Sometimes it’s just the company you keep. I believe that. Philip Dormer Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, wrote about the company to keep when he was instructing his son. He said, in essence, that you should always keep company with people above you—not people born richer than you, but simply people who are highly regarded. Philip said this in a series of letters he wrote to his son. I believe that these words apply to AUGI members in general. What is it that keeps our members coming back to the Local User Group meetings? What is that intangible quality which binds our membership? I would wager that this behavior is in part driven by our desire to be around those we consider to be highly regarded. I know that is one of the reasons that keeps me coming back for more.

We all want to surround ourselves with those we hold in high regard. The AUGI membership is full of such people and continues to draw new members even as it entices the old members to return. Of course, even if we weren’t surrounded by such great folk, we might be tempted to return to the site or local meeting just to see what was available to help us perform our job, to learn something new, or simply to ask a question. It is this desire for connectivity that is the real force and power behind AUGI. This connective glue is both contagious and encouraging. Sure, AUGI can provide new features, benefits, and programs to the members, but I believe it is the networking opportunities and ability to share with others that brings people back to augi.com over and over.

I was reminded of this concept during our recent AUGI Board of Directors meeting in San Rafael, California. Twice a year, the board meets at Autodesk headquarters to plan the coming year’s programs, share lunch and ideas, and brainstorm with Autodesk personnel at every level. This latest board meeting was no exception. Everywhere we went the infectious AUGI spirit was evident. Not only was the spirit evident but the attitude, the generosity, and the unselfish desire to assist was continually reinforced in my mind as we progressed through the three days of our meeting.

We have an ambitious agenda in front of us and only 11 months left to execute it. I am sure, however, that with the generous assistance of our unselfish membership we will be able to exceed the goals set last week and fulfill our promise to connect our membership in exciting new ways. I can see our growth accelerating during the next 11 months and find it really exciting to be a part of this dynamic and altruistic community we call AUGI. I know you will too! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those who are working so hard to make this year successful beyond belief. The Autodesk personnel and AUGI members we met with last month have much to be proud of and are eager and ready to do great things in the coming months. It’ll be an exciting year to be sure. See you in the forums and at the local level as well.

Richard Binning
President, AUGI Board of Directors