President’s Message—January 2010

Dear members and future members,

Happy New Year! January is a great time look back on accomplishments, and forward to the year ahead. For me, January is about my favorite season winter, but I can’t help the disappointment of looking out to dirty snow and air. According to AirNow, a project of the National Association of Clean Air, January is on average the worst air quality month for Utah, with the highest number of ‘unhealthy’ days of the year. It’s easy to say we should drive less, take transit, bike or walk to our destinations but harder to implement with the multiple demands of our busy lives. We face the difficult task of creating the environment that will allow us to make those decisions easily. It will take partnerships, involvement, flexibility and a lot of discussion.

Change will require people of different professional backgrounds and disciplines agreeing on the problem and developing solutions — together. WTS Northern Utah is committed to this approach to problem solving in our community. Our 84 members are engineers, planners, communications specialists, construction managers, women, men, entering the workforce, and late in career. The diversity of discussion at our recent events has been phenomenal, and will lead to change. On September 23^rd over 60 people gathered to discuss sustainable transportation. At the close of the workshop-style event participants were excited to continue discussing difficult issues on a regular basis. To this end, WTS is excited to be the convener of these discussions, and will be announcing shortly the WTS Forum for your continued involvement. We invite you to join the discussion.

Robin Hutcheson

President, Northern Utah Chapter

Member Appreciation Breakfast

The WTS Northern Utah Chapter Board of Directors gave a hearty thank you to the chapter membership by sponsoring a free breakfast Dec. 3, 2009 at historic Lamb’s Grill Cafe in downtown Salt Lake.

Typically, attendees pay for WTS events to offset costs of food and space rentals, and members receive a discounted rate. The free event in December was a special way to acknowledge the inaugural members for their enthusiasm and support. The more than 40 members in attendance also received gifts of Cummings Studio Chocolates.

After omelets and oatmeal, directors and committee chairs introduced key volunteers and gave thanks to all for making 2009 such an effective launch of the Northern Utah Chapter. Two new board members were introduced: Mary Guy-Sell, UDOT planner, is the new programs director, while Tracey Harty, PPBH account supervisor, will oversee communications. The pair replace Teri Newell and Kim Clark, respectively, who were vital in the launch of the chapter and will continue to support WTS efforts.

Chapter president Robin Hutcheson, Fehr & Peers, gave an update to the membership by reviewing membership and sponsor status, as well as the year’s six events.

“We are looking forward to seeing what we can learn and accomplish together in 2010,” she said.

Members of the programs committee take turns overseeing activities and Jodi Pearson, of Michael Baker Jr., Inc., was the volunteer organizer for member appreciation event.  The Programs Committee is discussing several exciting and innovative events for 2010.

Our Inaugural Event

Thank you to all for participating in the WTS Northern Utah Chapter Inaugural Celebration Event!

The Northern Utah Chapter of WTS is pleased to report a successful start to a strong chapter. On March 18th, 2009 the Chapter held its Inaugural Celebration Event, with over 170 in attendance. Industry leaders, dignitaries, and WTS members gathered in downtown Salt Lake City to hear a diverse panel of speakers, with keynote speaker Mary Peters officially welcoming our chapter. Other inaugural speakers included John Inglish, General Manager for the Utah Transit Authority, John Njord, Utah Department of Transportation Director, and Tom Warne, Former Utah Department of Transportation Director. Mary Peters spoke about the value of WTS in her professional development, as well as seizing the opportunity to make good decisions for the transportation industry. The Board of Directors is grateful for her participation and recognizes her contribution to the success of the event and our Chapter.

To date, the Northern Utah chapter includes 71 members, and 19 sponsoring corporations. We are excited to offer diverse programming and opportunities for collaboration and networking to our members and the transportation community along the Wasatch Front.

Speakers: John Njord, Tom Warne, Mary Peters, John Inglish

Speaker: Mary Peters

WTS Board of Directors & Mary Peters: Georgia Sullivan, Helen Peters, Mardi Pearson, Kerry Doane, Mary Peters, TeriAnne Newell, Kim Clark, Andrea Olson, Robin Hutcheson

Attendees