President's Message - April 2022

Jon Trask, CMP, CMM

Around the year 1630, a man named Osmund boarded a ship in Southern England to sail to the Massachusetts colony in the new world.  A trip that would take him from a small village named East Coker in Somerset to Beverly, MA where his descendants would then fan out across a new nation.  They would fight in wars, attain public office, explore unknown wilderness and even help rescue the survivors of the Donner Party.

I’m a direct descendant of Osmund Traske, and I often wonder how he had the strength and courage to leave behind a familiar life, family and friends and take such a massive risk.  I like to believe that he made that choice with an altruistic eye towards people like me…people he’d never know, but who would have a better and more comfortable life because of the risks he took.  But I also know his choice was likely not been made without the pressures of a class system that prevented him from rising based upon his own work, or religious persecution that motivated many from the ship he traveled on.

I’ll never really know why he got on that ship, but I do know that he and his family ultimately prospered in a place they never expected to be.  In that context, I also think about all of us today in MPIOC and in our industry.

We (metaphorically) ended up in our own new world over the past few years.  Even if you were an old timer who had ridden economic waves, wars, natural disasters and even terrorism.  The pandemic was (and is) unlike anything we thought we were prepared for.  We are all trying to figure out what “tomorrow” is over the horizon, and at the same time, keep our families safe and our companies functioning.

The board has spent the past two years working to hold things together and make sure we meet the needs of our members regarding education, networking, job opportunities and even down to our connections with each other.  As I’ve said repeatedly, the MPIOC Board is an amazingly talented and dedicated group and I am so lucky to be able to call them friends and co-workers.

They give of their time and talents for YOU, the members and this chapter. They understand that the most is made of their membership when actively involved.  We are all sharing this same ship and all heading towards a new world.  It’s not an easy journey, but we recognize that we are all in this together enduring the same hardships.  I am confident if we believe in each other and continue to support one another, we can build a chapter for the future and for the next 50 years of MPI!

If you have any question or the slightest interest in learning more about what joining MPIOC or taking a bigger step into joining the Board looks like, please reach out to me! (or anyone on the board even). if we can help or provide a friendly ear during a rough time, we want to be there.

Thank you for being a member of MPIOC and being on this adventure with us!