2009

2008 ………..A YEAR OF CHANGE, A YEAR OF GROWTH

Never in recent memory has any single year brought more change to the landscape of the SSI Worldwide Family than 2008. Many of the changes have been subtle ones that you may not have noticed, but none-the-less important on the market impact SSI now enjoys and the growth potential we can look forward to. There's never been a more exciting time to be a part of SSI's History, so let's look back at what's been happening, and then we will look forward to what's just around the corner!

New Owners: After more than 38 years at the helm of SSI, the Clark Family has retired and passed the torch onto a new group of industry professionals. Robert Stoss (Manager Scubapro and Seemann Sub, owner of SSI Germany) and Doug McNeese (former owner of NASDS and current SSI CEO) partnered to purchase SSI this past spring. Both being icons in the Dive industry for years, they have the experience, insight and enthusiasm to place SSI at the top of the market, and having actually taught and worked in the real world of scuba, they know that driving divers and students into your stores, boats and classrooms is the best way SSI can thank you for your continued support. Now more than ever we are committed to making your success the example that makes Dive Operators, Retailers, Instructors and Divers choose SSI for all their business support and training needs!

New Headquarters: The SSI European Service Center in Germany now shares operational duties with SSI USA in Colorado. SSI Latin America works with both offices to bring you the best prices and most up-to-date SSI materials in over 16 languages.

New Logo: The logo you see on this letterhead is now the new "Official SSI Logo", reflecting our global presence in the Dive Industry! You will be able to download the new logo from www.divessi.com for all your printing needs.

New Programs: Many SSI Courses and Programs are being over-hauled and modernized to meet the needs of the global markets we serve. Watch for new levels of certifications that make learning to dive and continuing your diving career easier and more rewarding! SSI is launching a new FREE Online Diver Training Program aimed at capturing the attention of potential students and driving them into your classrooms for completion of training. In keeping with our philosophy that SSI Students are your clients, not ours, the entire goal of the Free Online Diver Training is to drive those clients into your store! The program will be test marketed in the US for a year and should be available world-wide in 2010, so stay tuned!! The OWD Course is the first online program to be launched, but be sure that others will follow!

New Standards: SSI Training and Dealer Standards will see some bold and exciting changes that will meet the needs of a global market while still insuring top quality diver training. There will be new levels of Dive Center Membership introduced, and new levels of Dive Leader Membership that can be achieved. The new SSI Standards will be announced at DEMA and will go into effect on 1/1/2009, so be sure to download them as soon as they are available.

New Specialties: Those of you who are using ODiN will have already noticed a host of new SSI Specialty Courses that are now available in our market, and more are being introduced and translated every month. Each are geared towards promoting and sustaining continued interest in diving, keeping your boats and classrooms full and creating safe and competent SSI Divers! You will find a list of newly available or newly translated materials to follow!

New Cards: Watch for a new look for Dive Leader Cards, which are being re-designed for a more global appearance. Diver cards printed through ODiN will also be changing in the coming months as well. One of the most notable differences being that the AOWD and AOWI cards will no longer bear the 4 SSI Specialties that were achieved to qualify for that rating, and will be used primarily as a Recognition Level card. SSI Specialty Course (1) and SSI Specialty Diver (2) (or Instructor) cards will show proof of training in each of the Specialty ratings achieved. We've also introduced Custom Recognition Cards! Divers love cards and recognition of accomplishment, so now you can issue non-certification cards for special events such as "Beach Cleanup" or "Dive Club Member". These card options are already in ODiN and we will have the cards in stock soon. In other big news, SSI is now offering the option to print your own student certification cards! With a small investment for a card printer and supplies, you can have the luxury and convenience of handing your students their permanent SSI Diver C-Card the moment they finish their class! Think about the customer service advantage this will give you over your competitors! This is just another way SSI is seeking to give you, our Dealers and Members, the competitive edge in your markets!

New Dive Leader Processing Guidelines: Photos will no longer be a required item in all Dive Leader Training Folders submitted for process. Once we receive the Training Record and verify its complete contents, we will enter the Dive Leader's details into the ODiN system and send an email to the Dive Leader instructing them to log in and upload their own photos, as well as update their personal data. *Please note: We will not be able to print or issue cards until the candidate has uploaded their photo, so please make a point to your candidates that their personal email address must be provided and it must be clearly written or typed, and that they should look for the email alerting them to upload the photo.

Renewal News and Special Offer: Because we want each of our members to be a part of SSI's dramatic image change, and to reflect those changes on a personal level, we will not be issuing Dive Leader Renewal Stickers this year. Instead, every Professional Renewal Application received before 12/31/2008 will receive a New and Improved Dive Leader C-card free of charge!! At the completion of Renewal Process, you will be directed to ODiN to upload your photo and dive profile so that we can print your new card. *Please note that if you fail to update your profile and photo, we cannot print your card and your Renewal Status will be delayed. Renewals received after 12/31 will be subject to late fees and will be billed for the new card at a reduced rate of $18.00.

New Website: Most of you have already explored the new global SSI Website www.divessi.com. Translations continue and the site continues to evolve and become a more and more useful tool for your business, clients and Instructors. If you have not already done so, we encourage you to update your Dealer and Instructor profiles to take full advantage of all the site offers. Getting all Dealer Logos and Dive Leader photos uploaded to the site is a major goal for us, so please help us by logging into your personal area of the site today! Explore and learn how to track your student's progress and certifications, send birthday greetings to clients, announce upcoming courses or events, post job availability or resumes, download useful forms and digital copies of Instructor Guidelines and verify Diver Certification Status 24 hours a day. We hope to have all SSI Diver history loaded into the system soon. This powerful new tool is just another example of SSI's renewed commitment to giving our Dealers and Dive Leaders the competitive edge they need to be successful in the business of diving!

New Direction: With all the new and exciting changes at SSI this year, one of the most celebrated and anticipated is the new change in direction our company will take in developing partnerships with Dive Centers and Dive Professionals around the world. Our goal is to nurture and support our members so that they enjoy success in their markets, and to grow the SSI Family of Dive Centers and Dive Leaders around the world so that the SSI brand and reputation for quality training and service bring more students and divers into your stores, resorts and classrooms. It's an exciting time to be part of SSI History, and we owe our history to you………….the Dive Professionals that make SSI a leader in the dive industry.

With all this exciting news to bring, we also need to remind you that its time to renew your Dealer Membership by reading and signing the "2009 SSI Authorized Dealer Agreement". This is a great opportunity to review and assess the accomplishment of this "Agreement" for both SSI Latin America and for you, as an SSI Authorized Dealer. When you read, complete, and sign this SSI Authorized Dealer Agreement, you do so with the understanding and agreement that your role as an SSI Authorized Dealer is to Market, Promote and Sell SSI Educational Materials, and also to use and apply the SSI Educational System in it's entirety, which includes: SSI Training Records, SSI Manuals, SSI Videos, SSI DVDs, the SSI Total DiveLog System, and to issue SSI Certifications. SSI performs annual audits to evaluate the performance of SSI Dealers in order to assure that the SSI Dealer Agreement is fulfilled as intended.

If for any reason you do not agree with or understand the SSI Authorized Dealer Agreement, please do not sign it! Please call us to discuss it and together we can look to maximize our mutual benefits. However, if you are in agreement, please complete, sign and return it to us as soon as possible in order to avoid interruption of your membership as an SSI Authorized Dealer.

Click here to sign your Dealer Agreement