Listed below are four initiatives we undertook for 2006.  Below is an update of our progress!

1. Job Postings

Many engineers seek our local chapter when they want to network with people because they have lost their job or are just looking to change jobs.  Hopefully we can build our membership and our membership attendance to allow this face to face.  One aspect of making our local chapter valuable is through Job Postings.  Our intention is to list the advertised and unadvertised job listings from the Knoxville MSA once per week.  Frankly, we have not done a good job here…we need a volunteer to gather the information and feed it to Greg McKendry, our website volunteer.

2. Web Resource…..Completed in June…it is called SME Forums.org….check it out!

We want to get our Website listed on every engineer’s favorite list.  One way to do this is to leverage SME’s corporate database and membership of 33,000 members for problem solving.  Currently, SME Corporate has teams of people organized to assist in many items of manufacturing…did you know that?  I want to make this known and available through our website.  For example, if you have a technical problem or a fundamental question about lean manufacturing, six sigma, material selection, machining processes, etc., then we are going to link with these groups through our local website and get email responses back to you from SME’s technical groups who may have already experienced and solved your problem.

3. Membership

Simply put, we need more members and more members taking part in our events.  Members get involved when they perceive value in what we are doing.  There are other ongoing membership initiatives, but our main emphasis for the next year will be on the engineers under 30, i.e., those that are still looking to get involved and who are already committed to several tasks.  Student chapters, recent graduates, etc.  Your ideas on how to reach these people are needed.  Recently, Ralton Emory and I completed a blitz of two industrial parks and visited 17 companies to promote the local chapter, SME Corporate, and the Nano Conference on August 23-24.

4. Membership Directory

We want to create a member directory book which contains all of the SME members and anyone who sponsors the directory.  The directory would list all members and their contact information.  Additionally, it would include sponsoring vendors listed by name and by subject.  For example, pneumatic, hydraulic, material handling, automation, etc.  Other useful items will be included such as engineering formulas.  We will attempt to model our directory after the Nashville SME Chapter and the Knoxville ASHRAE Chapter.  This can be a very useful tool, resource, and fund raising mechanism for our chapter.  This is completed and will be rolling out at the Nano Conference in Oak Ridge in August.  Information on how to get your copy will be coming soon!  Thanks Sam Jones for doing the entire project!

Ongoing Items:

SOMSET…Ralton Emory

Plant Tours…..All

Certification Exams…..Ralton Emory

Educational Partnership with Knoxville Chamber…Susan Harwood

Website….Greg Mckendry

Joint meetings with AFE, Association of Facilities Engineers and others.