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Subject: Propeller issues and APBA financial status
Additional questions and support of Mr. Giles comments:
Dear APBA Board Of Directors and Officers,
As Board members and Officers of a non-profit corporation, I’m sure you each appreciate the responsibilities of acting in the best interest of the corporation you represent: i.e. the fiduciary duties involved are quite serious and I’m sure you all do your homework in regard to each issue the corporation undertakes and all actions for which you all are ultimately responsible and for which you each are accountable to the membership at large. I would like to suggest that you give serious consideration to the following:
As a long time member, boat owner, driver, volunteer, and official I not only support Mr. Giles inquiry (about the propeller magazine) and comments but ask you to review items that concern not only me but many APBA members that I have spoken with over the past year.
It is time to be upfront on where the APBA funds have been spent over the past 10 years, we find it very strange that a once solvent racing association is now on the verge of financial failure.
It is no secret that sanctions and races are down over the past years, and clubs across the country are struggling to find revenues to fund event’s that have been very successful prior to current cost increases, that have put a major strain on local clubs to keep these races viable.
Our current efforts to increase membership using the social media process, appears to have only provided an avenue for non -racers to make comments and post things from personal agendas and favorite recipes.
If we are going to reach MOTOR HEADS, we should have spent marketing $$ in popular mechanics and medias where MOTOR HEADS read and visit.
CURENTLY IT APPEARS MEMBERSHIP IS DOWN 12% AGAIN YTD 2012!! Looks like the social media venture is a great success!
Allow me to ask some pointed question’s and ask you to not only respond but act on these requests:
1. Please be up front and let the members of APBA know exactly how much money the NEW social media package will cost!
2. Please provide the members of APBA the actual money lost in the spec boat program.
3. Please advise the members the cost of the 120 OPC boat bought for the driving school that was destroyed due to unqualified person being allowed to drive a boat that was beyond the “safe” line for a new inexperienced driver.
4. Please explain to the members why it was so important and benefits to APBA realized from allowing Unlimited (H1) back into APBA, as this has proven to have added increased cost to every Club, Boat Owner,and Racer to cover increased cost due to the H1 group’s inability to make sure proper policies were followed to protect APBA from additional losses due to law suits and what the amount APBA paid to resolve this issue.
5. Please provide the financials and beneficiary’s for the insurance deal that was awarded under past leadership and continues today.
6. Please provide an actual accounting and ROI for the “take a ride“ program that cost the APBA an initial investment of $100,000.00 plus!
These are just a few of the items that have drained the APBA funds and put the organization in the current financial position.
I challenge you to allow an independent audit of the books for the past 10 years of the APBA and provide the results to the membership.
Safety issue stock nationals 2012:
We are all now paying increased insurance cost due to an issue of an APBA group not following required process for liability release for an event that had a accident occur.
The 2012 stock nationals just concluded and I am appalled to learn that the race committee, allowed a recently approved safety rule to be ignored and a competitor to race with a known boat that had a safety issue based on current safety rule for pickle forks on hydro’s.
Not only did the Race Committee look the other way but the stock commission met and also agreed to over look a safety rule and allow the boat to be deemed legal.
It appears that APBA safety rules are being ignored by APBA officials. I guess we are not paying enough insurance cost so ignoring safety rules is no big deal under the current leadership.
Here is the basic questions everyone should be provided for the past 10 years:
1. Membership trends by year
2. # of sanction by year
3. Total income by year
4. Total expenses by year
This would make a great article for the next propeller magazine! Much more meaning full than cooking recipes.
Let’s not continue to rearrange the deck chairs while the ship is sinking. As Board Members it is time to ask the tough questions and do the right thing and be up front and honest with members that pay every weekend for the privilege of participating in the sport of boat racing in APBA( and provide the real reasons why the association is in the current financial straits) by holding current and previous administrations accountable for these exorbitant expectation that have proved to be so disastrous to APBA’s financial well being.
APBA member #1487 R10
Howard Shaw.
Subject: Propeller
APBA HQ- ,
What has happened to my boat racing Propeller? Where is Tana Moore? I am most disappointed in the last issue of the APBA Propeller. Since APBA has gone to electronics, I have not been able to "see" it on the computer. IT is impossible to open. I have much greater success using HydroRacer to stay informed. Tell me again, what am I getting for a $200 membership? This last issue was very difficult to read the Memoriam page. We lost two great people and the "style" of printing was not conducive to reading. Roasting chicken is not a high priority of mine either, especially in MY racing magazine. Ladies Home Journal can provide that for me~! Why are there not heading as to who the people are in the pictures. Nice pictures of the patriotic boats but no identity. Do you have a person that id knowledgeable about writing a story on the current staff? Again, where is Tana~!
If this is what is to become of my racing organization, it will die- shortly. The Region news was only 3 Regions contributing. We used to have 7-9 Region news letters in here. I heard the "person" in change has limited printing. That person should be fired...As a member.\, I want to know what my National Organization is doing. I do not care to know about Detroit either. We have many races that have been around many years as well as Detroit. Where is the list of race dates? They are mostly one month listing here. Why are not more dates listed? These times, teams need to be able to plan ahead on which ones they can afford to attend. No help here!
