Mehran Pourzanjani, SE
President 

SEAOSC Has An Investment Plan

I am pleased to announce that SEAOSC has started an Investment plan!  The purpose for the investment plan is primarily to build-up reserves to ensure financial viability of the association during the lean years.  Beyond that, the vision for the investment plan is to grow the reserves optimally to finance further association activities including membership benefits from the proceeds.  The activities and the benefits can include research, scholarships, advocacy for the profession, public service announcements, outreach programs, and community support programs in the event of catastrophic occurrences.  

The investment plan was inspired by my experience as a member of the “SEAOSC of the future” Ad Hoc committee in 2011.  At that juncture the association was recovering from the recession and struggling on many fronts, including financially.  The Ad Hoc committee was tasked with the mission of devising a plan for the viability of the association.   The “futurists” as the five members of the Ad Hoc committee were called, developed a “Vision and Mission” for a viable SEAOSC into the future.  This “Vision and Mission” is featured on the SEAOSC website under the “About SEAOSC” tab should you be interested in learning more about it. The most challenging aspect of the plan was directing SEAOSC back to financial stability which involved many difficult decisions. That experience served as the inspiration for the development and implementation of the investment plan to ensure the viability of the association through challenging times.

A key factor for the success of the investment plan will be to build up the reserves over time; particularly when the economy is healthy.  This requires discipline and commitment; tapping into the plan must be resisted unless absolutely necessary.   It is my hope to instill this discipline and culture in the association with a focus on the vision for the plan.  As the last of the “futurists” to serve as president; my aspiration is to insure proper resources are available for the future generations of SEAOSC leaders so they can realize their vision for the betterment of the association. 

I look forward to seeing you at the next dinner event on April 3rd.