Questions for the Andrew Olson Candidate

Greetings my friend Andrew. A few questions have come up in my mind about how you might run the Presidency of the OC if you are elected. One is how do you intend to do any kind of regular communication to the menbers such as a monthly newsletter of any sort? The other(s) have to do with how you see the OCIC being conducted.

Presently there is not to much of a really periodic newsletter even though the information that might be included is probably available with some search in the OC forum (?).

In regard to the OCIC, we have seen the OCIC gravitate over the last two or so conventions to something where the volunteer chairman setting up the convention is actually a 928 vendor and the whole thing is set up to feature the vendor rather than the OC and the accounting, including the money paid by the OC, ($2500?) is never accounted for and little or none of the profit, if there was some, is paid into the Owners Club.

What do you think should be the accounting to to Owners Club for the Profit made at the last OCIC by the "volunteer" chairman of the event? Have you seen anything of such an accounting? Do you think that if the event made a profit that at least the money paid by the Owners Club should be repaid? Or do you think that since the chairman of the event was a volunteer, like the other people running the club, the chairman of the event shoud pay all of the profit from the event to the Owners Club, no matter how much it was?

Is the volunteer chairman of the recent OCIC the one who has nominated and promoted you as the next President of this Club?

How do you intend to deal with this pending claim and with the OCIC in the future?

Jerry Feather

Andrew, I have another question about the plank in you platform called "Value." I have been troubling about what I see as your and others's concept that each member should somehow be receiving in return for their $30 annual dues something like that amount or more in actual cash value return. Actually basic economics suggests that unless you and the others are willing to put something more than you time, such as their own money, there is really no way to expect that each individual member will get more that their money back, at least in kind.

Don't you think that the value of such an association as our's is merely in the association and the benefit that we, as a group, may be able collectively to provide some greater benefit to one or more of the members, but perhaps less than all, in some actual benefit from simply being associated, as we are? In fact I suppose we could be associated with a purpose of providing something for someone else other than our members with some kind of benefit. Why does it have to be specific return to each member?

Don't you think that if each member is looking for their $30 or more in return that they might just as well go to Walmart? What is the big deal about each member getting more than their $30 back in money's worth return? I am at a loss. How do you explain this.

If each one is to get their money back what is that value in associating for a common purpose. What do you see as the common purpose? Other than getting a 5% discount from one or more of the vendors? Actually, on the average in order for one member to get his $30 back in a 5% discount takes $600 each year every year at one or all of the vendors who give the discount, and I don't think we all spend that much each year at these vendors. Do you think so?

I have said before and I will say again, if someone is a member because they expect to get all or more than their money back in some cash value, they ought to go to Walmart. Don't you agree, Andrew?

Jerry Feather

Feather;10912 wrote:
In regard to the OCIC, we have seen the OCIC gravitate over the last two or so conventions to something where the volunteer chairman setting up the convention is actually a 928 vendor and the whole thing is set up to feature the vendor rather than the OC and the accounting, including the money paid by the OC, ($2500?) is never accounted for and little or none of the profit, if there was some, is paid into the Owners Club.

What do you think should be the accounting to to Owners Club for the Profit made at the last OCIC by the "volunteer" chairman of the event? Have you seen anything of such an accounting? Do you think that if the event made a profit that at least the money paid by the Owners Club should be repaid? Or do you think that since the chairman of the event was a volunteer, like the other people running the club, the chairman of the event shoud pay all of the profit from the event to the Owners Club, no matter how much it was?

Is the volunteer chairman of the recent OCIC the one who has nominated and promoted you as the next President of this Club?

How do you intend to deal with this pending claim and with the OCIC in the future?

Jerry Feather

Jerry,
I believe that the intrinsic purpose of the OC is in promoting the 928 cars. Therefore, I believe that the OC should be the sponsoring organization for most GTG's including what should be the Grandaddy of them all: the OCIC. We, as members, pay dues that should afford the OC the monetary means to sponsor these GTG's. The OC shouldn't EXPECT to make money on sponsoring events. The OC is not a production company out to make a buck. It is a volunteer organization organized FOR it's members. That is people, Jerry. The OC was not organized for a web forum. That's just a tool owned by the OC for its members. The OC wasn't organized to sell trinkets. Those trinkets are just incentives for it's members.
The OC is a member/car oriented volunteer organization. Let's not make it something it's not and was never designed to be.

malcolm;10967 wrote: well said John.

The gathering we had in Kansas was the absolute highlight of all the years I've owned 928 Porsche cars, other owners cars Ive worked on and the great relationships made over all these years.

The gathering......there can be only one. :cool:

I wish I could have been there but it looks like I would have sheaded a belt on the way anyway, so its good I was close to home.

I agree and joined both RL and OC because I bought my first 928.

Looking forward to attending an event some day.

Brad

Also Jerry, the OC's were not and as far as I have experienced, have never been about vendors. The OCIC in 2009 was organized by DFW members. Numerous Vendors were there. The OCIC in 2012 was in Wichita. It was also organized by OC members. Several DFW members helped organize 2012 upon request.
There were vendors present at 2012 also.
Jerry, you were one of those vendors.

Several Vendors at the OCICs I have attended gave away door prizes to the participants.
Jerry, you were one of those vendors.

It now appears that you are trying to make the fact that vendors were present into some sort of a bad thing. I find no problem with it at all. I think it enhanced the experience further.

Originally posted by Feather:In regard to the OCIC, we have seen the OCIC gravitate over the last two or so conventions to something where the volunteer chairman setting up the convention is actually a 928 vendor and the whole thing is set up to feature the vendor rather than the OC and the accounting, including the money paid by the OC, ($2500?) is never accounted for and little or none of the profit, if there was some, is paid into the Owners Club.
Do you really think that someone could rent an exhibition hall for a complete weekend, and provide lunch and dinner to a group of people for less than $2500? I think we may have completely different mindsets regarding the OC. I believe the OC and my dues to the OC SHOULD be used to sponsor events for the collective me (928 owners) not to make the OC a profit. I think the trustees that voted for that money to be spent were right in their voting.

And by the way Jerry, It appeared to me that YOU were the vendor that was featured at the OCIC.

SeanR;10970 wrote: When the President and the potential president will not attend OCIC that is a problem.

When the current president states that the OCIC has nothing to do with the Owners club, that should be an issue. Let's just continue to be a club that really doesn't do anything but send out trinkets. With AO, we all might get together and meet each other.

When a 928 Vendor has to spot most of the cash to hold an OCIC event, there is an issue.

It seems everyone needs a reminder about the 928 OC mission "Our sole purpose is to support owners' in their use and maintenance of the Porsche 928s throughout the world"

There is nothing in there about having car get togethers. Since only 50 of the members attended, does anyone really think the club will survive if 600+ members are paying for an event that only 50 members benefit from? That is *the* issue with the OCICs. Most members will *never* attend one.

The 928 OC does sponsor local events, which I suggest are much more valuable, as then when someone has an issue with their 928 they have people to help them locally. The OCIC does not provide this benefit at all, the members who attend must have a 928 capable of driving thousands of reliable miles, or they fly in without their 928, and how does that make it a 928 club?

People who own 928s have issues *every* day, they need a resource to help them fix and use their 928s. That *is* our mission, and these forums were built to serve that mission.

I would advocate any future president continue to support events, including the OCIC, but certainly not as the main focus of the club.

90%+ of the members will *never* get any value from an OCIC, so why should the majority of the members funds be spent there to benefit the other less than 10%.