State Association Membership and our Friend Bobby G.

• February 11, 2019
• by Kim Letus
• Associations
• Articles

This article was written by Kim Letus, secretary of NYSPPSA, in memory of former NYSPPSA President Bob Gulinello, lovingly called "Bobby G."

I am the Secretary and current membership chair for New York State Professional Process Servers Association (NYSPPSA). Our association, as is the case with most state associations, is on a permanent and ongoing membership drive. We are constantly working at getting our message to process servers, agency owners, and those in professions that regularly work with and depend on process servers. As such, I recently decided to write an article touting the benefits of membership and the relevance of state association membership. I pulled out the membership committee file I’ve kept over the years, and came across an article written by Bob Gulinello years ago on this topic. What a terrific find! I thought, who better to get this message across than Bob Gulinello; so, instead of writing a whole new article, I decided to tell you about Bob Gulinello and use his article.

Bob Gulinello, or “Bobby G”, as he was affectionately called by us at NYSPPSA, was an icon in the process serving industry and a tribute to this profession. He was a member of NAPPS, a founding member of NYSPPSA, a past NYSPPSA president, and winner of the prestigious Robert Marcus Award. For a time, he wrote an ongoing column for NYSPPSA’s newsletter titled “Notes From My Car”. It was so entertaining, I always read it first every time I received the newsletter.

To know Bobby G was to adore him. He was congenial, helpful and had a warm manner and smile. His dedication to our profession was truly inspiring."

In recent years, we had seen less of Bobby G. We were delighted when he surprised us by attending a gathering the night before our board meeting last summer. We were all very happy to see him and catch up, but didn’t know at the time how truly special speaking with him that night would turn out to be. For me, it was the last time I would see Bobby G. Sadly, we lost him on October 11, 2018, the day before the commencement of our 2018 NYSPPSA Convention. The convention was dedicated to his memory. We at NYSPPSA will always miss him and feel honored to have known and worked with him.

This is his article, which I believe was written in or about 2009:

Why You Should Join State Associations

By: Bob Gulinello

Several people have asked me recently, "Why should I join a state association? After all, it costs $75.00 and that's a lot of money!" I reply by asking some questions of my own, such as: Do you consider yourself to be a professional? Has the process serving industry been good to you? What can you give back to the industry? Do you believe there's value in working with your peers to bring process serving to the level of respectability?

I believe that being part of professional associations brings additional credibility to you and your business. I enjoy being associated with some of the most educated and knowledgeable people in the industry. When I am seeking new business, I'm proud to tell potential clients that I’m a member of NYSPPSA and NAPPS. This provides me with a network of professionals all over the world. Our board members are elected to their unpaid positions by their peers because they care about the industry and our livelihoods.

Professional associations provide newsletters; hot lines that can provide answers concerning service of a particular type of process, web sites on the Internet, membership directories and many other benefits. Also, their members are by far the best the industry has to offer. It has happened that a good client called in with several rush services that needed to be handled at the same time.

The additional manpower I needed to complete the job was right at my fingertips in my state membership directory."

I was recently required to attend a traverse hearing. After my name, the first questions that were asked were, "Are you licensed and are you a member of any professional associations?” Being able to answer in the affirmative added to my credibility and distinguished myself as a professional who cares about his work.

You can certainly get along in this business by yourself. However, you are selling yourself short. Being part of the NYSPPSA has increased my business and I have made some good contacts and great friends. I am able to attend board meetings and brainstorm with representatives of large firms and small companies. We work long and hard to be successful, and the people I work with truly care about the future of the process serving industry. One or two services will cover the annual dues fee. Instead of looking at it as an exorbitant bill, it should be considered an investment in the future of your business. The sense of pride and accomplishment I have developed through my membership with the NYSPPSA can't be purchased at any price.

In closing, I want to say, thank you, Bobby G, for this article and for your years of dedication to our profession. Thank you for your contributions to NYSPPSA. Thank you for your stories in “Notes From My Car”. Thank you for your knowledge, your warmth, your smile and your friendship. We will never forget you.