September 2015
AFRA Board of Directors
2015 Slate of Officers
AFRA President
Derk-Jan van Heerden
AELS

AFRA Vice President
Amy Bann
Boeing Commercial Aircraft

AFRA Treasurer
Marco Gehr
ELG Metals

AFRA Secretary
Bradley Gregory
Air Salvage International
Industry News
"A few years ago, aircraft dismantling was seen as an environmentally friendly practice. Most recently, it has become something of a free for all as companies have dived into what is seen as a luctrative source of revenue..." - MRO Management 

"Air Salvage International is one of the longest established specialists in aircraft dismantling and spares recovery. Now, it is using its experience to diversify into other areas..." - MRO Management 
Upcoming Industry Events
Save the Date! 

September 16-17, 2015
Montreal, Canada

September 29-30, 2015
Geneva, Switzerland

June 26-28, 2016
Las Vegas, NV
Growing Our Social Media Footprint
Please let us know about your company's Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter profile. Follow AFRA and share our news that you think might be interesting for your followers - we will of course do the same with your messages!

President's Update 
From Derk-Jan van Heerden
Dear Colleagues,
  
Though a lot of you hopefully enjoyed your vacation the last few months after the AFRA annual meeting in Scottsdale, the AFRA team has been very active. We started with welcoming six new board members after the annual meeting and selecting the new officers. I am thrilled to be your president for the next year. After this, AFRA made maybe the biggest strategic step in its history. AFRA signed a long-term agreement with Kellen to manage the organization and to help it grow further. With this step, the board hopes to improve the quality of the organization, the flexibility, the longevity, but mainly the outreach to industry and improved member benefits.
  
During the first months of the new partnership, the board actively assisted Kellen to get started. I personally get a lot of positive vibes about the things that are happening, and I'm sure you will also. First, of course, we focused on transferring standard organization processes, such as membership management and accounting, and helping Kellen to select the right people for the AFRA team. This process is close to being finished and the focus is now on improving the organization and your benefits. This newsletter is one of the first results of that.
  
We do need our members to help us in improving the organization and our industry. AFRA is not only an organization for its members but also by its members. I therefore ask you to become actively involved in two committees that will start soon. We need you to tell us what you think is missing in the BMP or what can be improved. Ask your quality manager to dial in or at least send an e-mail to AFRA staff of what you think should be improved. The other committee is about our governmental affairs program. AFRA is the globally recognized entity representing our industry, and our accreditation program is receiving more and more recognition, not only by you, our members, who benefit from accreditation as it improves your processes and quality of delivered work, but also by customers of our services are asking for it in their RFPs. Our playing field is not only customers and suppliers, but we are also intermingled with many stakeholders. The relationships with those stakeholders, like FAA/EASA but also other organizations like ATAG and ICAO need to be sustained and grown. AFRA is looking for more recognition for the fantastic work the organization and its members are doing in improving the sustainability of the complete aviation sector. We want to know what other organizations should be we talking to? What results should we be aiming at? Share your thoughts on this subject, but also let us know who you know and how you can help us reach these improvements.
  
Please also let me know what you think on all other subjects that you think AFRA could help you with. You can always send me an e-mail at dj.vanheerden@aels.nl.
  
Take care and good luck recycling!
  
- Derk-Jan "DJ" van Heerden
Association Updates
AFRA Welcomes Kellen Management Team

AFRA has selected Kellen as its new management firm. Kellen is a leading association management company, operating from seven global offices. AFRA will be headquartered in Kellen's Washington, DC office. For more information about Kellen, please  click here. Or click on the links below to contact AFRA staff:
AFRA Interim Executive Director
AFRA Interim General Manager
Congratulations to Our Newest Accredited Company 
  
Turbine Auxiliary Service Center LLC
AFRA Committees - Get Involved! 
We will be scheduling kick-off teleconference meetings of two AFRA committees in the month of September, the BMP Development Committee and the Government Affairs Committee. If you are interested in participating in one or both of these committee calls, please see the information below, and fill out the relevant scheduling poll(s) to let us know your availability. These committees will meet quarterly or on a project-by-project basis. 

BMP Development Committee 
This committee will take the lead in reviewing the AFRA Best Management Practice for Management of Used Aircraft Parts and Assemblies and for Recycling of Aircraft Materials (BMP) document. Initially, this committee will focus on reviewing the current BMP structure, format, scope, and content and will make recommendations on specific actions or modifications to the BMP to the AFRA Board of Directors . Please fill out this scheduling poll to indicate your availability to participate.

Government Affairs Committee
This committee is being formed with the purpose of working to develop AFRA's strategic government affairs programs, plans, and initiatives and make recommendations to the AFRA Board of Directors for implementation. Please fill out this scheduling poll to indicate your availability to participate.
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