Spring Board Meeting

[Jeffrey R. Brashares]

Join the Buick Club of America, Board of Directors at our Spring Board Meeting. The meeting will be held Saturday, April 20, 2002, at 8:30am, at the AmeriSuites Hotel, Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, Indiana.<P>All are welcome!

[Guest]

Hi, Jeff,<BR>Thanks for the personal invitation!<BR>Judy and I will be there. Please have the decaff ready, and let the good times roll!<BR>Bob Leets

[John Frank]

Another meeting back east.<P>I sure would like the board to explain why they choose to totally ignore the entire country except for the northeast. Since I have been a member the national conventions have been in St. Louis, Boston, Columbus, Richmond and Buffalo with Kokomo and Flint coming up. That is seven straight years of not going west of the Mississippi and only once barely south of the Mason Dixon line.<P>BCA was founded in California. There are twice as many BCA members in California than in the next largest membership state, New York. Close to one sixth the entire BCA membership is in the state of California, yet the board feels it is appropriate to always hold it's national convention at least 1500 miles away.<P>I guess the present board never heard of Horace Greely.

[The Old Guy]

John,the major problem is getting a chapter to host the meet! You may be right about the number of members in California,but they do not seem to want a national strongly enough to bid for one. the Arizona group will be bidding on a national for 2004-2005, I hope and I would love to go to California for another national. The one in LA was decent ,and the Sacramento meet was excellent.

[John Frank]

I have heard this stuff about chapters out west not wanting to do it. When I talk to some in the chapters I am told "whats the point, they won't do it anyway." And there might be something to that as the board picked Kokomo, which is in the same neighborhood as the convention before and the convention after, over Tucson.<P>It is my understanding that a couple of the chapters and the national do not get on well. I say it is time for the Pres to get out to some of the Western chapters, patch things up and find out exactly why CA chapters don't bid and invite them specifically to do so.<P>The other course is to do a National without a chapter. There are professional companies that will set it up and make it work. And it doesn't have to be in CA, Reno and Vegas are great places to hold conventions. When one of the groups I am involved with goes to Reno we put on a marvelous evening in the auto museum there that is based on the famous Harrahs collection.<P>There are all sorts of ways to make it work if the board wants to have a national amongst it's largest group of members.

[Guest my3buicks]

Why is it then that with the largest membership being in the west, the west coast meets are historically the smallest and least attended? Membership and active membership are two different things.

[NTX5467]

Thanks, Jeff!<P>As stated, in the "on the road" BCA Board Meetings orientation, there has to be a host chapter for the meeting. A while back, there was a backlog of chapters on the books to host those meetings but that backlog has diminished in recent history. <P>Our North Texas Chapter has now hosted two of them. Fun and interesting and informative. Every chapter needs to do at least one if for no other reason to get to see everyone on the Board in person.<P>Similar with the national meets--there has to be a host chapter(s) to first make a bid to host the national meet. We did our first one in 1996 and are considering another one in the near future. Again, the Board has to have a bid to first consider before making a decision.<P>I concur it's high time there was another Western USA BCA National Meet, but AZ has been the most recent chapter to make a bid for that. As was stated in a previous discussion here, there was concern that it would not be well attended by the Eastern USA members, so Kokomo was chosen from those two bids.<P>When we were considering our 1996 bid, we heard all of the dialogue about how it was "too hot" in Texas, too far, and how many of the Eastern USA people would not come for these and other reasons. I personally felt we had a good size meet, but many talked about how small it was compared to the other ones "back east" which obviously were the benchmarks.<P>As for why the CA people, for example, have not come up with any meet bids or bids to host the BCA Board? They can answer that question themselves--if they desire.<P>The BCA was birthed and founded in CA and run exclusively by CA people for many years thereafter (from what I've seen). Did the Eastern USA members feel unrepresented back then when all of the board meetings were held in CA? Is there a message there? I suspect there are plenty of people to make a BCA National Meet happen or host a Board Meeting out there, but they have to initiate those things themselves.<P>From what I've seen from my own research, there could well have been and continue to be hurt feelings out there for various reasons. In how those things transpired, it seemed that neither side was completely blameless in the particular situations as they developed or how they were attempted to have been dealt with. In any event, that's past history and we need to look to the future.<P>The BUICK CLUB OF AMERICA should be just that, "OF AMERICA" and national in scope (not to forget our international associates too!). It does not say "Buick Club of America in California" or "Buick Club of Amaerica in (choose your own state preference)"--it says "BUICK CLUB OF AMERICA". If particular groups choose to not be as active or dominant as others, it happens, yet they also have the option to match the other chapters in their activity level if they desire.<P>Perhaps the BCA should do as the Walter P. Chrysler Club does and let the directors make an executive decision on where the national meet should be and then make it happen (in the absence of a local chapter to host it)? That hasn't been the BCA's heritage and I hate to see it happen now, but that's certainly an alternative.<P>The other thing is for all of the eastern USA people who are getting tired of meets in their home regions to give their full support to AND attend any Western USA BCA National Meet in the future. Without the complete backing of these people to dispell the previous dialogues about heat and distance, there might not be any Western USA meets for fear of financial doom by the hosts.<P>By the same token, there should be enough Buicks out there to have a good size meet anyway. In any event, everyone needs to support a meet out there by their registration and attendance at such.<P>Maybe I've just been caught up in a desire to head west due to all of the recent Oscar things. I've recently found some good maps of L.A. and that area "just in case" . . .<P>As I mentioned, the BUICK CLUB OF AMERICA is a national organization and everyone needs to consider it as such. Let's make it happen!<P>Have a great week!<BR>NTX5467

[Jeffrey R. Brashares]

Good Morning All:<P>The Summer Board Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Kokomo National in July. After that, we have no invitation to host a Board Meeting by any local Chapter. (The Winter meeting was in Decatur, Texas, thanks to the North Texas Chapter.)<P>The Board goes where invited and we would love to go west!

[John Frank]

I don't belong to a chapter because the nearest ones (Sacramento and San Gabriel Valley)are 150 miles away and there aren't that many Buick folks on the California Central Coast.<P>However I will extend my personal invitation to have you come to Santa Maria, CA for a board meeting. I will make whatever arrangements are required. I will also personally invite the President or representative of every chapter in California, Arizona and Nevada to attend so this west coast convention thing can get worked out.<P>Santa Maria is a wonderful place to visit, even in the winter. We are close to beaches, have some wonderful wineries to tour, a historic old Mission nearby and many other things.<P>For those interested in cars I can arrange tours of a place that restores Jaguars, a specialty engine overhaul shop and a powder coating facility.<P>Santa Maria is 160 miles north of Los Angeles not quite halfway between LA and San Francisco.<P>So there is your west coast invite.

[Centurion]

Jeff, I have just been in contact with the director of the North Cascade Chapter regarding hosting a board meeting. <P>We are entirely receptive to the idea of hosting a board meeting here in the Seattle area. Since we are unsure what is involved, I will e-mail you within the next couple days to obtain some additional information.<P>Brian Laurance, BCA #5168<BR>North Cascade Chapter (Washington State)

[Jeffrey R. Brashares]

Good THursday Morning:<P>I will consider this two "tentative" invitations and discuss with the BOD Saturday.<P>Brian, I have your e mail and will reply today!<P>Thank you.