Style tips from the Executive Director
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report November 2010
This story could redefine business casual!
In the plant or office, STLE’s staff is committed to understanding the industry we serve.
There is a new pair of shoes in my closet at home here in the Chicago area. Sitting next to my brown loafers and running shoes is a pair of steel-toe safety boots. How did they get there? Why am I writing about them in TLT? Allow me to explain and (I hope) make a serious point about my philosophy of directing the STLE professional staff.
The shoes came back to Chicago with me after a mid-September visit to our STLE Toronto Section. As part of the trip, President Peter Drechsler and I toured the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Darlington nuclear power station. OPG is Canada’s largest owner of nuclear power plants and operates two major generating stations in Ontario.
Before Peter and I could visit the plant, we needed to make a detour to the local work-shoe store because efforts to secure two loaner pairs of safety shoes were unsuccessful. Our host, section chair Wayne Mack wood of Chemtura, was good enough to take us shoe shopping so that the plant visit could come off as planned the following morning. After a bit of searching, and a few bemused looks from patrons not used to seeing three guys out together shoe shopping, we found the appropriate gear to support our next-day visit to the plant.
Our tour was arranged and directed by Dr. George Staniewski, senior technical engineer at OPG and a distinguished STLE member. Thanks to George’s careful advance planning, Peter and I, plus a team from the Toronto section, were able to get an insider’s tour of the Darlington nuclear power plant and meet with plant personnel, engineering managers and corporate executives.
The day was productive on several levels. It helped me better understand the operation of a major power generation facility and the needs of the members and non-members who work there. Related discussions during the tour and in meetings afterward resulted in ideas for new and modified STLE services that have great potential to benefit OPG and similar facilities throughout North America.
Before we leave the subject of the plant visit, one side comment from someone who’s clearly not spent a great deal of time wearing safety shoes. While the work boots offered needed protection, they are much heavier than expected—or at least what I expected. Returning to my normal “work” shoes after a day in the steel toes was a relief. Although I can confirm that if you are looking for a way to get some cardio and build up a good sweat, put on your steel-toe shoes and climb six flights of stairs to view power plant operations from high above the shop floor!
Now on to my second question: Why am I writing about this adventure? Here is the real point of the story. My association management philosophy, and one communicated to the STLE staff, is that we need to make an effort to understand the industry we serve. To carry this out, employees are expected to make at least one site visit per year to a corporate location or some comparable event. For example, while I was clomping around the nuclear plant, three of our newer staff members were at the International Machine Tool Show (IMTS) in Chicago. They came back energized from the experience and better informed to do their jobs.
Site visits are not always easy to arrange in today’s world, but we are serious about the program and always looking for new locations and opportunities. If this is something your company, organization or institution would like to explore, please let me know and we’ll work on a plan.
And need I add that any assignments requiring steel-toe boots will be handled by me personally?
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.