2012 is Here, Really?

By Phil Grudzinski
ATA CEO

I cannot believe we have arrived at the end of 2011 already and are ready to start the New Year. All I can say is at the ATA, there was a whirlwind of activity to close the year out. There were numerous Chapter Events, all with excellent feedback from those who attended. I want to commend the Chapters on launching these great events and especially for all of the social responsibility that was attached to them. We raised significant dollars for numerous charities and collected many toys for families in need as we gathered together for our holiday networking.

Throughout all of the transition and positive changes happening at the ATA, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend three of these Chapter events, in three great cities: Chicago, Indianapolis and New York City (well at least with a clear view of NYC). All of the events were fantastic venues with very impressive locations such as the Mid-America Club on the 80th floor of the Aon Center in Chicago, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis where we got to tour the stadium and the ATA's logo was up in lights on the JumboTron and around the stadium, and the W Hotel in Hoboken, NJ, a short ferry ride across the Hudson with a prime view of NYC!

We have had a full year at the ATA with the creation of Jobs4America and with the ATA's Self-Regulatory Organization gaining significant momentum with the adoption by 20 member companies and clear praise from the FTC and AG's for the focused agenda on consumer privacy and consumer protection.

We have also already broadened our educational and advocacy agenda to deal with the ever increasing technology developments that are creating a digital transformation of consumer communication. This transformation is leading us to recognize the traditional contact center as the nucleus of consumer communications for a company, creating a multi-channel contact center structure that deals with email, chat, web and social media applications as well as the traditional call capabilities.

We are continuing to serve our members by adding new talent to our National Team as well. Chris Haerich has been named VP of Membership Services. Chris brings nearly 20 years of executive level experience in the contact industry with leadership roles in companies including Protocol, Aegis and DialAmerica. Throughout her career, Chris has been a strong proponent for the ATA and its membership and has a long history of volunteerism for the association. She currently serves as the ATA's Midwest Chapter President and has been the Chair of the Chapter President's Committee for 3 years. Chris' expertise in critical areas such as contact center compliance and quality, along with the years of leadership at the Chapter level makes her perfectly suited for this role and I am truly excited to have her join the national team."

I want to thank all of our members for their involvement with the ATA. We would not be the great association we are without your support, contributions and sponsorships throughout the year. I can assure you that there is even more exciting things to come in 2012! Remember to hold the dates for our 2012 Annual Convention and Expo at the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, FL from April 29th to May 2nd!

I wish all of you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday season.

See you all in 2012!

Phil

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WEBINAR
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January 11, 2012
12:30 MST

ATA Convention & EXPO
Westin Diplomat
Holloywood, FL
April 29 - May 2, 2012
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