January 2023 Newsletter
SPSP PREPARING FOR ROUND OF ICPHSO ACTIVITIES IN ORLANDO
Stakeholders, alumni, prospects for our new programs, and reconnecting with friends and colleagues... This will be at the heart of SPSP’s multi-level activities planned for the annual ICPHSO Symposium being held February 20-23 in Orlando, Florida. Under the leadership of SPSP President Shelia Gottschalk (CPSP), (left), all Board Members have pitched in to assist with various tasks to make the Symposium a success. The round of activities includes:
>Feb. 20, 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Annual SPSP Stakeholder event in the Windsong 3,4 Room at the Hyatt Grand Cypress. President Gottschalk will open the stakeholder meeting by recognizing the 2022 class of Certified Product Safety Professionals™, who earned their designations in the 2022 professional certification program. The designees include Erin Bradly (CPSP), Supervisor, Product Safety and Recall, Costco Wholesale Corp.; James Choi (CPSP), Senior Manager, Product Compliance, 5.11 Tactical; Chris Guldbrandsen (CPSP), Director of Compliance and Quality, Jool Baby. Following this presentation, there will be a report on SPSP’s activities and progress. In addition, Shelia will introduce the new SPSP Board members, and discuss some of the highlights and special programs that were suggested by stakeholders in various surveys.
>Feb. 20, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Our Annual Reception for graduates, instructors, and supporters of SPSP/ADK product safety management courses will be held in the LaCoquina Room off the main Lobby. Catch up with old friends and meet new friends. This is a networking event that everyone enjoys.
>Feb. 20-23, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Visit the SPSP/ADK Exhibit Booth and catch up on the latest product safety education happenings. Help salute our new university partners for 2023: Virginia Tech (offering the 2023 Consumer Product Safety Professional Certification Program), University of Michigan’s Center for Occupational Health and Environmental Safety (Product Safety Leadership Foundations), and the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Business Administration (Advanced Product Safety Leadership in Practice: Crisis Management). Visit with friends, alumni, and instructors.
PREPARING FOR VISITORS...BEHIND THE SCENES
It was a fortunate circumstance that SPSP Board Member Kristin Cordz (CPSP) got involved in setting up the SPSP/ADK exhibit booth at ICPHSO’s 2023 Annual Symposium. In this case this Certified Product Safety Professional™ (2019) possessed precisely the skills that were called upon:
1) setting strategy,
2) implementing the strategy, and
3) recruiting an informed group to carry out the mission.
On the strategy front, with the full support of the SPSP Board, determined that this would be a good year to develop a new format, refreshing what has been done in past years. This included creating new welcome posters, design new flyers for each of the major programs offered this year and keeping the information simple and easy-to-follow.
She explains her thought process: “We want our ICPHSO prospects to have plain, accurate information to take back to their company and make it easier for their boss to say “yes” to the request to attend an SPSP/ADK program.” Individual posters highlighting SPSP and ADK have been designed. A third poster features the logos of our new university partners so that people passing the booth may be encouraged to ask for more information about what programs were planned for our partners’ institutions: Virginia Tech, University of Michigan’s Center for Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, and the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Business Administration’s Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Research Institute.
Kristin, who is Vice President of Market Actives, LLC-The Bitrex® Experts, feels that SPSP’s new look is appropriate and consistent with ICPHSO’s own updating its “look” on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. Fittingly, Kristin’s natural leadership has led her to also be a member of ICPHSO’s Board of Directors.
So be sure to stop by our booth at ICPHSO Feb 20-23 to check out the new materials!
SPSP DRIVES AWARENESS OF PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
From national news releases issued in the Washington DC area, to Linked In postings and reposting reaching hundreds of product safety professionals, SPSP and ADK are promoting the certification program offered by Virginia Tech (VT) in Arlington, VA. The program is the same as it has been over the past sixth years. What has changed is the venue near federal safety agencies and Congress. The visibility in the Washington D. C. area will add stature for to the certification program, which also benefits from being located near government agencies and prestigious universities.
“In the latest news event, we’re pleased to announce that CPSC Commissioner Mary T. Boyle will deliver the opening keynote talk to the new certification class,” said SPSP President Shelia Gottschalk.
Along with its education partner, ADK Information Services, SPSP is focused on the importance of our inaugural program in the nation’s capital region, the 2023 Consumer Product Safety Professional Certification Program.
The program will be the first one we will convene on a university campus since the start of the Pandemic in 2020. The opening workshop for the program takes place March 22 & 23 at the state-of-the-art VT Research Center in Arlington.
“All of our leadership is engaged in promoting the Certification Program as well as the upcoming ICPHSO conference taking place February 20-23 in Orlando, Florida (see headline story in the newsletter). We’re getting ready to launch recruitment for our University of Michigan program which starts June 20 and our other professional development courses and webinars’” says President Gottschalk.
Interested individuals can apply for admission to the course by completing an application at the registration site. Candidates for the Professional Certification program are required to meet the following criteria: Possess at least 10 years of consumer product safety work experience or 7 years of experience accompanied by a related bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Eligible candidates include individuals who work in the private sector including consumer product manufacturers, retailers, sellers, importers, industry associations, or supply chain companies. The program also serves those who are expert consultants to other companies. consumer product manufacturers, retailers, sellers and importers, or supply chain companies.
Typical backgrounds include engineers with design, liability, reliability, and safety focus, as well as attorneys practicing product liability, test lab technical specialists, and consultants in a variety of disciplines.
NEW EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT ATTRACTS CERTIFICATION PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
A $1,000 tuition reduction of the certification program is drawing attention and registrations. The tuition fee for the program is $5,400. The allowance for early registration will reduce the final tuition to $4,400 for those who are paid members of SPSP. The $1,000 offer expires on February 7 at midnight. Candidates must pay an application fee of $175 to cover various validation services required by the program. Because of the interest shown with this new policy, it will be offered in our other product safety management courses this year. The savings is significant (between 15 and 20% depending on the program), and it will guarantee a place in the program.
JOIN SPSP
Hundreds of product safety professionals are stakeholders in the work of SPSP. They attend our webinars, download articles and papers from our website, and read our newsletters. All these activities require financial support. Is it your time to formally join SPSP as a paid member?
Please consider signing up for membership at this link. Then decide to join SPSP!