1. PERSPECTIVE
on the Profession
Crossing the Border: A Venture into
Regional Collaboration
By James Barbush
A
s a member of APPA’s Eastern Region ness partners, I saw how this trip to another region,
and my home KAPPA Chapter (K with “unknown” expectations, was developing into a
for Keystone State of Pennsylvania), significant opportunity for additional collaboration
I have attended many conferences in between APPA, its regions, and its chapters. SRAPPA’s
my chapter and region. I have also incoming president, John Malmrose, greeted me
attended APPA’s Annual Conferences, most notably with a relational response to my attendance. Lander
the 2006 collaborative venture of APPA/NACUBO/ Medlin, APPA’s executive vice president, and Polly
SCUP in Hawaii with over 4,000 attendees, and Pinney, APPA’s President, commented that this visit
APPA 2007 in Baltimore. to another region will stir thoughts of how to further
This past year I decided to venture out of my home develop regional collaboration in APPA.
territory and “cross the border” into another region. After returning from the SRAPPA conference, I
So I did a virtual tour of APPA’s regions in the United talked to several colleagues about what collaboration
States and Canada, and arrived at SRAPPA, a region between APPA regions could be and what its results
adjacent to my own. I found SRAPPA’s Call for could be. I learned that PCAPPA and RMA collabo-
Presentations for their 2009 Annual Meeting. Since rated on the 2007 Regional Conference, as well as
I have presented at numerous conferences over the on an earlier conference. They reported that “One
past five years, I decided to respond to SRAPPA’s call. goal of the combined PCAPPA/RMA conference
I contacted SRAPPA’s Host Committee Chair, and was sharing experiences from our two regions. The
spoke to Joni Brown of Embry-Riddle Aeronauti- many and diverse sessions achieved this goal admi-
cal University. Joni enthusiastically requested that I rably by mixing presenters from across the western
submit my presentation, entitled “Sustaining Lead- states and Canada.”
ership through Difficult Times.” The presentation Through collaboration, APPA has greatly enhanced
was accepted and I was scheduled to attend SRAPPA our organizations efforts, increased our strength, and
2009, their 58th Annual Meeting, The Race To Green, further unified by the following collaborative efforts:
in Daytona Beach, Florida on October 3-6. • APPA’s organizational collaboration with related
Never having been to another APPA region, I had organizations. One example being the APPA/
no preconceived notions of what to expect. I was NACUBO/SCUP 2006 in Hawaii.
going to Florida to do a presentation, meet SRAPPA • APPA’s ongoing collaboration with each region by
members, and take family along. I saw it as an oppor- communicating with regional boards and chapters
tunity to do something different. I had no notions and attending their conferences has been fruitful.
of doing any particular business except attending Our regions have gained greatly and solved prob-
educational sessions and doing the usual networking lems by communicating with APPA at our Board
with business partners and facilities professionals. meetings. As a result, APPA representatives have
As I explored this new territory, I began to see come to better understand our regions and our
that this was going to be a significant event. At the chapters, and vice-versa.
opening reception, I immediately met and socialized • APPA’s current collaborative effort with the South-
with SRAPPA members and business partners. As the ern New England Chapter in the planning of APPA
conference continued, and each event occurred, as 2010 in Boston in July. As a local chapter and part-
education sessions and networking progressed, and as ner, SNEAPPA is assisting in providing first-rate
I met more SRAPPA members, APPA staff, and busi- education, entertainment, and an awards program.
50 | january/february 2010 | Facilities Manager

2. Because of APPA’s effective collabora- ine,” and as quoted by George Lucas, “You what is to be, that “related groups” do not
tion with regions, problems that we may can’t do it unless you imagine it.” Mirroring need to look and act the same. It means
once had are gone because of the com- our theme, Monday’s keynote speaker, that we can have individual identity within
munications in the relationships we have Jeff Noel of the Disney Institute with 20 a larger corporate identity. It means that
developed. years of creative experience, presented an our collaborative relationships will further
At this time, you might be asking some outstanding and inspirational keynote en- strengthen and unify our chapters, regions,
questions about this notion of regional titled From Inspiration to Innovation. Noel and APPA, individually and corporately.
collaboration. What is it? What does it showed us how Walt Disney made dreams I’m sure we will be hearing APPA
consist of? What are its goals? What will become reality, and therefore, assured us continue a dialogue on various forms of
it cost in time and money? What could a that we could imagine solutions and see collaboration. I invite you to consider the
region gain or lose because of it? These our goals become reality in our facilities. collaboration of your region with another
are good questions. But many of us may In closing, I offer these words: Collabora- region. Think about what you could do
not have specific answers for those ques- tive Independence. That’s a topic that I am and how you could do it. It may be as sim-
tions. We may not have yet collabora- thinking on and will continue to think on. ple as a board member from one region
tively considered the notion to sufficiently To me, it means that we can build relation- calling a board member from another. I
determine its goals, actions, costs, and ships, including those where people “cross am sure that that would only be the begin-
fruits. The best answer I can give right the border” to another region in our orga- ning of what you can imagine.
now is this: “Great things can happen when nization or to another related organization.
we are in relationship and collaborating. Not In those relationships we can collaborate Jim Barbush, ERAPPA’s 2009-10 President,
much happens outside of relationship and col- to do small things (or big things) related to is facilities contracts manager at the
laboration.” individual and corporate goals, and we can Pennsylvania State System of Higher
At ERAPPA 2009, attendees learned, as still remain independent in our operations. Education, Harrisburg, PA; he can be
a result of the conference theme, “imag- It means that no central group dictates reached at jbarbush@passhe.edu.
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Facilities Manager | january/february 2010 | 51