SAAA January 2022 Residence Magazine | Page 25

as the president of TAA and chairman of NAA . I say this , not to gloat , but to make a point . From the beginning , my grandfather knew that our industry needed representatives to speak up on its behalf . Speak up for what would be an association representing 554 owner / operators , 363 supplier members and over 220,000 units . He knew these members would need to be represented . I truly believe that Bob Ross knew service would be the foundation his legacy would be built on ; the same foundation he passed down to his children .
I have humbly accepted the responsibility , given to me by President Victoria Dries-Keeler , of chairing two committees this year , the Political Action Committee ( PAC ) and the Membership committee . Some may see this as an unlikely pairing , but I see an opportunity . An opportunity of get back to the basic principle of , “ you get out of it , what you put into it ”. I want to see our members take an active role in the things the SAAA does where you find value and are passionate about .
My overarching goal for membership this year is simple , to show members the value of their membership . Both , the members , and the association , will benefit the most when we can find ways to work together . Members , you are ESSENTIAL !
When members come together , great things happen ! For an example , we only need to look back to the 2021 run-off elections . In a matter of two and a half weeks , through the efforts of our volunteers and the understanding of our members , the association was able to raise over $ 100,000 in direct contributions to the candidates we supported in that run-off . Even though this was a significant accomplishment , it was not our only one . We had many wins over the course of the year and will continue to do so if members continue to come together .
Speaking of PAC . I think it is important to take a moment to ask each of you to invest in this program . Our
PAC , is strengthened by the investments of our members . Having a strongly funded PAC allows the association to contribute to political races and support candidates who will support our industry . This year , my PAC committee is taking a new approach . My overarching goal for the PAC this year is to create a grassroots style campaign where members contribute because they understand the value of the PAC . We will still have events to fundraise for the PAC like our extremely successful Business Exchange as well as bringing back the David Guin Memorial Golf Tournament !
I encourage everyone , to go online and look at our PAC Perks Investment Club ( PAC PIC ). The PAC Perks Investment Club is an exclusive program for members interested in making recurring donations to the San Antonio Political Action Committee ( PAC ) to support advocacy on behalf of rental housing owners , builders , developers , and managers .
When you enroll in one of the recurring PAC donation levels , you will receive perks and incentives from the San Antonio Apartment Association in addition to the positive industry advantages we achieve with our advocacy involvement through the use of PAC funds . To learn more about how your PAC donations are used and help our industry , please visit : https :// www . saaaonline . org / pac .
Membership and Advocacy go hand-in-hand . I encourage everyone to find something in our association that you are passionate about and get involved . If you want to get involved but don ’ t know how , reach out to the staff or Board of Directors for help !
Remember , when members come together , anything is possible ! Humbly , Alan Ross www . saaaonline . org | JANUARY 2022 25