woman in medical mask with strong arms drawn on the wall behind herBy Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP

As we hit the one-year mark of COVID-19 and the pandemic continues to disrupt our industry, it’s challenging to stay motivated, both personally and professionally. At this moment where I live, we are at eight inches of snow and counting today, on top of the foot that was already there. I think it’s safe to say we all look forward to spring sunshine and warmer temps. As we think of our friends in Texas who are struggling with huge challenges, to our friends in the Northeast who continue to shovel and salt their way out, we are thinking of you and wish you the best to stay safe, warm, and even a little motivated.

For your morning motivation, I wanted to take a brief look back at a few of the many moments and experiences that drive home just how amazing our community is in both their camaraderie and commitment to the industry and IPMI:

  • Our industry leaders have facilitated something like 15 virtual Shoptalks, drawing thousands of professionals to keep our community engaged and connected. We have a whole year of them on the horizon to keep that energy and collaboration going.
  • Experts in the field have generously shared their experience and insight on every aspect of the profession (for free) for our members in Frontline training sessions to help organizations keep their teams informed and growing professionally.  (These will continue all year long as well.)
  • Our committees and task forces are more engaged than ever, at a time when demands on our personal time often overlap with our day jobs.  (We don’t mind the barking dogs and seeing your kids come into view either, by the way.) These volunteers are developing more free educational resources and webinars to support our community. Be on the lookout for a new one on planning, design, and construction next month, too.

There have been so many more experiences I could share–if you have one, we would love to hear it.

Let’s make sure we each give a shout out to the members of the tribes that help us every day:

  • To the new neighbor who helped me shovel out multiple times this month, thank you for surprising me.
  • To our friends who continue to surprise us, contribute their time and expertise. and just be awesome humans and professionals, we are ever grateful.

Be sure to welcome the surprises that are sure to come, and stay well.

Rachel Yoka, CAPP, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, is IPMI’s vice president of program development.