NEWS - June 2003

Titles:

President's Letter

These days we're all thinking about graduations, the kids' activities for the summer, and our vacations. It's easy to put professional development on hold this time of year, but we must keep the education of our employees, our customers and ourselves on the forefront. Rest assured, the League is continuing to make education a priority.  

The Education Committee has been charged with a huge task - provide quality education, at a reasonable price, in an interesting format, at a time and place that is convenient for everyone. Sound impossible? Well our Education Committee, headed up by Paul Kemp, is making every effort to do just that. 

The committee has been working diligently to develop educational opportunities for our employees, our customers and us that meet all of our needs. They've come up with some new ideas, while making adjustments to our traditional classes. Keep an eye on this committee and the work they're doing. I know you'll be impressed.

Joe Privitera,
President

  Electric League September Barn Party

You're invited to something a little different from the normal Electric League luncheon - a barn party! The party will be held Friday, Sept. 19 at the Privitera Ranch near Topeka, Kan. Members and invited guests will gather at 11:30 a.m. for networking and socializing. Special thanks to our chef, Kevin O'Neill. In addition to the $10 charge, members are asked to bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to the Topeka Rescue Mission. Prospective members will be charged $5 plus the non-perishable food item. The League is asking for your help. We need names of people you'd like to invite to the party, especially those people you think would like to learn what the Electric League can do for its members. Please send the names and addresses, by June 16, to Laura Simmons at the EL office at lsimmons@westernassn.com or call Laura at 816-561-5323.  

Mark your calendar for Friday, September 19 to attend the Electric League Barn Party at the Privitera Ranch. Watch your upcoming newsletters for more details about this fun event!

Tom Glavinich, P.E. to Speak at Next Electric League Luncheon

The next Electric League luncheon will feature the return of a very popular topic - the voice/data/video market. The June Electric League luncheon is scheduled for Friday, June 27, at the Holiday Inn in Mission, Kan. Our speaker will be Thomas Glavinich, D.E., P.E., from the University of Kansas. Tom is Chairman and Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering at KU. During his presentation he will discuss future trends and opportunities in the voice/data/video market. He will identify the challenges that accompany these trends and suggest strategies for capitalizing on these opportunities and overcoming the challenges.  

Mark your calendar for Friday, June 27 to attend the Electric League luncheon in Mission. A luncheon reservation form is included with this newsletter. See you at the luncheon!

  Annual Lighting Awards Competition - Call For Entries

Has your company worked on a unique lighting project this year? If so, consider entering that project in the annual Electric League Lighting Awards competition. Now in its 35th year - the Lighting Awards competition is the longest running event for the League! Many of the most notable places in the Kansas City area have been entered into the competition over the years. Some of these area landmarks include: The Country Club Plaza, Starlight Theatre, The Kansas City Zoo, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Commerce Bank.  

The competition is open to all commercial lighting projects completed in the past year. A Lighting Awards Banquet will be held in November at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Mo. A Lighting Awards Competition entry form is included with this newsletter. 

Be sure to return your Lighting Awards Competition Entry Form to the League office along with your $40 project entry fee by Wednesday, July 30.

  Welcome New Members

   Identity Theft: Don't Be a Victim - Part II

Last month's newsletter described the nature of identity theft and some of the ways in which it is perpetuated and included some tips to help prevent it. Here are some additional steps you can take:

Be Skeptical In Providing Personal Information
Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're dealing with. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet providers, and even government agencies to get you to reveal your Social Security number (SSN), mother's maiden name, account numbers, and other identifying information. Before you share any personal information, confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate organization.

Guard Your Mail and Trash From Theft
Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and cannot pick up your mail, contact your local post office to request a vacation hold. They will hold your mail until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.

To thwart an identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins to capture your personal information, tear or shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail.

Carry only the identification information and the credit and debit cards that you'll actually need.

Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks. Be wary of promotional scams. Identity thieves may use phony offers to get you to give them your personal information.

Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work. Don't carry your SSN card; leave it in a secure place.

Take Special Care With Your Social Security Number
Your employer and financial institution need your SSN for wage and tax reporting purposes. Other businesses may ask for your SSN to do a credit check when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utilities.

Sometimes, however, they simply want your SSN for general recordkeeping. You don't have to give a business your SSN just because they ask for it. If someone asks for your SSN, ask the following questions:

Sometimes a business may not provide you with the service or benefit you're seeking if you don't provide your SSN, but remember - the decision is yours.

Tips for Computer Security
Do not download files sent to you by strangers or click on hyperlinks from people you don't know.

Install a virus detection program, and update it regularly.

Use a firewall program, especially if you use a high-speed Internet connection like cable, DSL, or T-1, which leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.

When submitting information during an online transaction, look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar to be sure your information is secure during transmission.

Try not to store financial information on your laptop unless absolutely necessary. If you do, use a strong password. Don't use an automatic log-in feature which saves your user name and password. And always log off when you're finished. That way, if your laptop gets stolen, it's harder for the thief to access your personal information.

Before you dispose of a computer, delete personal information. Deleting files using a keyboard or mouse commands may not be enough because the files may stay on the computer's hard drive, where they may be easily retrieved. Use a "wipe" utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive, which makes the files unrecoverable.

Source: The CPA Client Bulletin, April 2003

The People Column

Let's all give Pam Johnson (C&O) a great big Happy Birthday on June 24th - it's the double nickel!!! A fond farewell to Anita Parks (Crescent/Missouri Valley) who is leaving the industry to pursue a career as a Radiology Tech...good luck Anita, we'll miss your smiling face. 

Familiar Faces in New Places
Michael and Joyce Dennis (formerly of Crescent/Missouri Valley) are hanging their hats at French-Gerleman in Lenexa. Barb Quijas (formerly of CED/Rensenhouse and Wesco) is doing the same at Mark One.  

Keep your e-mails coming in - this is your column and we're here to print your news. Send your news to: peoplecolumn@electricleague.org

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