From the President's Desk

03/04/2024

Benefits of Association Membership

GLTPA has been in existence for 84 years, beginning in 1940. Its mission is “Enhancing Multiple-Use Forests for Future Generations.” It executes this mission by educating members, the public, and legislators about how to improve the quality of our forestland through sustainable forest management and current practices, science, and techniques required to ensure we keep our forests active and productive for years to come. GLTPA has 941 members. When recruiting members, we are often asked, “why should join I GLTPA?” The answer varies for everyone. Let’s look at a broader picture of the benefits of joining an association.

First, advocacy and being represented at local, state, and federal policy discussions is a necessary action in the democracy of our country. An association like GLTPA stays current with laws and regulations that affect our industry. Through an association, we can continue to do our jobs and have people on our side to monitor and act when necessary, in the political realm. Our association has Tony Langenohl in Madison and Matt Kurta in Lansing as our boots on the ground at each state capital. Henry and Denny Olson are often in each city, educating and constantly fighting for the rights of the timber industry. Also, with nearly 1000 members, GLTPA has credibility with our strength in numbers. A key to this is the solidarity of our membership, which includes professional producers, haulers, and industry. It is a powerful voice.

Related to strength in numbers is networking. Granted, getting together with 1000 people isn’t for everyone. As humans, we need to be associated with a pack. It is part of our DNA that goes back to the early years when humans needed to fight to stay alive every minute of the day. Although we don’t have to deal with sabertoothed tigers anymore, the networking opportunities associated with like-minded professionals in our industry can offer assistance to keep our businesses alive.

Another benefit of being a member of an association is professional development. Classes and current accreditations are offered to build our knowledge and perform the job to the best of our ability. FISTA training is an available resource for our members, offering current safety topics and SFI credits. Though it isn’t exclusive, members get reduced rates for these training and credits. Additionally, this magazine provides many resources for current forestry, political, financial, insurance, and general topics related to the forest products industry.

A crucial part of maintaining a sustainable association is solidarity. This means having a mutual support group for any crises that pop up while doing business in an organization. Solidarity provides credibility to the organization but can be challenging to maintain. We are all individuals with diverse interests in this industry. It is natural to lose trust in the system from time to time. However, GLTPA has an open communication system through our regional meetings, and access to speak directly to anyone in the membership and Henry as our Executive Director. Additionally, we have a lot of big-picture thinkers in our association who continue to find opportunities when a crisis is at hand.

In conclusion, here is the list of member benefits GLTPA offers:

  • Coordinated lobbying efforts at the local, state, and federal levels.
  • Committees and regional meetings that allow your input in public policy that affects your business.
  • Great Lakes TPA Subscription
  • Annual Expo Pass
  • Discounted Rates for SFI Workshops through FISTA
  • Spring Celebration Annual Membership Meeting
  • Up-to-date communication via Constant Contact Emails, the GLTPA website, and/or mailings.
  • 63% of membership dues are tax deductible (As a 501(c)(6) organization with political lobbyists, only a portion of dues can be tax deductible.)

Thank you, everyone, for your support of GLTPA, and if you know more industry folks who are not members, make sure to spread the word about the member benefits listed above and the hard work GLTPA staff does for us and the industry.

Troy Brown

GLTPA President

 

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The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA)

Provides proven leadership in the Lake States Forest products industry for over 70 years. GLTPA is a non-profit organization proud to represent members in Michigan and Wisconsin and is committed to leading Forest Products Industry in sustainable forest management.

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