On April 16, 1985, Bonnie McGarr, Executive Director of PMI, signed a Chapter Formation Agreement with John Hahn, designating him a PMI Chapter Sponsor for the purpose of forming a local PMI Chapter in Rochester, NY. This document formalized an effort by a core group of people to build on their experience of attending meetings of the Upstate New York Chapter in Syracuse, and the dynamically growing interest in project management.
A small group of 1985 Interim Officers dedicated a huge organizational effort to meet the requirements for establishing the chapter. They were:
President: Randy Bakel, Director of Project Management, Eastman Kodak
VP Membership: Ed Winterkorn, Industrial Engineer, Eastman Kodak
VP Programs: Bill Hosley, Engineering Associate, Eastman Kodak
VP Finance: Les Cole, Director of Management Services Div.,Eastman Kodak
VP Communications: John Hahn, Unit Director International, Eastman Kodak
The first formal meeting of the Chapter was held September 12, 1985, at the Royal Scot Restaurant, East Ridge Road, in Irondequoit. There were about 60 people in attendance, including Bonnie McGarr, the Executive Director of PMI. There was a very detailed agenda that included approval of the Chapter’s Constitution. The featured speaker was Chuck Trowbridge, Kodak VP of Copy Products. His topic was “Individual Leadership in Project Management”.
Prior to this meeting Chapter membership was promoted with a $2 Chapter membership fee. Approximately 50 members were solicited this first year and were called: “founding members”. Although the membership was primarily Kodak employees, there were members from Xerox, Taylor Instrument, Fluor, ATSI, RG&E, Corning Glass Works, Sear-Brown, Westinghouse, RIT, and Niagara Mohawk.
The Rochester Engineering Society magazine, featured an article about the Chapter’s formation in their June, 1985 edition. The Chapter’s first meeting was then advertised in their September magazine. We’ve had a relationship with RES from the start and continue that relationship today.
Interestingly, the second Chapter meeting was held October 24, 1985. Bob Ball, Bill Hosley, John Malach, and Ed Winterkorn reported on their attendance at the October 7th-9th, National PMI Conference in Denver, Colorado. The topic of the seminar was: “A Focus on Excellence”. It’s obvious that interest in project management was growing rapidly in Rochester.
Per the newly approved Constitution, in 1986, the Board members were expanded to include VP of Publicity (John Malach), and VP of Education (Bob Wilferth). In addition, the first Chapter newsletters were published with Linda Balducci as editor.