The many faces of STLE
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report October 2011
Connecting with your peers is always valuable—even when you’re not in the same room.
The opportunity to network with like-minded individuals in person and via technology is one of the privileges of STLE membership.
Since I live and work in Chicago, attending the STLE Chicago Section meetings has been a regular practice during my 15 years with the society. I have learned a great deal about the industry and made some lasting professional contacts and personal friends at these events, as well as at similar local meetings across North America and around the world.
I attended the September meeting in Chicago where there was no exception to this rule. A leading additive supplier gave a presentation that looked at drivers and trends for the business in the next 3-5 years. The audience encouraged the presenter to extend his presentation past the advertised length of time—it was that good!
Looking around the meeting room that night, I was again reminded that STLE is an organization made up of interesting and exceptional people doing valuable technical work. The opportunity to interact with industry leaders from around the world is one of the privileges of membership.
Let me share three examples from the Chicago meeting, based on my encounters with people in decidedly different stages of their careers.
At the start of the evening, I had an engaging conversation with a lubricant distributor sales rep from the Chicago area. We talked about how he is using STLE’s Certified Lubrication Specialist designation to compete more effectively and win customer loyalty in tough economic times.
Following that, I was able to welcome a young technical professional who had just relocated to Chicago. Our conversation before dinner gave me a better sense of how STLE was helping her and other younger members expand their career options.
Finally, at the end of the evening, I spoke with a former section chair about the evolution of TLT to its current editorial formula, which carefully balances lubrication best practices with tribology research. We agreed that this was inspired in part by feedback at Chicago meetings when he served as chair.
These encounters obviously were of value to me as an association executive. But I saw many other people doing the same thing and discussing topics of importance to them before, during and after the meeting. This drives home the value of personal business networking as a primary benefit of attending local and national STLE events.
The downside of this story is that most people wish they had more time and opportunity to benefit from this type of interaction. But in today’s world, increased job pressures and the fact that many areas are not served by a local section limit the potential for face-to-face networking.
Fortunately, STLE’s expanding world of digital opportunities offers a reasonable if somewhat less personal substitute. For example, we have now posted Featured Member photos and short biographies on
www.stle.org, which reflects the diversity of the society’s membership.
On the day this column was being written, the Web site introduces you to a graduate student in tribology, a global product manager for a major oil company and a technical fellow for an OEM.
This group is among more than 20 members that already have volunteered to be part of this new exercise in digital networking. But don’t be shy and wait to be asked if you’d like to join them. Go to
www.stle.org and follow the simple directions on how to tell your story for the benefit of other members.
Every member has something interesting to say. People are what make this society exceptional. Help us to make the STLE experience even more valuable by becoming a Featured Member.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.