Message from MOTN President, Harlan Doliner

February, 2010 

Dear MOTN Members and Friends, 

2010 is shaping up to be an active, exciting year for MOTN. With the unbroken, dedicated support of our terrific board of directors and our devoted members, Vice-President Marianne Molchan and I eagerly look forward to continuing 2009’s major initiatives while undertaking some new endeavors. 

For 2010, MOTN’s focus is boosting the value of membership. We intend to do this by 

• Increasing MOTN’s visibility - and that of our member companies - in the marine industry; 

• Providing useful opportunities in networking, interaction with government and other users of our products and services; and 

• Taking a leadership position in important issues in which marine technologies can make vital contributions. 

For example MOTN, represented by Mike Mathewson of McLane Research labs and Maggie Merrill of Marine Marketing Services will continue to make our views known at the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership Coastal Zone Management as the newly-finalized Ocean Management Plan is implemented. MOTN is only one of many stakeholder organizations following this groundbreaking policy formation. See, http://www.massoceanpartnership.org . 

Immediate Past President Cheryl Zimmerman of Farsounder will continue to represent MOTN on the NERACOOS board for Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, as that board allocates NOAA funding to entities in our region for ocean observing and product development. See, http://www.neracoos.org/ 

For those of you who participate in LinkedIn, we’ve created the MOTN Members and Friends Group, as an additional, convenient way to keep in touch with each other and quickly disseminate information. For now, membership in that group is open to anyone with a legitimate connection to the marine community. 

We are reaching out to select academic, governmental and research institutions, strengthening existing relationships and forging new connections to foster opportunities for our members in off-shore energy projects and the expected resurgence in short-sea shipping, all in the name of 
bringing MOTN members closer to these emerging markets. 

On February 17, MOTN stalwarts Maggie Merrill (Marine Marketing Services), Steve Withrow Trinity Consulting) and Justin Manly (Marine Technology Society) will conduct a webinar for U.S. Department of Commerce field agents, briefing them on the basics of the marine science 
and technology industry. 

On March 4, we will be holding our first general meeting and networking session of the year at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI). Hold the date, and watch this space for further details. 

On May 24, 25, and 26, MOTN will be taking a high-visibility role at OTE, the international Ocean Tech Expo to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, including opportunities for our member companies to showcase their products and services for potential customers and partners from around the world. Plan on being at this important conference. 

Finally, your member renewal invoices are being sent out along with a hard copy of this letter. Please be sure to pass those along to the appropriate person at your organization to ensure timely payment. 

As always, your opinion is important. Please let me know activities and endeavor you would like MOTN to pursue. You can contact me anytime at hdoliner@verrilldana.com with any questions, concerns or ideas. 

All the best, 
Harlan