TAPPI 2019 Updates from CEO Larry Montague

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (At least it is for TAPPI).

September 1, 2019 was the start of the new fiscal year, FY2020. It has been almost 13 years since the new team began our journey together.

I am very proud to report we have just celebrated our 12th year in a row in the black. This is no small feat to say the least. The 11 years prior, TAPPI experienced operating losses of nearly $20,000,000.

Our Staff was able to step up and do some great things even with the challenge of retaining team members in a highly competitive job market. Some of you may be experiencing similar issues, so we’d like to be transparent and share a few stats on TAPPI and the job market.

Employees and Turnover:

42 Total employees

The unemployment rate in Atlanta and other areas is at extremely low levels
Headhunters are very active today due to the healthy economy
8 Employees who left on their own (Various Reasons)
3 Employees on Maternity Leave
3 Employees that did not work out
The average turnover (those who choose to leave) in U.S Non-Profits is 20%
TAPPI’s Turnover rate was 19%

We are always listening. We held an Open Forum for our staff on July 18, 2019, to address several topics that led to some of the following changes:

We have ramped up our salaries and benefits to a 12% increase for FY2020
We have added Flex Time hours
We have added extra time off when weekend work is needed
We have held 3 training sessions for staff (7 total days) to development the team so they can better serve our members and volunteers
We have also had 4 Lunch & Learns for Staff
Earlier in FY2019, the Board approved a remodel, to our Building, to allow for every employee to have an office with a door and no more cubicles. This renovation also enabled us to double the size of our training room and add a kitchen and eating area on the second floor. An ADA restroom was also added upstairs

Several members of TEAM TAPPI stepped up to the plate and we are happy to report that we had 10 Promotions and added more people to our (SST) Senior Strategy Team:

Ashley Westbrook: Director of AMS & Divisional Operations
Lawton Roberts: CTO and Supervising TAPPISAFE
Kristi Ledbetter: Corrugated Division Manager & Events Department Manager
Samantha Murillo: TAPPISAFE Product Manager
Shannon Warchalowsky: Training Manager
Priscilla Briggs: Standards Manager (& New Mother)
Allison Landrum: Senior Staff Accountant
Hayley King: Meeting Planner
Robert Dawson: Tissue and IFPED Division Manager
Lisa Lockwood: Membership Engagement Manager, Young Professionals, PIMA & Women in Industry Division Manager

We have a lot of people to thank for participating in this 12-year streak of financial stability.

First you, our dedicated members, who volunteer to plan our conferences, events, exhibits, training, Press Products, Standards, TIPS and TAPPI Journal just to name a few.

I tip my cap, to our members, Board of Directors and finally our dedicated and hardworking team at TAPPI. In FY2019 you have helped expand our Press Products, Conferences, Exhibits, YP Division, (WIN) Women in Industry. By the way, this year’s International Nanotechnology Conference held in Japan, had the largest number of attendees ever.

Some more notable areas in FY2019:

Number of new PRESS items:

2 new publications (Black Liquor Evaporation and Smook Book Spanish version (Total of 255 titles)
12 new eLearning courses (total of 50 eLearning courses)
67 new eLearning modules (total of 550 eLearning modules)

Number of Conferences and Exhibits:

12 Conferences
6 Exhibits

Number of TAPPISAFE Locations as of 8-31-19:

105 with 10 new ones added in FY2019
Total tests taken 956,000 (we should hit 1,000,000 in October)

Number of AMS (Association Management Services) Conferences/Meetings:

9 Conferences/Events
11 Face to Face Board meetings
2 Face to Face Committee meetings

Number of TAPPI Training Courses in FY2019:

12 TAPPI Courses
15 Partnership Courses
2 Company Classroom Courses

I will leave you with this. If you ever have questions or concerns about anything that has to do with TAPPI, please take the time to reach out to me and I will do my best to help you. When in doubt, give me a shout.

Remember, there are two types of people in the industries that we serve, TAPPI members and those who should be.

Best regards,

Larry N. Montague
TAPPI President and CEO

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