November President's Message

Dear IAF Members and Industry Friends,

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I want to take a moment to say thank you and express my gratitude to all our members, sponsors, and partners. Having just celebrated Veterans Day, I also want to offer my sincere appreciation to all those currently serving and those that have served in the past. Together, we have so much to be thankful for this year.

Your association continues to grow and welcome new members. Committees are making great progress on issues that affect you and our industry. We have more online training opportunities and programs than ever before, including some you will learn more about in this issue of The Handshake. The Secure Your Career campaign has officially produced over 1 million impressions, with new leads being generated each week. Our 2025 Convention is just around the corner and is shaping up to be the best one yet with a beautiful resort experience, the Pierre Bellemare Memorial Golf Tournament, in-person training, and a show floor full of vendors and sponsors. I am thankful to all those working on this event and ensuring it’s success.

As we continue to celebrate our IAF Month of Gratitude, I hope you will join me in thanking your fellow IAF members, volunteers, and colleagues. We will continue to share member spotlights, special discounts and giveaways over the coming weeks.   

Although we are focusing on gratitude this month, it’s important to remember that it’s more than just a month-long celebration. Gratitude touches every aspect of our personal and work life. I hope you will join me in making it a priority in all that you do. Take time to thank those important to you, the team member that always gives 100%, the person you can always count on, the friend that is always willing to listen and that special person that gave you the opportunity to be part of this amazing industry. Please be sure to nominate your team, your business, or other worthy industry colleagues for the IAF Honors Program by November 30th! Together, we can all make a positive difference.

Happy Thanksgiving!

With gratitude,

Marvin Smith
IAF President