What is IPaWGS?

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What is IPaWGS?

President: Northern Illinois IPaWGS

10-12-08

IPaWGS stands for International Pond and Water Garden Society. It is the hobbyist branch of the IPPCA (International Professional Pond Companies Association). Its primary purpose is to provide hobbyists a social, educational and informational gathering venue backed by industry professionals while a portion of their annual dues goes to support the IPPCA and its Legislative Action Team (LAT).

The brief but to the point mission statement of IPaWGS says it all: “To Promote, Protect and Advance the Pond, Water Garden and Fish Keeping Hobbies” This goes hand in hand with the core mission of the IPPCA which is: “To Promote, Protect and Advance the Pond and Waterscape Industry”. As the Pond and Waterscape industry is totally dependant on the “hobbyist and enthusiast” for its very existance, this developes a default synergistic relationship between the professional and consumer sides of the industry.

The first chapter of IPaWGS, the Northern Illinois IPaWGS, held their first meeting on September 24, 2008 at White Water Filters in Batavia, IL. Over 65 people attended. More than 30 “households” signed up as members at this meeting, many before they really knew what IPaWGS was all about. IPaWGS took its first step.

Some might say that was when it was born, but that would be incorrect. It finds its beginning about four years ago as a dream and vision of Dave Jones, founder of the IPPCA, who at that time had the IPPCA buy the domain name. It got put on the back burner because there were more pressing issues on the table, like getting the IPPCA going and maintaining his own business. Toward the end of July of this year, 2008, I was talking to Dave and as can sometime happen with conversations with Dave, we got off the subject of the reason for the call. I told Dave that the IPPCA needed a hobbyist branch to support the LAT and IPPCA overall.

That is when he told me of his 4 year old dream and vision for IPaWGS. Dave told me flat out he didn’t have the time to do it all, but if I wanted to take it and run with it, he’d somehow find the time to help me with the details. A couple of days later I told Dave that I would like to move forward with IPaWGS. In the next month and a half after that statement, Dave and I roughed out what IPaWGS would be, setup a website, and had the first meeting of a chapter of IPaWGS.

With this first meeting, several important things happened. First, hobbyists with a hunger for pond straight talk got a informational and educational venue and social gathering hosted by an industry professional. Secondly, the IPPCA became stronger and more capable of fulfilling its mission statement. Last but not least, the Pond and Waterscape Industry as well as the Pond, Water Garden and Fish Keeping hobbies got a little safer. Everyone wins.

Naturally, there were other people involved in helping to get IPaWGS off the ground and they all have my many thanks. But I would like to extend a special thanks to the new Secretary/Treasurer of the IPaWGS Executive Committee, Gloria Jones. As if she didn’t have enough on her plate, she made the mistake of agreeing to be our Secretary/Treasurer for the executive branch of IPaWGS.

Mike White