If you can’t tell, February has a way of spreading LOVE IN THE AIR, whether it is through gentle reminders or that more in-your-face marketing by retailers with their displays of candies, flowers, cards and who knows what else! How we choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day with our loved ones is a personal choice for each of us. While I too will succumb to some of the marketing tactics that appear everywhere I go, I will also try to find a creative way to show my family that I love them. That gift might come in the way of spending time with them on a simple bike ride, a trip to the movies or even a long walk on the beach without the cell phone. My point is this: Sometimes it takes more than money to show our love. It might be just giving someone the gift of time. More often than not, we know that a strong, stable family life means a strong, stable business life. We know that the key to happiness is finding a way to bring a sense of balance to our life. Often, sadly, I am not the poster child for such balance. It does take a focused effort to avoid becoming too absorbed at times with our work if we aren’t careful. So, however you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, make sure that you do it with a true spirit of love for those whom you love.

As we progress into 2013, I’ve noticed a surprisingly steady flow of calls coming into our sales department, requesting moving quotes for all our business lines, which is truly refreshing during the traditionally slow winter months. I recently returned from a three-chapter swing around our state where I had the chance to meet with many CMSA members, who reported positive financial results for 2012. The hope all around is that we see a continued growth in business for those of us striving to achieve the goals we set forth for 2013. We can finally feel as if the recent economic challenges are now behind us. It is now time to set our sights on moving forward with confidence that we are on the way to an economic upswing for most U.S. businesses.

As I met with each chapter, I spoke of the need to have a strong sales plan, and a team that understands its role in the sales process. We must share plans and goals for our teams to work toward as well as a process for recognizing achievements when goals are reached. We don’t have to over-complicate the road to success; instead, just share your expectations with your staff so they feel as if they are pooling their efforts toward a targeted direction.

Having nearly made all my rounds to our CMSA chapters, one thing has struck me deeply about the CMSA members I meet with. I can see that your businesses are not only an important part of your communities by providing the highly needed services to those residents, but so many of you are the very fiber that makes your communities so special. In speaking with many of you, it is clear that your roots run deep into the history of your respective business locations. All this fosters a passion to serve those which you call your own (your communities).

As I listened to you describe your memories of growing up in those cities and towns, it was clear to me that those places were home to you for many reasons. Many of you were so kind to invite me into both your business world as well as your personal world by letting me tour your facilities and social clubs. It is moments like these that have given me a deeper appreciation for CMSA; those memories will be the very thing I take away from my experience as your Chairman.

I will close by saying we are truly fortunate to have a group of Associate members who support not only our chapters, but, more importantly, our day-to-day operations. Our companies depend on that support as we set forth to serve our customers. We could not deliver the level of service we all strive for on every move without such support. When called upon to support a chapter event, our Associate members respond with “when” and “where,” followed by their gift of participation. I would love to name each and every one of them in this column for their tireless efforts in providing a level of value to our business, and CMSA, when called upon to do so. Instead, I would ask that we all make an effort to thank them for their continued contributions to support our organizations and our Association. We, in turn, should thank them whenever possible by bringing opportunity their way. Clearly, there is no better way to thank them than by providing them opportunity to work with each of our organizations when possible. I would ask that we open our organizations by offering them a shot at earning our business; this practice could go a long way for us all!

Happy Valentine’s Day!