Many of you have heard about TPC — not just another acronym!  Several leaders from the Vermont chapters of some of the country's most prestigious professional societies decided to hold a meeting back in January of 2005 to explore ways to collaborate such that all societies would win.  Each group discovered similar challenges — limited memberships, difficulty in offering extra benefits, and leadership boards “hanging in there” but looking for a new spark.  What came from that “think outside the box” discussion was the concept we now know as The Professional's Collaborative.

There are six member organizations:  APICS, ASQ, ASTD, ISM, PMI, STC, and SME.

Twice a year, TPC will be developing and delivering a program that all organizations have an interest in.  The first one held was the Networking Event in September 2005.  Over 100 people attended, representing a diverse cross-function of job roles, titles, experiences, and personalities.  It was a hit, with many requests to do it annually.

If you are a member of ASQ, you will be getting notices of programs being offered by the other TPC organizations — the GREAT benefit of this is that in most all cases you are able to attend at the reduced member rate!  All thanks to the TPC.

Many good things are still ahead.  For example, we are creating a master calendar so that all TPC member organizations can coordinate dates and publicize all events happening here in Vermont.

If you would like to get more involved with TPC, or simply come and attend the next planning meeting, contact Tim at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it