The snow has melted and the temperatures are warming up. That can mean only one thing, its spring and time to take your “baby” out of winter storage!
In spite of the horrible winter weather we’ve recently had, your Wisconsin Section hasn’t been dormant. Read about the Valentine’s Drive-to-Dine, our March Fish Fry and the Chicago Section’s Benz & Breakfast event elsewhere in this newsletter.
Actions by Your Board of Directors
At their February meeting, the Board created the new position of Dealer Liaison. The Dealer Liaison will work with the local MB Section dealers to design, engage and orchestrate an effective engagement strategy for the Mercedes Benz members. They will assist in promoting the dealership with the club and the club with the potential dealership customers. It’s anticipated that the Dealer Liaison will personally call on each dealership in the Wisconsin Section’s geographic footprint at least once a year, and possibly twice, while keeping in contact at other times via phone and e-mail. At their March meeting the Board authorized reimbursing the Dealer Liaison for their mileage at the IRS rate in effect at the time of travel. New Director Sovann Khong volunteered to serve as our first Dealer Liaison.
Response to the Member For Sale/To Buy section of this newsletter has been much stronger than anticipated. That is both good news and bad news, with the good news being that we have provided members with a cost free outlet to both advertise Mercedes related items for sale and a place to reach out when a member is searching for a particular Mercedes related item. The bad news is that the response has been so good that we are running into space problems to accomodate all members who want to use the service.
Consequently, at their March meeting, the Board decided to limit the time an ad can appear. Beginning with this issue, classified ads may appear in the newsletter for 2 issues before they expire. They will not be renewed for the following 2 issues. As always, you must be a member of the Wisconsin Section in order to utilize the Member For Sale/To Buy section.
Upcoming Events
Be sure and register for all our April & May events: the April 27th Tech Session hosted by Black Forest, the May 5th New Member Reception and Drive-to-Dine, and the May 18th outing to the Spring Vintage Races at Road America. More information on all of these can be found elsewhere in this newsletter. And remember, if you have joined the Wisconsin Section since January 1, 2018, you get to attend the May 5th event FREE, as in no charge!
New for 2019, your Wisconsin Section is planning to have its own “Concours within a Concours” at this year’s Show N Glow in August. Our own Andrew Opicka has taken concours judging classes offered by several marques, and has volunteered to be the lead judge. Trophies will be presented to winners in various categories. Don’t worry, the judging won’t be up to the standards of Pebble Beach or Amelia Island! It will, however, be instructional and a lot of fun. I’ve never shown a car before, but I plan to do so this year, so please join me!
Speaking of showing your car, your Section has show cards from the MBCA National office for anyone who wants one. Just let me know and we’ll get them to you.
Check out the complete Calendar of Events elsewhere in this newsletter, and plan to attend as many of our 2019 events as you can. Please also note some date changes from earlier versions of our event calendar.
If you have a suggestion for a Drive-to-Dine venue or an idea for an event, please contact myself or one of our other board members. We are always looking for feedback, opinions and suggestions from our members. I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Wisconsin Section event.
Database Changes at National
The MBCA National Organization recently announced some major changes to the organization and structure of the Club’s website. Most notably, and the first area to undergo significant change, is the separation of the membership database from the rest of the website. This will entail a new platform for membership information, including a new way to access member information. The changes began March 21st and may take some time to complete. We’ll keep you posted on progress as information becomes available to us from the National office.
Looking for a Journey Article
We’re looking for the next story about “the journey,” how you acquired your favorite Mercedes-Benz. Did you travel across the continent to find the perfect Benz for you, or find it sitting a barn, awaiting a new home? Whether it happened last week or a decade ago, if you have an interesting story about how you acquired your favorite Mercedes-Benz, we want to publish it. Contact our newsletter liaison John Ledbury with your story.
New Members
Please join with me in welcoming our newest members as of March 24th, Jim Fitzgerald and Brian Gumness.
Loss of a Long-Time Member
I close these remarks on a somber note. Art Phenicie, a member of the Wisconsin Section since April, 2000, passed away on March 20. Our thoughts and prayers are with Art’s wife Joyce and the entire Phenicie family.
Bruce Hamilton