meeting in review

[Nick Cipriano]

All in All it was a very productive meeting. I was not aware of all this business with Bob Wiess and Nick. The board members have it there for all the members to read and thats good enough for me. And besides, I have know Bob and the other members for 9 years. A fine group of people with whom I have the highest respect for. These are the guys behind the scene, these are the guys that make the club work. I trust each and every one of them and I thank them for there continued loyality to this club.

Now as for Bryners, whats the deal with this this subject? I see no loyalty from this dealership. As far as I am concerned they have been taking advantage of there sponsorship for years. Just now they are starting to realize that we as club members, want more from this dealership than 3K a year and a small discount that you have to fight for. Bob says they will match or beat any price. last I looked they had 3 Vettes on the lot, and no Z06? So that means they will order it for you and you will wait. Bob says they want to sell Vettes, well put them in stock. 4 years ago I had a meeting set up with Kerbeck. They wanted to sponser the club. They had no problem being a 2nd sponser along with Bryner. The board didn't even want to discuss it? At that time, 5K was not a problem. If we are going to run this club as a business then lets do it right. We have many sucessful business men within this club. Lets tap into there knowledge. Multiple sponsors is a good business move. Or lets ask Bryner for more $. If he says no then we take our 600 members and move on.
I think we should have an official member vote on this subject ASAP.

[JT-C6]

I think the fact that this club has cried poor multiple times in my tenure, specifically when we were just looking for a new location to have monthly meetings shows the need for multiple sponsors. We've been regularly asked to consider taking the electronic version of the newsletter to cut costs as well.

Now even last night when someone yelled out something about multiple sponsors (maybe that was you Nick?) to that Jim guy who was slamming Glenn and Rich, Jim promptly replies that "we don't need multiple sponsors". Is Jim speaking for the board?

Does this club need more money or not? If not, then lets stop all the cost cutting discussions and resume snail mail delivery of the newsletter for all.

[rmeier]

I agree with JT and Nick that the club could only benefit from
multiple sponsorships. As to the clubs financial state, I haven't a
clue. Why not give a financial brief near the start of each meeting?
Income, expenses, and balance on hand. Nothing fancy. Every
organization I've belonged to from labor union to VE club gives a
detailed financial report at every membership meeting. It gives the
membership confidence and lets them better decide how we can
& should run our affairs.

[Bill Burkholder]

At every General Membership meeting Pete Carroll gives a Treasurer's report with the current balance and if there were any outstanding bills due. How detailed a report do you want to see? let me know and I'll bring it up at the next Board Meeting (next Thurs.) No, Jim did not speak for the Board, but as a club member. As for sponsors, how about a tier type sponsor ??? Gold, Silver, Bronze... Each tier and different levels of rewards for being a sponsor. Example....Gold has a set price with full page ad in the Gas Cap, and banner on website etc., Silver 1/2 page ad, banner on website, Bronze, 1/4 page ad and banner ... Who will sell these sponsorships??? Club members??? Solicit their employer etc. ??? Does it have to be another car dealership??? Or just other businesses like banks, insurance companies, local printers, flower shops, restaurants??? Just some thoughts........

[Silver O Six]

At every General Membership meeting Pete Carroll gives a Treasurer's report with the current balance and if there were any outstanding bills due. How detailed a report do you want to see? let me know and I'll bring it up at the next Board Meeting (next Thurs.) No, Jim did not speak for the Board, but as a club member. As for sponsors, how about a tier type sponsor ??? Gold, Silver, Bronze... Each tier and different levels of rewards for being a sponsor. Example....Gold has a set price with full page ad in the Gas Cap, and banner on website etc., Silver 1/2 page ad, banner on website, Bronze, 1/4 page ad and banner ... Who will sell these sponsorships??? Club members??? Solicit their employer etc. ??? Does it have to be another car dealership??? Or just other businesses like banks, insurance companies, local printers, flower shops, restaurants??? Just some thoughts........

