ISA Progress in 2015 Reflects Sound Strategic Direction

This post is authored by Rick Roop, president of ISA 2015.

As my year as ISA president draws to a close, I want to reflect upon what has been a very productive and progressive year for the Society and a very rewarding experience for me personally.

Needless to say, we have much to celebrate. We’ve accomplished a great deal toward implementing our plans for the calendar year and attaining our five long-term strategic goals in Content, Data, Coolest Delivery, Cybersecurity, and Advocacy. Through this, we’ve:

• Developed and refined many levels of details within our tactical plans
• Forged valuable collaborative teams and relationships between the Executive Board liaisons and staff goal leads
• Allocated and re-allocated resources to align with plans as they finalize
• Established regular reporting mechanisms to ISA leaders and other key Society stakeholders
• Gained invaluable support from dedicated ISA board and staff members

We have such a great story to share, whether it relates to what (goals) we’re doing, and how (tactics) and why (awareness and understanding) we’re doing it.

Certainly, the acquisition of Automation.com—which was announced in late 2014—paid significant dividends for ISA in 2015 and delivered a very positive message to the marketplace that ISA is broadening its presence across media channels and expanding access to its renowned technical content.

As highlighted in previous columns in Insights, ISA is focused on investing in new technologies and applications—such as new mobile applications to assist attendees of our technical symposia. While some of these new offerings may not be correlating to revenue growth at this point, they deliver added value to our members and customers, and underscore our commitment to innovation.

One of our newest opportunities—made possible through our working relationship with the U.S. government on industrial automation and control system security initiatives—will enable ISA to serve as the host organization for an automotive industry consortium on industrial cybersecurity. This exciting venture opens the door for ISA to establish new relationships and gain valuable exposure within another industry segment—one with massive economic impact.

ISA also has benefited greatly over these past many months from the support and involvement of our corporate partners and sponsors. These relationships inspire new and collaborative ways of solving common challenges, make our members and customers aware of additional resources and capabilities that could benefit them, and foster best-practice approaches that advance the automation and control profession.

My experience as 2015 ISA president has made me profoundly aware of the importance and relevance of the Society—amid and in light of so many industry changes and challenges—and of the outstanding contributions and efforts of ISA leadership, members, and staff.

It’s been immensely gratifying and inspiring to see how much has been accomplished in 2015 and recognize how these accomplishments position the Society for much greater success in the months and years ahead. ISA has put in place the strategic foundation and plans needed to sustain a bright and prosperous future for the automation profession.

In closing, I want to express how blessed I’ve been to have learned so much from previous ISA leaders with whom I have served, and to have gained and benefited from so many valuable friendships. These relationships have been vital to me during my tenure as president and instrumental to my success on a professional and personal level.

My sincere thanks to all and best wishes for the new year.

About the Author

Rick Roop has been a member of ISA since 1983 and established the Society's Evansville, Ind. and Terre Haute, Ind. Sections. Rick has held a variety of ISA leadership positions including district vice president and chairman of the Council of District Vice Presidents, Power Industry Division board member, and he has also served as chairman of the Finance Committee and chairman of the Investment Committee. Rick worked as a senior instrumentation engineer at Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company (now Vectren). He then joined Hoosier Energy, REC, first as an instrument and electrical engineer, and later as general manager at the company’s Frank E. Ratts Generating Station. Since 2012, Rick has held the position of vice president, senior portfolio manager and owner of Donaldson Capital Management, an Evansville, Ind.-based SEC-registered investment advisory firm with $1 billion in assets under management. Rick earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering technology from Murray State University and a master of business administration degree with an emphasis in finance from Indiana State University.
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A version of this article also has been published in ISA Insights.