Lisa Parry Becker, chair of the Applied Systems Client Network (ASCnet), the user group of Applied Systems insurance agency management software, has announced the association will relocate by year-end 2010 to the Chicago area.
Prior to the move, ASCnet will hire a permanent CEO to succeed interim CEO Rick Morgan, according to Parry Becker. ASCnet intends to have the permanent CEO in place by June 1, she added.
The association has made the Orlando, Fla., area its home since the mid-1980s. In a letter to members, Parry Becker said the move is part of a multiyear effort to centralize ASCnet’s activities throughout North America as well as sharpen the group’s value to members.
“The very nature of how volunteers and members interact in associations is changing,” she says. “New generations of members have new expectations for how communications, education, and services are delivered. Every association, including ASCnet, must evolve to meet those demands.”
Most ASCnet leaders must travel greater distances to get to Florida, resulting in higher governance costs, Parry Becker said. Locating to the Chicago area means the association can centrally locate leadership and training conferences. Parry Becker said ASCnet’s relocation also brings it closer to a key stakeholder, Applied Systems, also based in the Chicago area.
“ASCnet is first and foremost a user group of Applied Systems’ software platform and products,” she says. “For 25 years, we have worked hand in hand to solve industry issues, and our core mission remains to enhance our members’ value and profitability through education, effective use of technology, and advocacy.”