"Something About Mary!"

Although “Something About Mary!” was an overly entertaining movie from 1998, this President’s Report isn’t about that movie in the least. This article is about the loyalty of the OGCA’s own Mary Wademan.

On October 15, 2020, Mary Wademan will have successfully been with the OGCA for 30 years. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Mary for her incredible years of service and highlight this amazing accomplishment. I also look forward to learning from Mary as we move the OGCA forward to meet our member’s needs.

So, by a show of hands, how many of our OGCA members can honestly say that they have individuals like Mary working for them?

Wow! That is actually astonishing, but does speak directly to how incredible our members truly are. Luckily, there are a number of our firms that can make this claim, and I want to touch upon why this is so important for companies nowadays.

Like most of our members, I view this level of loyalty as an incredible asset to the organization. The institutional knowledge that someone like Mary has for an organization is priceless when it comes to the continuity that she brings to the OGCA.

Let’s put things into perspective.

Mary has successfully served under 30 chairs of the OGCA. She has served under three separate and distinct presidents and has managed a plethora of staff in that time. She has moved offices three times and has done all of this with a smile and the precision of a laser beam.

Who better to ask if something would work or not? Who better to ask about each company that resides in our membership? (Mary literally knows each and every company by name, the principals and when they joined!) Mary has actually served the association longer than some companies have been in existence. Do you see where I’m going with this? Mary has been the keeper of the OGCA knowledge for three decades.

She has seen it all and has a deep understanding and appreciation of the OGCA and all of its members.

Interesting story. When I first met Mary Wademan, I had a one-on-one interview with her, and the first thing she mentioned to me was that she didn’t like change. I just about fell out of my chair. Mary has seen the OGCA change and evolve for 30 years. This association has grown in stature and in voice for that time period, and Mary has been a key component in ensuring its past, present and future success.

At our most recent AGM, our new Chair, Joel Melloul, noted that Mary was present under his father’s term as Chair and now Joel gets the ability to work with her under his term. I welcome all of our members to reach out and demonstrate their appreciation for Mary and recount a story about her that demonstrates how imperative she has been to the OGCA.

Thank you, Mary, for your service and dedication to the OGCA and for contributing to the overall success of our association.

Please join me in giving Mary a virtual standing ovation for this incredible achievement!!!

To reach Mary directly please call 905.671.3969 or electronically at mary@ogca.ca.

Thank you, Mary, and I look forward to learning from you as we continue to evolve and grow the OGCA to meet our members needs.

Giovanni Cautillo
The New Guy!