3/16/09

To All CAFA Members:

          The 2009 annual convention was held February 13th - 17th in Indian Wells California. I think everyone that attended had a fun and productive weekend. Our two guest speakers, Derrick Olson from Integrated Shipping Solutions and Mark Boudreau with VSM Abrasives, did a great job presenting their area’s of expertise.

           Derrick’s company, ISS, offers small parcel consulting and can offer CAFA members potentially lower UPS or Fed Ex bills. His presentation is posted on the web site on the Tools page or you can contact him at 262-786-9707. Please tell him you are a CAFA member.

          As always, Mark enlightened the group with his vast knowledge of the coated abrasive manufacturing process and the results different materials can give. We all learned a great deal and can’t thank Mark enough for all the time he spent putting the presentation together. Mark, you’re safe for at least another 2 years.  His presentations from 2006 and 2009 are posted on the website.

          As we all know, this economic mess we are in is not a lot of fun. Everyone is cutting back in one way or another to weather this storm. In spite of that we had strong attendance at the convention. Depending on how long this downturn lasts, next year’s participation could be a whole different story. At the convention we did a small survey regarding the convention format. We are reviewing the results and will let you know what changes are needed to keep the annul convention a viable and affordable meeting.

         That’s all for now and thank you your interest and support of our organization.

Sincerely,

Kevin Wyckoff
President