View from HQ-2007/03
I have been involved with three RC clubs throughout the years. I served as president of the Miracle Strip RC Modelers in Panama City, Florida; was on the board of directors of the Texarkana Radio Control Flying Club, Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas; and am a current member of the North West Florida Modelers of Pensacola, Florida. As such, I thought I knew about AMA. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As part of this monthly communication with you, the membership of AMA, I plan to embark on an awareness program of what AMA does and can do for you. Because of an unusual turn of events, it is only appropriate that we begin with the Custom Services Department. I learned of an occurrence through Connections, the AMA employee newsletter, that has AMA (or should I say "POLICE"?) written all over it. Steve Weaver of the AMA Custom Products division wrote:
AMA Custom Products anecdote
"One of the co-producers of the television reality show Armed & Famous that is being filmed in Muncie, Indiana, contacted the AMA Custom Services Department on December 15. Darren Howelton was in a bind. He needed some last-minute screen-printed items for a segment of the series that was to be filmed that very day. He said he went on the Internet to find a local screen-printing company to accomplish this task, and AMA Custom Products popped up.
"Darren called AMA at 8:15 that morning and asked if we could accommodate his request for 14 T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts screen-printed with 'POLICE' by 11 that morning. After consulting with department members Marcy Bizzell and Keith Abercrombie, we accepted the challenge.
"Darren supplied the apparel needed so we didn't need to special-order anything. He dropped off the shirts and sweatshirts and I created the necessary artwork to make the screens for printing. Keith and another employee, Dante Roque, set up and printed the apparel and everything was ready on time.
"When Darren picked up his order, we invited him to come back if he needed anything else from AMA Custom Products. He was most appreciative and satisfied with our quality and quick service, but that's not the end of the story.
"A week later Marcy received a call from Darren needing 25 more items printed similarly for the following day to be given as gifts to the entire television crew for the holidays. He remembered our fast turnaround and brought AMA Custom Products more business.
"For anyone who might see the show, look for our black T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with 'POLICE' printed on them in white."
Custom Products services
Your Academy of Model Aeronautics offers high-quality screen-printing services through the Custom Products Department. The screen-printing area features:
- Two state-of-the-art multihead screen presses (manual and automatic)
- An inline, high-temperature garment dryer
We also offer high-quality custom engraving services through the department. That area features:
- Two high-end rotary engravers configured to work on metal or plastic materials
The next time your club plans a big event or fly-in, check out AMA Custom Products at www.modelaircraft.org/products. I cannot guarantee we will print "POLICE" on your shirts or provide a two-hour turnaround time, but Custom Products is a great resource for your club's events.
In the spirit of flight.
Jim Cherry Executive Director [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
