Strategic Planning -- Power into the Future!

by Clara DeRosier, Executive Director

Strategic planning is important to an organization because it provides a sense of direction and outlines measurable goals. Strategic planning is a tool that is useful for guiding day-to-day decisions and also for evaluating progress and changing approaches when moving forward. Throughout the last 6 months, MEA has been developing a new strategic plan for the association. An outside facilitator was selected and the research began. A deep dive was conducted to gather information on products, offerings, membership, industry trends and financial history.

I want to thank the 15 MEA members who participated in 30- to 60-minute interviews with our facilitator as she learned about MEA in order to provide guidance and expertise during the planning session. I also want to thank all of you who responded to the MEA Needs survey. We had over 80 responses to this request, which is 4 times the amount of people who responded last time the survey was conducted. The information provided within the interviews and the survey responses framed discussions that were had on the day of the planning session.

Despite the polar vortex, (yes – this was scheduled for the week of ‒35º temps, apparently Mother Nature doesn’t understand the importance of strategic planning!), 14 dedicated individuals gathered together to create the plan of work for MEA. I could not be more grateful for the time, engagement and work that they put into strategic discussions on MEA’s future and how to get there.

I will be working closely with our facilitator over the next month as we finalize the plan as an outcome of all the pre-work and onsite-work conducted. MEA members – please join us at the upcoming Board of Directors meeting during the annual meeting in Stillwater on Saturday, April 13, to get a full review of the outcomes of the plan.

The MEA staff is eager to jump in on the new initiatives and enhance some of our current offerings as we continuously strive to better serve membership and the needs of running a successful electrical contracting business.

Again, THANK YOU to all who participated in any way with the Strategic Plan. We couldn’t have done it without you!