General New Member Guidelines
Keeping our membership at a high level of professionalism helps continue PTBA’s excellent reputation—and ensures that you look more professional by being a member. PTBA members include professional trail specialists across the United States and Canada, and we’re actively seeking new trail contractor members.
Membership in PTBA is regulated according to its bylaws and policies. Prospective members are required to demonstrate compliance with all relevant portions of the bylaws, as well as the latest adopted policies relating to ethics, conflicts of interest, and continuing education.
The relevant portions of the bylaws are as follows:
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ARTICLE TWO – MEMBERS
Section 1. Classes of Members. Membership in the Association is annual and must be renewed not later than the business meeting of the Members at the next Annual Meeting.
A. Full Members. The Association will accept as a Full Member any legal business entity generating income from trail design, trail construction or related activities. To be considered for Full Membership, applicants must fulfill all requirements as set forth in the New Member Qualification Process guidelines, and fully comply with the Association’s adopted Conflict of Interest Policy. Business entities in which government employees have any ownership interest are not eligible for membership in the Association. This includes only those employed by government entities which are involved in trail management, construction, maintenance, design or planning, and does not include government entities which have no involvement with trails.
B. Associate Members. The Association will accept Associate Members, on a probationary basis, for up to two years. Associate Members must pay full Membership dues each year, and in return will receive limited Membership benefits as determined by the Board of Directors. Associate Membership is available to applicants who have not fulfilled all requirements necessary to be accepted as Full Members. To obtain full Membership, Associate Members must be represented in person at the Annual Meeting, at which time a vote may be taken by the Association to allow an Associate Member to become a Full Member. Acceptance as a Full Member is contingent upon proof of compliance with the prerequisites as described in subsection A of this section, plus any additional experience or other requirements as set forth at the time Associate Membership status was granted. Failure to adequately comply with the requirements for Full Membership within two years from the time Associate Membership was granted will result in the Associate Member being dropped from Membership entirely. |
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As noted above, in addition to compliance with the bylaws, prospective members are required to comply with all PTBA policies which affect membership. As of this time, PTBA has adopted a Conflict of Interest policy, but final Ethics and Continuing Education policies are still under development. The Board of Directors may, at its discretion, adopt other policies which affect prospective members. At the time of adoption, such policies will be listed on this page, with links provided to the full text.
Specific New Member Criteria
Applicants must comply with all specific new member criteria in order to be considered for membership at any level. As befits a professional trade organization, significant importance will be given to demonstrated experience/ability, as well as to overall professionalism. New members are expected to not only be skilled with trails, but also to comport themselves and run their companies as fair, honest, and ethical contractors and businesspeople.
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Form of Business |
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The applicant must be the owner or legal representative of an entity which is generating income from trails. |
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A significant amount of the applicant's work in that business must be in trail planning, design, construction, maintenance, or related activities (i.e.GIS work related to trails). |
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Any form of business is acceptable, but it must be legally created, and the applicant company must be properly licensed and insured as required by the type of work it does, and as required by the jurisdiction where the business is based. |
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Professionalism |
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All PTBA members are expected to be honest, ethical, and avoid conflicts of interest in their business dealings. |
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Applicants must have a demonstrated history of fair dealing and integrity in the trail industry. |
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In order to proactively prevent a potential conflict of interest, no owner, partner or shareholder in an applicant business may concurrently be a government employee with an agency which is involved in trail managment. (See bylaws for complete details.) |
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Experience |
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The applicant must demonstrate competence in the basics of the trail specialty(ies) in which the company is working. In particular, the applicant must possess not only a working knowledge, but have shown the ability to translate that knowledge into finished projects. |
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The applicant must have a demonstrated ability to bid and manage contracts, and to satisfactorily complete projects. |
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The applicant business must have been formed and active for at least one year prior to the date of application. |
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The applicant must have had three years of professional trail experience before being considered for full membership. |
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Along with the application form each applicant must attach a minimum of two (2) reference letters from previous clients. |
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Sponsor |
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Each new member applicant must be sponsored by an existing member. The sponsor must have been a full member in good standing for at least two years prior to the date of application. * |
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The sponsor must be familiar with the work of the applicant. Specifically, the sponsor must have actually seen and reviewed the applicant's work in its final form. Ideally, the sponsor will also have seen at least one of the applicant's projects while in progress, in order to observe the applicant's expertise and professionalism while on the job. Preferably, the sponsor will also have worked directly with the applicant on at least one project. |
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The applicant should seek out a sponsor that is in a related trail expertise. For example a GIS applicant should have a GIS focused member as a sponsor. |
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The sponsor will be expected to introduce the applicant at the annual meeting, and describe his/her observations and opinions of the applicant's work. |
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Attendance at Annual Meeting |
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The applicant should have attended at least one (1) PTBA conference prior the applying for membership. |
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In order to be considered for membership, the applicant and sponsor must attend the annual meeting, make a brief presentation (outlining compliance with the criteria listed above), and be prepared to answer questions. |
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A vote of the membership on each prospective member candidate will be taken during the annual meeting. The applicant will be notified of the outcome of that vote immediately after the meeting. |
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Not all applicants are accepted. If an application is rejected, the sponsor will explain any areas of deficiency as expressed by the membership. Prospective members may then reapply at the next annual meeting. |
* If you do not have a sponsor, find a current member in your area by checking out the Members by Location page.
Application procedure—deadline is January 30 of any given year
First, please fill in and submit the form below. If you’re serious about joining, fill in the entire form completely. If at this time you’re curious and want to know more and/or you don’t have a sponsor, fill in your contact info and provide at least some info as to your experience, mention that you’re looking for information, and someone will get back to you shortly. You can also contact any PTBA member or officer by phone for more information (see Members by Location page), but please be aware that many of them, being trail contractors themselves, are often in the field during the construction season.
Because new members need to be approved by the membership, prospective members need to attend the PTBA Business Meeting which begins the Sustainable Trails Conference (see conference info). The next Business Meeting is March 15 & 16, 2011. This is currently the only time of year at which new members can be accepted.
At the Business Meeting, please be prepared to make a brief (five-minute) presentation to the membership in which you present your qualifications based on the New Member Qualifications listed above. A resume, photographs or slides of your projects, references, or other documentation will be useful. Members will then vote whether or not to accept you as a member.
Since the Business Meeting is part of the Sustainable Trails Conference, you should also register for the conference. Register as a non-member. If you are accepted as a member, we’ll charge you for your annual membership fee but credit you for the substantial difference between the member and non-member conference registration fees. Whether or not you are accepted as a member, please enjoy the conference.
Membership Dues
PTBA membership dues are currently $200 per year regardless of your number of employees. Membership runs from one calendar year to the next and must be renewed by the beginning of the annual conference.
We look forward to hearing from you. |
