Jetrader - March/April 2008 - 7

from the president Giving Back Michael Platt, President International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading ISTAT truly shines when more of our members get involved, and a recent ISTAT-sponsored undertaking has really driven that point home. Late last year, association member David de Mars brought to my attention that there are thousands of soldiers who have been ser iously injured in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many need help getting back into the workforce. David suggested that ISTAT may be able to play a role. While some of these injured veterans have experience as pilots, engineers, dispatchers, mechanics or possess other business skills relevant to our industry, many do not, but are bright people in need of assistance. T hrough t he Wounded Wa r r ior P rojec t, Warriors to Work Program (www.woundedwarriorproject.org), the ISTAT Board of Directors has approved an internship program where we will match wounded warriors with companies willing to provide paid internships for three to six months. We want to help these individuals transition from hospitals and rehabilitation clinics back into the workplace, to assist them with resume building, to instill self confidence and to act as mentors. Through the ISTAT Foundation, some financial assistance to support this program and these individuals will be provided, and I am happy to report that after only a few phone calls we already have a couple of ISTAT member companies on board to provide three-month paid internships, and we’re working on additional matches now. I hope to continue to report on the success of this important new program. You will be hearing more about this program, and if you have any questions or wish to participate please contact me directly or call the ISTAT office. I am also pleased to report that ISTAT continues to build on the momentum gained in 2007. As we move forward in 2008, I’ll continue working on projects w ith the Boards of both ISTAT and the ISTAT Foundation, as well as with our management team to further enhance our organization and its relevance to our members. Specifically, we’ve worked diligently this winter to update ISTAT’s bylaws, which were approved at the Januar y 2008 Board meeting. Part of this update included more formal and clearly defined governance rules and procedures that w ill ser ve ISTAT today and into the future. Given the growth of our membership—some 1,500 strong—and annual association revenues of approximately $2.5M, the changes were long overdue. I wish to thank Tom Heimsoth, Roland Moore and Ron Pietrzak for their work on this project. I look forward to seeing you during our Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., as we celebrate our 25th Anniversary and honor one of the true legends of our industry—Joe Sutter, the chief engineer and designer of the B-747. More than 1,000 ISTAT members from around the world will celebrate together as we take ISTAT and this newly designed Jetrader to the next level in 2008. Again, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments as we continue to make improvements to Jetrader and the value ISTAT membership brings to you and your company. Jetrader 7

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Jetrader - March/April 2008

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