I am just a pion in the club but have been president of two organizations.
I think you are correct that Pete presents the treasurers report just right.
and if there are any questions from the floor, he is prepaired to answer them. Your sponsor thing makes even more sense, that way you are not putting all our eggs in one basket. I am a fan of the Bryner's, however,
what is best for CCDV>Well done Mr Burkholder:eek:

[92RAGTOP]

I cannot think of a thing wrong with multiple sponsors. However I'm not sure how I feel about multple sponsors competing in the same business. For instance how ethical would it be to have Bryner and Reedman's be a sponsor? My knee jerk response is, no we can't do that it would be too awkward. Example when you look at a INDY or NASCAR car you see multiple sponsor decals all over it. However you would never see 2 competing companies sponsoring the same car let's say Coca-cola and Pepsi. I have heard also the argument that we have multiple advertizers in the gascap so whats the difference? There is a difference between selling advertizing space and accepting money from a sponsor. It's is a gray line.
As far as what kind of company would we look for to be a sponsor. I say most any company would be acceptable. What the heck lets face it the only reason these companies, with few exceptions, spend any money sponsoring anyone at all is because they believe that the money they invest in the sponsorship will payoff with our members buying their service or product.

[Mike Campbell]

I wanted to respond earlier today, however, being at work and watched like a hawk I thought I'd wait till I got home to give my opinion. First of all, regarding Bryner's let me say this. First I've taken my 99 to them for all all my service. Never did I feel that I was ripped off. And they also were always extremely fair regarding expenses and explaining all charges. Second, when we needed a small good gas mileage vehicle they gave Nancy & I a great deal on a Cavalier. Then when I wanted to get a good deal on a C6, they MATCHED Kerbeck on an in stock Vette with an ordered Vette. Think about that! Then they knocked off 4 grand to match Kerbeck and then trusted me to order a C6 from them. Plus, Mike Peterson & Sam Bannon treated Nancy & I like we were extra special. ;ynThat goes a long way bub. I know that I can trust their service department (the Steves) to always do a great job. Kerbeck will give you a deal, but who wants to drive to Atlantic City for an oil change? Look, I think it's a mute point. You want another sponser? How about WCC, or East Coast Supercharging, or Corsa or whatever? ;tSomeone nearby who benefits from us and we from them. ...Simple ain't it!! :D Kerbeck is fine, but they're 100 miles away and I do think they gave me a decent deal on my 99, but that was then and this is now. Enuf said...;bt

[YO-EL]

I'm not getting involved, but my thoughts are:
any appropiate related business that is willing & wanting to give CCDV money & discounts to the club's members in return for a little advertising should be accepted & welcomed..

[rmeier]

OOPs, my bad for not hearing Petes' reports. Where I sat at the VFW
didn't help, and I must have been downstairs at the time at the VE.
Sponsors would be listed in the newsletter & when we have events
signs or banners could be displayed. As to who and how we get
them I'm unsure. It'll be another lively meeting in June as we
discuss possibilities.

[Bob Weiss]

I Agree with Don. Additional Sponsors Are OK But not Competing Sponsors. For their sponsorship they get exclusivity, eg: one car dealer, one tire dealer, one stereo vendor, etc.

Bryner has always treated me and my family fairly, honestly, respectfully and at a good price. I would not Buy a chevrolet product anywhere else. Period !!! If you buy everything from the absolute cheapest vendor pretty soon none of us will have a job and they will be shipping the cars we order over the internet from China. and Too bad getting them services - Ship it Back !!

To All your wives and Mothers- Happy Mothers Day !!!

Bob Weiss

[JT-C6]

I like the idea of the gold, silver, bronze concepts of sponsorship. I also agree that one marketing angle of sponsorship can be exclusivity. Places like corvetteforum which are considerably larger do have multiple dealership sponsors and they do seem to peacefully co-exist for what its worth.

Is it fair to say that this idea of multiple sponsors can be put to the board for approval at one of the meetings in the near future? Even if people come up with something right now, I don't know how they'd really get the money into the club without outlined expectations and an official process.

[Torch Red Ryder]

If you buy everything from the absolute cheapest vendor pretty soon none of us will have a job and they will be shipping the cars we order over the internet from China. and Too bad getting them services - Ship it Back !!
Bob Weiss[/QUOTE]

I don't think purchasing the very same GM part from a GM dealer in Montana hurts our economy. I think the internet has allowed us to be more efficent in ordering items since the days (I know I'm dating myself) of businesses like Sears, Roebuck, Montgomery Ward and J.C. Whitney. Now instead of mailing in your order you order on-line.

