4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 • FOGHORN A Look Back at My Presidency The year 2017 is in the books. It’s been a good year for our industry and the Association. PVA begins 2018 stronger than ever. Our membership continues to grow. Although we do lose members, it is mostly because of evolving business decisions or re- tirements. We continue to show an overall net gain of members year to year. Many thanks to the PVA Membership Committee. PVA continues to show financial growth through careful stewardship of our funds. Without a strong financial base we would lose the ability to provide mem- bership outreach, support and programming. We have active and member-supported committees. As I stated at the beginning of my term, I am a strong supporter of our committee system. PVA is a member-driven organiza- tion. What better way to be active in the Association and drive it but to be a part of our voice? I encourage you to get involved with a PVA Committee this year. We have a tireless and committed staff. For the size of the organization, our staff is relatively small. Without their professional devotion and com- mitment, it would be impossible to achieve our goals. Our Associate members continue to support the Association through their presence and program sponsor- ships. Without our associates, it would be very difficult to provide our regional and annual meetings. Through the years, our membership companies strive to provide safe and reliable transportation and events to the public. This is all due to the professionalism of the owners and operators. From the corporate director, to the 16-year-old deckhand, they are all part of it. 2017 was a year of accomplishments. The working groups on Engine Automation and Slips, Trips and Falls were successfully closed out. Our Flagship Safety Management System program gained approval by the U.S. Coast Guard as a voluntary system. The amended Alternative Security Program was approved for a five-year term. These are just few. None of this could have happened without involved members and our staff. The combined Original Colonies, Great Lakes and Canadian PVA meeting was well attended and informa- tive.Approximately 130 attendees gathered at the Marriott on the Falls in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, for two days of presentations. Coast Guard and members gave infor- mation on Illegal Charters, Sharing the Waterways, Safety Management, recruiting crew andADAissues just to mention a few. Our lunch speaker was Rear Admiral Joanna Nunan who assumed command of the 9th District this past summer. Hornblower Niagara Cruises generously provided all at the meeting with cruise tickets to the falls. If you’ve never done it, it’s defi- nitely worth the trip, Although I was not able to attend, I’ve heard that the PVA booth at the recent WORKBOAT show in New Orleans was heavily visited. Members say that the passenger vessel industry is busy with operators both buying and building vessels. The general feeling is optimism for the future. It was a busy year. The PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2017 in Seattle, the annual PVA Congressional Fly-In, Strategic Planning Session, two Coast Guard-PVA Quality Partnership meetings, three board meetings, committee meetings and a regional meeting along with our monthly Board conference calls. These activities along with an occasional call from John Groundwater made it active. Looking forward to 2018, The PVA Annual Convention at MariTrends 2018 is in beautiful and warm Savannah, Georgia. Savannah is a scenic and historic city. Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to attend the many presentations, roundtables, and social events that have been scheduled. What you learn, or who you meet, could help you both avoid or solve a problem in the future. I always used the event as a source for reener- gizing myself for the year to come. Finally, I have thoroughly enjoyed my year as president of our Association. I want to thank my Executive Officers Gus Gaspardo and Bob Lawler, as well as the previous Presidents and the Board of Directors for their support. I thank ALL committee members for their presence and willingness to be at the table. I thank our staff for their constant support and assistance. Lastly, I want to thank Sandy for being the original editor on these columns. Be safe, and I’ll see you in Savannah. ve a safe summer. Jeffery M. Whitaker President n LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Jeff Whitaker PVA is a member-driven organization. What better way to be active in the Association and drive it but to be a part of our voice?