July President's Message

Dear IAF Members and Industry Friends,

Happy 249 to the USA. I cannot start the July President’s Message without mentioning how lucky we all are to be part of the greatest country EVER! What we celebrate on the 4th, is truly special, and maybe often overlooked as just a day for hot dogs and fireworks. It is actually about a day that a group of Colonies decided to sever ties with their king. They agreed to create a country based around the concept of prioritizing individual liberties, and form a just government, accountable to the people. And because of their foresight and sacrifices, we can enjoy being a part of the greatest government experiment anywhere. Take a second and give this some thought, be grateful, and make sure you remind the young ones what the 4th of July is really all about.

As usual, the summer brings on a slow pace in Tallahassee, and we at IAF will enjoy the peace and quiet for now.

What I really wanted to dig into is one of the most used terms in business today, Artificial Intelligence. I hear the term “AI” in every meeting nowadays. Check this code question on Grok, ask Chat for a new marketing plan, has anyone started Jive coding? There is so much out there, and so little time to dive into it, but if you do not, you will quickly fall behind. AI tools can now be used to check contracts, review budgets, vendor invoices, enter payables, the tasks are endless. For the purpose of this message, I’ll refer to those tasks as office type / clerical and professional work. But what I really wanted to emphasize, is what can AI not do. So far, AI cannot change my alarm’s battery, find a ground loop or replace a card reader that a hooligan smashed. For that matter, AI cannot rotate your car tires, add refrigerant to your AC system, or replace a bad breaker in an electrical panel. And while AI cannot do any of these items I have mentioned, do you know who can? Tradesmen can!

How many times have you or one of your peers uttered the phrase, “my best techs are getting old!” Is it a coincidence that most of our industries best techs were educated at a time where we still had vocational training at the High School level?

As a country, we have allowed our educational system to evolve to a system designed to get kids to college. The problem is most will wind up not going to college, and even those that make it to higher learning, not all will finish and graduate. We have really done a dis-service to many of our kids. We at IAF can’t change the world, but we can do our humble part. Our Workforce Development Committee, Chaired by Rick Seymour, has been championing the development of new tradesmen for our industry for years. We are very lucky to have Rick and his other committee members work so passionately on this subject. Over time, we have made much progress, where we now have alliances with 5 colleges and growing. These partnerships let us help develop the curriculum that our industry needs and even helps place students in jobs. Did you know we even have apprenticeship programs? Workforce Development is one of our Association’s most critical pillars, and we do not take that for granted.

I hope you continue to enjoy the summer, hot dogs and fireworks and all…….

Raising the Bar - One Achievement at a Time,

Diego R. del Pino
IAF President