January February 2018

The Signal | January/February 2018 5 Government Relations For first-time participants or potential participant, Bradley said he would advise them to not be intimidated and keep in mind that “elected representatives want to hear from their constituents.” Alsabrook said it’s important to relax and realize “legislators are people too.” “Most of them come from common busi- nesses and so forth so they can relate and they definitely can relate to you per- sonally,” Alsabrook said. “Even the young staff are very professional and very per- sonal. Don’t be disappointed if you’re meeting with a staff person rather than a congressperson because in the many years that I’ve done this, the people who were stafferswhen I startedhavebecome congresspersons in the last years.” It comes down to making a difference and being proactive about what the industry needs, Alsabrook said. Not every first-time participant of Fly-In will see an immediate response but that does not mean they didn’t make an impact. “If you choose to be cynical and sit back and allowother people tomake decisions on your behalf, you can do that but this experience has shown me that you can make a difference,” Alsabrook said. “Your voice can be heard if you do it respectfully and over time. Don’t expect an instant response the first year. As you build those relationships over the years you canmake a difference. You get phone calls back. You offer yourself as a resource in this industry and they do respond to that.” Bruemmer said themore time individuals invest in meeting with legislators, the more they will get back. “I’ve done the Fly-In the past seven years so it’s a little bit of attrition factor. They’re approached by so many different orga- nizations that it’s tough for them to put faces and names together. It kind of has to be a repetitive deal so they understand you’re investing your time in getting in front of them and it’s important to you,” Bruemmer said. “It’s just as important for them to hear your voice as it is for you to be in front of them. You’re trying to drive the industry and drive the nation as a whole by being a proponent of safer roads. I think they really latch on to that. It’s an easy message for them to sell that, yes, we want to make our roads safer.” Marketing and Regional Sales Manager, Cecil Brown, provides commentary at last year’s Fly-In. (From left to right) ATSSA President and CEO, Roger Wentz, ATSSA Chair, Debra Ricker, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations, Nate Smith, and ATSSA Board Member, Henry Ross attended the 2017 Fly-In. (From left to right) National Capital Industries Inside Sales Representative, Patrick Wilson; Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), and National Capital Industries Chief of Administrative Services, Robert Mahar, met outside Rep. Brown’s office. (From left to right) Pexco Vice President of Sales, Peter Speer, ATSSA President and CEO, Roger Wentz, ATSSA Vice President of Government Relations, Nate Smith, D2K Traffic Vice President, Devvon Holst, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), D2K Traffic Executive Chairman, Kathi Holst, Century Engineering Traffic Operations Engineer, Bret Martine, P.E., and Pexco Technical Sales and Design Engineer, Craig Schulz gathered outside of Sen. Carper’s office after meeting.