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AWBD is like a big family.
As we continue with our Founders Series, former AWBD trustees Bill Blitch, Doug Jordan, and Dan Sallee discuss challenges and lessons learned from the early days through expansive growth.
Early growth and – gasp! – limiting conference participation
When AWBD Past President Bill Blitch was asked about the challenges they faced during his 15-year tenure on the Board, one word came to mind: growth. Bill, President of financial advisory services firm Blitch Associates, Inc., says the growth AWBD experienced during his 15 years with the organization was so rapid that they quickly outgrew the conference facility they loved in South Padre Island and even considered limiting registration!
The AWBD Board welcomed the growth, but managing the type of growth was a challenge. They wanted new members so they could spread education and outreach to water districts across the state facing the same issues, but it seemed difficult to get members from outside of the Houston area and Gulf Region. AWBD even had to compete with organizations in other areas of the state that started their own similar groups.
Another challenge Bill remembers was getting their voices heard by state lawmakers.
“Getting the legislative committee to become a real force each biannual session and trying to keep up with the rules and regulations being imposed upon us as water districts were difficult,” Bill says. “It still continues to this day!”
Bill says one of the achievements he is most proud of was engaging members to get involved in the education process.
“We wanted to expand topics for program sessions, but we wanted to know what membership wanted to learn about, so we began polling them and asking what programs they wanted to see, what issues they wanted to address, and that became the model for the current program committee,” he says.
We wanted to expand topics for program sessions, but we wanted to know what membership wanted to learn about, so we began polling them and asking what programs they wanted to see, what issues they wanted to address, and that became the model for the current program committee.
We wanted to expand topics for program sessions, but we wanted to know what membership wanted to learn about, so we began polling them and asking what programs they wanted to see, what issues they wanted to address, and that became the model for the current program committee.
From the living room to the Board room
It’s hard to imagine a time when the AWBD operated out of longtime Executive Director Merry Leonard’s living room – but that was certainly the case!
In fact, Dan Sallee, former AWBD president and trustee during the 1990s and 2000s, says it was challenging to convince the organization that it was time to move out of Merry’s living room and “legitimately” set up shop in a leased office space with expanded staff.
“We thought it was time to have an office and a staff that could answer the phones every day and who could use the space to produce regular publications,” says Dan.
Dan did more than just suggest a brick-and-mortar headquarters for AWBD. As a longtime petroleum engineer for BHP Billiton with an MBA, he brought business tools to AWBD after initially serving as a director of MUD 102. Dan took the team through a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis to help the organization proactively strategize for the future instead of retroactively focusing on putting out fires. He encouraged the Board to increase membership, meet each summer to have an in-depth budget planning session, and raise membership rates. When he was treasurer, he made it a point to start publicly reporting revenues and expenses so that each member would understand where funds were spent.
“If you’re going to ask somebody for an increase, then give them the reasons behind it,” he says.
Doug Jordan, who currently serves as a MUD 102 Director and was Dan’s mentee upon joining the AWBD Board, worked to increase input from the AWBD advisory council by including them in the budget planning process.
“When I became AWBD President, we opened the summer budget planning sessions to advisory committee members,” says Doug . “They are an important part of the team and they have additional insight because they are in daily contact with the membership. Their input is very impactful.”
Doug agrees that managing growth was challenging. Finding a venue to hold everyone for each conference was so tricky that they thought hosting the event out of state in New Orleans was a great idea… at the time.
“We now file that one under ‘lessons learned,’” says Doug with a laugh.
Doug says he’s most impressed that AWBD continues to bring people from all over the state and from different businesses (even competitors!) together to increase awareness about the needs of water districts.
“On our Advisory Council, for example, AWBD has individuals work hand in hand together who in their regular business lives are competitors in the water distinct services field,” Doug says. “But they do this because they, along with AWBD trustees and members, are dedicated to the improving the management and operations of water districts throughout the state and because, at its core, AWBD is like a big family.”
When I became AWBD President, we opened the summer budget planning sessions to advisory committee members. They are an important part of the team and they have additional insight because they are in daily contact with the membership. Their input is very impactful.
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