Executive Vice President
Mark Smith: [email protected]
Welcome
Hello, everyone! Words can't describe how excited I am to begin this journey as AMA's new executive vice president (EVP). I want to thank you for your support and pledge to do my best to meet and exceed your expectations.
Role and priorities
The responsibilities of this position have changed dramatically. Historically, the EVP was our chief financial officer; however, with the approval of AMA's revised bylaws, my responsibilities will now focus on addressing critical strategic issues as defined by our president. Dave Mathewson and I have not yet had the opportunity to sit down and discuss specifics, but I am aware he has a list of issues he would like me to address.
Strategic planning
Since Dave took office, he has reserved Sunday mornings of our Executive Council (EC) meeting weekends to develop a strategic plan for AMA. Eric Williams, District II associate vice president (AVP), has offered his guidance in this endeavor. Eric is an avid modeler, active club officer, contest director, and an organizational effectiveness specialist for Accenture, an international consulting firm.
When I was employed at Sprint I had the opportunity to work with several people from Accenture on various strategic issues. I found them to be high caliber and extremely professional in helping us address complex problems. We are fortunate Eric is willing to donate his time and talent to facilitate the EC strategic planning meetings.
Marketing and branding
One area we have addressed concerns marketing. Since January 2008 our main focus for growth has been the Park Pilot Program. We will continue to refine this program and address critical issues such as:
- Point-of-sale materials
- Advertising campaigns
We are also focusing on ways to make the AMA brand more prominent so we are known for much more than simply "a way to obtain insurance coverage."
We have three people on the AMA team to assist in this endeavor. Our Marketing Committee includes:
- Jeff Nance, AMA marketing director — brings a wealth of marketing expertise
- Jay Graves, president and CEO of Hobby Lobby, Inc. — has agreed to join the Marketing Committee
- Don Anderson, senior vice president with Hobbico
- Eric Meyers, senior vice president with Horizon
Our public relations firm, JWalcher, continually brings AMA to the forefront in the media. Maya Ellman from JWalcher obtained coverage for us on ESPN. A powerful aspect of this is that Maya can now preface news releases with "as seen on ESPN."
AMA Leader Club and community service
Another area of our branding effort is the AMA Leader Club program. The objectives in the program are focused on acquiring and maintaining flying sites. Community service is not only "the right thing to do," it is also a perfect way to advertise your club to the public.
A couple of examples illustrate this community service:
- Ralph Brown, a good friend and icon of the Omahawks in Omaha, Nebraska, decorated his vintage station wagon with one of his models and proudly represented the Omahawks in a community parade.
- The Arvada Associated Modelers from Colorado, one of AMA's largest clubs with roughly 400 members, have been a Gold Leader club for many years. The club prepares a float each year for the annual Harvest Festival.
Closing
I will continue to use this column to update you on activities being addressed by Dave, myself, and the EC. Until next month, please keep in touch and have fun!
Mark Smith
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
