. We would also like you to consider joining the Schuylkill Valley leadership team. Please contact me or any of the Board members listed at the end of this newsletter.

Thank you for your continued support. Let’s have a great year!

Dave Jankowski, CFPIM, CSCP

APICS Schuylkill Valley Chapter President

jankowsk@ptd.net