December 7, 2004

 

Dear Search and Rescue Colleagues:

 

In an effort to keep the membership informed of the latest updates, I have asked the Staff to post notice of an important change taking place at NASAR headquarters.  This decision has not been made hastily; in fact, it has actually been discussed for several years.  

 

Effective January 2005, we will begin our transition to a virtual office.  The cost of maintaining an office in the Washington, D.C. area is an overwhelming burden upon our organization’s budget.  Rather than increasing our prices to offset the ever-increasing expense, the Board of Directors has voted to allow remaining Headquarters staff to begin working from home.  As you may know, we’ve employed the concept of a virtual office for years in various forms.

 

NASAR will continue to be a Virginia corporation; however, staff may be located around the nation, which is nothing new.  The bookstore and server will still be located in Virginia, but housed at a location with a much lower cost.   While we all would like to have a “store front”, we rarely have walk-in customers or visitors, other than the UPS driver!  And from a staffing perspective, it does not make sense to relocate the Headquarters to another part of the country.

 

It is our hope with the use of technology; this transition will be as seamless as possible.  Staff will remain available by telephone, to answer your questions and take your bookstore orders.  However, we strongly encourage the use of the website and email whenever possible.

 

I ask for your support as we go through this process.  It is the hope of the Board of Directors and staff that this change will allow us to better serve you….the search and rescue professional…”that others may live”.

 

Sincerely,

President