Report of the CEO
JERRY CALL Chief Executive Offi cer American Foundry Society
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
The annual report is a yearly summary of the accomplishments and goals of the American Foundry Society. By inaugurating this report, we will give members and staff a baseline for performance to keep the organization moving forward. Each year we will be able to mark where we are, where we were, and where we want to go. We are all excited that this new project will advance the mission of AFS.
AFS fi nished 2014 strong in terms of both membership and revenues. During the past year, the AFS staff worked with great dedication, determination, and focus, alongside the AFS Board, to bring these encouraging results to fruition in all facets of our organization.
Education and Development — Attracting the next generation and training are the two lynchpins to sustainability of our industry. The past year saw encouraging progress for both. The Institute debuted 15 new format courses that were well received by the students. Additionally, 10 instructors completed the new Certifi ed Institute Instructor program. An aggressive schedule is being pursued for the revamping of the remaining 50+ courses the Institute will off er as well as development of new courses as the needs arise. Through programs like Future Leaders of Metalcasting (FLM) and Foundry in a Box, AFS is able to promote the industry to the next generation of metalcasters. This is one of our great assets to the future of our industry and organization and it is a cornerstone of AFS.
Innovation and Cultivating Opportunities — For the appreciation of the capabilities and possibilities of metal castings to grow among the design community, it is important for AFS to be actively involved in the various innovation and manufacturing initiatives that are in their infancy states. AFS has become a member of three of the newly formed National Manufacturing and Innovation Institutes: America Makes, the Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation Institute (LM3I), and Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDI). All of these will serve to advance metalcasting and the mission of AFS.
Advocacy — The legislative and regulatory quagmire of Washington, D.C. proved especially taxing for AFS advocacy eff orts during the last year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) crystalline silica sand proposal was a major focus. AFS corporate members, technical committee members, State Groups, AFS staff members, and the AFS Washington offi ce all rallied to answer the extreme threat that this proposed rule poses to our industry, and we are proud of our eff orts to counter this potential hindrance to our industry.
The challenges for the coming year are great; however, the opportunities for AFS to cement in the minds of its membership the value of belonging to the Society, when facing such challenges, are even greater. The purpose of this annual report will demonstrate to everyone the great accomplishments and potential of our organization. Simply by establishing our progress we help create an even brighter path for the future of AFS.
AFS
A D VO C AT E . E D U C AT E . I N N OVAT E .
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