If I were to order a part for my Chevrolet product from a dealer in Montana at a significant savings, am I not getting a part made by the same American company? The difference is it's delivered by UPS (an American company) instead of me picking it up in person. Isn't this very similar to what we did just a few decades ago before the above mentioned American companies suffered financial declines?

As for the actual purchase of products, my present thinking is to purchase from American companies as much as possible. It is difficult (if not impossible) to do this when purchasing electronics, clothing, watches as well as many other products we no longer manufacture in the United States because of many reasons. I say my present thinking because I've owned many foreign cars, beginning in the early '60s when I bought an MGA. Later in the 70s when the "Big Three" were producing junk, I went to German and Japanese products. In the 90s I have owned a BMW and an Acura. Both of these were disappointing and unreliable, counter to what Consumer Reports would have me believe.

I say my present thinking because the recent reports from JD Powers, and others indicate the quality of GM products equals that of the European cars and is a close second to the Japanese cars. I will not purchase a foreign vehicle nor foreign tires while there are still American companies owning and selling these products.

I don't have control over the sale of these companies to foreign control such as Chrysler to Mercedes Benz, but I do control where and how I spend my money. If I have the opportunity to purchase the SAME ITEM WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF SERVICE for less money from an American company I will.

When I purchase my next vehicle I expect it to be a Chevrolet and Bryner will have the first crack at my business. I expect them to be competative and if they are they will get my business. I would buy the vehicle from them EVEN if they are NOT the best price; they only have to be competitive. This is because in this instance SERVICE is very important and a couple of hundred dollars more or less on a $30,000 item is not a big deal in my opinion.

In fact I have found Bryner sevice to be the BEST I have experienced ever for the almost three dozen vehicles I have owned. With Bryner's new parts discount for CCDV members there may now be no reason to look for parts from a dealer on-line and wait for the UPS truck to deliver. To me that sounds like a win-win situation.

[C5pilot]

I hope the club will continue the discussion on multiple sponsorships. The club is large enough to attract an assortment of vendors looking for our business.

As for Bryner, it's nice to hear members say they wouldn't ever think of taking their GM business anywhere else but I hope they realize everyone's circumstances are different. I choose to do business with local shops whenever feasible. If their product or service is something I need on a regular basis, it's nice to do my part to help them thrive, otherwise I'll have to travel farther in the future. I also expect to pay more for better service. But I am not a person of unlimited means. On big ticket items I'm forced to comparison shop and then it's their turn to help me out by delivering the best possible price.

Until recently, I didn't consider Bryner to be the "ideal" sponsor. To be honest, it seemed more like they catered to certain members more than the general membership. Just as an example, on more than one occasion I waited weeks to get my car in for service only to have another member tell me they dropped their car off on short notice while I'm still waiting. So basically, if you don't have friends in "high" places you're not getting the same treatment.

But now, Bryner seems genuinely interested in serving the club as a whole more so than before. Members have gotten great deals on cars and we can finally purchase parts at competitive prices. If things keep going in this direction I think the relationship will be healthier than ever before.

Sponsorship should not be a "done deal" just because a few members say so. A sponsorship is supposed to benefit the vendor and the entire membership, not just a select few with good connections. The important thing is that things seem to be changing for the better for all involved. Kudos to Bryner for making a great gesture and a renewed show of faith in our club. Now I just wish I lived closer to take advantage of it more. Unfortunately, I never received a free loaner while under warranty (even though I was entitled to one) so I'm not expecting one now. If I didn't always have to arrange for a ride, I wouldn't go anywhere else.

[PETE CARROLL]

IF you want me to,I will be happy to post a financial summary for 2005 & 2006
As to muliple sponsors,I believe it would be a great idea, I think Bryner should be our main & ONLY auto dealer sponsor.We could target banks,construction Co.tire dealers,service industries of all types.
A tiered level offering discounts, that was suggested sounds good,

Pete