SHAP – v5n3 President’s message


President’s message	July and August, 1997

A lot of change has occurred in the past 2 months since my last messageboth within the pork industry and within your AASP organization.

As many of you know, Tom Neuzil resigned as the executive secretary of our joint relationship with the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association. When the search for a new Executive Secretary for that alliance began, the Executive Committee and your Board of Directors decided it was time to reconsider the potential of AASP being a stand-alone organization with a full-time Executive Director. After thoroughly exploring the situation, we decided that the AASP should form its own ofce and have its own Executive Director. Many of you have known Tom Burkgren for the last few years in his role as our liaison to the industry. Tom has done an outstanding job and we’re pleased to have been given the opportunity to hire him full time and to have his help in taking our organization to the next level. His new role as Executive Director of the AASP provides a rare and tremendous opportunity for all of our membership.

Larry Rueff

As the swine industry and, specically, swine veterinary medicine has changed over the past 1015 years, the need for a consistent face representing our organization has become very clear to us. The involvement of Tom Burkgren with the AMDUCA regulations last year and his work with the VFD are striking examples. It is very difcult for the ofcers of an organization, in our transitory capacity, to be able to maintain the contacts and consistency that an Executive Director will be able to provide. Our Executive Committee, as well as the Board of Directors, were unanimous in their decision to proceed ahead with the condence that this will allow the AASP to continue to move forward.

The ofcial transition of our ofce occured July 1, 1997. Our new ofce is located in Perry, Iowa, 25 miles northwest of Des Moines. Our new AASP office address is:

American Association of Swine Practitioners
902 1st Street
Perry, Iowa 50220

Phone: 515-465-5255
Fax: 515-465-3832

Obviously, there will be a transition periodI know this is going to be a hectic time for our new ofce. I ask for your patience and cooperation as we move forward with this exciting change in your organization.

If you encounter any problems, please let Tom, me, one of the ofcers or your directors know. We want to make the AASP ofce and the association stronger, and we can learn from our mistakes only if we are made aware of them.

Our relationship with the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association has been a great one. The AASP appreciates all the mutually benecial relationships that have occurred. Dr. Tom Neuzil has been a tremendous asset to our AASP association. Barb Hunt and Glenda Bagg have been a dedicated and hard-working team in the ofce. We wish them the best in their future endeavors.