Message from the Trustees

I’d like to reflect on the many changes that are occurring in our industry and the Foundation. As you know the Foundation is comprised of twenty-plus volunteer Trustees and three staff people. Our industry continues the trends that are the subject of many meetings, conferences and articles. The principle one is the merger and acquisition trend followed closely by the ongoing effort to remove the excess costs from the supply chain. Those trends serve to put increasing pressure on our base of contributors and prospective Trustees. The industry also suffers from the same employment pressures seen throughout the US economy. In fact, the salary survey conducted by FPS and FPEF last year indicates that there are multiple job opportunities for each graduate of our Key Schools at premium salaries and benefits. As far as the Foundation goes, several things are affecting us and directing our activities. First, each of the other organizations, the NFPA, FPDA and FPS are taking an active role in education and are working together toward the common good. NFPA is supporting the development of a fluid power program and laboratory at Georgia Tech, as well as contributing to FIRST and SME initiatives. FPDA has a strong initiative with FIRST and the SME, attracting middle and high-schoolers to technology and science. FPS Certification of fluid power mechanics, technicians, specialists and engineers has increased markedly, going beyond the traditional fluid power manufacturers and distributors to the end users and OEMs. The Foundation is supporting all these efforts both financially and through our network of key colleges and universities, our corporate and individual supporters and our own staff. Speaking of Key Schools, we’ve seen an increase in contacts from schools about the requirements of becoming a Key School. There is still a lack of those schools on both coasts and that’s where we are putting our greatest efforts. We’ve planned our September meeting at Toledo Tech, a high school that has made great strides in attracting young people to science and technology. It is high schools like this and Seaholm in Michigan that our Key Schools and other engineering and technology institutions need as the incubators for the excitement and interest required in their prospective students. It’s also what we in fluid power need in our employees and customers. From kid to customer might be a tagline for our efforts. As I see it, the education function of the Foundation includes

We also are having success on our web page—www.fpef.org—with over 65,000 hits. Links to the Key Schools, contacts for employment in our industry, and other features continue to expand. Please consider posting your next job requirement at our web site. So there you have it. Although, we still focus on our cadre of Key Schools, we have expanded our activities to include the input (recruiting and training at high schools and middle schools) and the output (job placement). We’ve also continued our role of supporting the other fluid power organizations. We need your continued involvement and contributions and we’d certainly welcome your help and comments.

Thank you,
Don Spradlin, President

A Generous Bequest Otto Maha, Honororary Life Trustee and early fluid power pioneer passed but bequeathed the Foundation a sizeable gift. That gift should enable us to continue our current programs and add support for educational initiatives presented from other industry groups, provided an increased level of industry financial support continues. Most notably, on our budget for this year is support for FIRST and FIRST LEGO League as well as the SME Student Robotic Competition presented by FPDA and an NFPA - Georgia Tech initiative. The increased requests for support from the Foundation underscores the changing fluid power market. Mergers and acquisition reduce our financial base. The Expanding Role of the Foundation The Foundation is concerned with the education and training of people in the fluid power industry. Our goal is to improve the presence and application of fluid power in the technological world in which we live. Unlike other groups in our industry, who strive to advance the professionalism of current fluid power professionals, the Foundation aims at programs to draw new people into our industry. In general, the Foundation activities, focus on our group of Key Schools throughout the US and Canada. (You can check out our Key Schools and their programs, including links to many of them at our WEB page: www.fpef.org/directry.html. Historically, we've been involved in helping interested schools develop relevant curricula and aiding students through scholarship programs. We also help interested schools with sources of low cost industrial products for use in the classroom. In addition, we intend to reinstitute our sponsorship of summer workshops in which high and middle school teachers attend a two-week, hands-on class at a Key School in their geographic area. These teachers go home with a teaching module, material and a lesson plan on how to adopt fluid power principles to science and math classes. This fosters stronger ties between these schools and encourages students to enter a fluid power course of study. We've expanded programs that you might like to know about.  1. Our scholarship specifically for students entering a Key School and enrolling in fluid power. This is in addition to the conventional scholarships aimed at current students.  2. Foundation meetings have been taking place at successful Key Schools in order to learn from their experience, meet the administration and staff and strengthen our ties. The Foundation Trustees pay all their own expenses at these meetings. Last Spring we elected to coattail our meeting with IFPE, the industry wide show and conference in Chicago. 3. In the second year of our new initiative the FPEF cosponsored the SME Robotics Challenge, held in Pittsburgh, PA Over 200 teams from middle through university displayed and demonstrated a wide variety of systems and devices. We awarded four cash prizes to the best uses of fluid power. Fluid Power is scheduled to be a featured contest at the Robotics Competition (under work cells) next year. Remember, we appreciate all your past generosity but we still need your help in many areas. We need your time, experience and your resources. If you are interested in helping as a donor or a volunteer, please contact Carrie Tatman Schwartz, our Secretary at FPEF by e-mail at Carrie Tatman Schwartz or by phone at 414-778-3364 So how do we top a very successful year? What's on tap for 2000 and beyond? Here's just a sampling of our plans and goals.

Short Term - Continue our estate-planning initiative for the benefit of fluid power education. Foster the relationship with FIRST, since our common goal is to strengthen engineering and technology for young people. At least one more new Key School. An expanded module program combining our simple pneumatic module with electronic components that will permit true experimentation with fluid power automation. This will present teachers who participate in FIRST an easy and inexpensive way to continue the excitement. Expand the WEB site's functionality and benefits. Expanded Key School visits with emphasis on the entering student scholarship program.

Longer Term - Continuation of the broader industry initiative that we began ltwo years ago. All the groups in our industry acknowledge that the health and growth of fluid power is everyone's job. Today's fluid power student is tomorrow's customer, employee or teacher - our future. Form long-lasting partnerships with educational companies like the one with LEGO® to simplify the process of bringing our message to the tens-of- thousands of technology teachers and the millions of students. These partnerships are the only way we have to reach this vast audience. Develop long-term industry and individual support for the financial planning that will help our industry.

I hope we have lived up to the trust and support shown by you, our contributors and supporters. I think we've demonstrated our ability to make the most out of a small staff and tight budget. We need you to help us again this year. Please be generous.