APBA MUST get back to basics- take care of those it has - then build a membership. It needs to print Rule Books ( or throw away the rules) , print a monthly magazine to inform ALL members, and stay with our sport - Power Boat Racing. The next thing I'll see is stories about the America's Cup racing I guess! I have had "several" past members as well as current racers ask me about what is going on here. I have no good answer - do you? Older, non-racers are ready to flee the course! I suggest the BOD look at what they are doing and the results thereof!
Regards,
Bill Giles
Honor Squadron
3-B
Additional questions and support of Mr. Giles comments:
Dear APBA Board Of Directors and Officers,
As Board members and Officers of a non-profit corporation, I’m sure you each appreciate the responsibilities of acting in the best interest of the corporation you represent: i.e. the fiduciary duties involved are quite serious and I’m sure you all do your homework in regard to each issue the corporation undertakes and all actions for which you all are ultimately responsible and for which you each are accountable to the membership at large. I would like to suggest that you give serious consideration to the following:
As a long time member, boat owner, driver, volunteer, and official I not only support Mr. Giles inquiry (about the propeller magazine) and comments but ask you to review items that concern not only me but many APBA members that I have spoken with over the past year.
It is time to be upfront on where the APBA funds have been spent over the past 10 years, we find it very strange that a once solvent racing association is now on the verge of financial failure.
It is no secret that sanctions and races are down over the past years, and clubs across the country are struggling to find revenues to fund event’s that have been very successful prior to current cost increases, that have put a major strain on local clubs to keep these races viable.
Our current efforts to increase membership using the social media process, appears to have only provided an avenue for non -racers to make comments and post things from personal agendas and favorite recipes.
If we are going to reach MOTOR HEADS, we should have spent marketing $$ in popular mechanics and medias where MOTOR HEADS read and visit.
CURENTLY IT APPEARS MEMBERSHIP IS DOWN 12% AGAIN YTD 2012!! Looks like the social media venture is a great success!
Allow me to ask some pointed question’s and ask you to not only respond but act on these requests:
1. Please be up front and let the members of APBA know exactly how much money the NEW social media package will cost!
2. Please provide the members of APBA the actual money lost in the spec boat program.
3. Please advise the members the cost of the 120 OPC boat bought for the driving school that was destroyed due to unqualified person being allowed to drive a boat that was beyond the “safe” line for a new inexperienced driver.
4. Please explain to the members why it was so important and benefits to APBA realized from allowing Unlimited (H1) back into APBA, as this has proven to have added increased cost to every Club, Boat Owner,and Racer to cover increased cost due to the H1 group’s inability to make sure proper policies were followed to protect APBA from additional losses due to law suits and what the amount APBA paid to resolve this issue.
5. Please provide the financials and beneficiary’s for the insurance deal that was awarded under past leadership and continues today.
6. Please provide an actual accounting and ROI for the “take a ride“ program that cost the APBA an initial investment of $100,000.00 plus!
These are just a few of the items that have drained the APBA funds and put the organization in the current financial position.
I challenge you to allow an independent audit of the books for the past 10 years of the APBA and provide the results to the membership.
Safety issue stock nationals 2012:
We are all now paying increased insurance cost due to an issue of an APBA group not following required process for liability release for an event that had a accident occur.
The 2012 stock nationals just concluded and I am appalled to learn that the race committee, allowed a recently approved safety rule to be ignored and a competitor to race with a known boat that had a safety issue based on current safety rule for pickle forks on hydro’s.
Not only did the Race Committee look the other way but the stock commission met and also agreed to over look a safety rule and allow the boat to be deemed legal.
It appears that APBA safety rules are being ignored by APBA officials. I guess we are not paying enough insurance cost so ignoring safety rules is no big deal under the current leadership.
Here is the basic questions everyone should be provided for the past 10 years:
1. Membership trends by year
2. # of sanction by year
3. Total income by year
4. Total expenses by year
This would make a great article for the next propeller magazine! Much more meaning full than cooking recipes.
Let’s not continue to rearrange the deck chairs while the ship is sinking. As Board Members it is time to ask the tough questions and do the right thing and be up front and honest with members that pay every weekend for the privilege of participating in the sport of boat racing in APBA( and provide the real reasons why the association is in the current financial straits) by holding current and previous administrations accountable for these exorbitant expectation that have proved to be so disastrous to APBA’s financial well being.
APBA member #1487 R10
Howard Shaw.
Subject: Propeller
APBA HQ- ,
What has happened to my boat racing Propeller? Where is Tana Moore? I am most disappointed in the last issue of the APBA Propeller. Since APBA has gone to electronics, I have not been able to "see" it on the computer. IT is impossible to open. I have much greater success using HydroRacer to stay informed. Tell me again, what am I getting for a $200 membership? This last issue was very difficult to read the Memoriam page. We lost two great people and the "style" of printing was not conducive to reading. Roasting chicken is not a high priority of mine either, especially in MY racing magazine. Ladies Home Journal can provide that for me~! Why are there not heading as to who the people are in the pictures. Nice pictures of the patriotic boats but no identity. Do you have a person that id knowledgeable about writing a story on the current staff? Again, where is Tana~!
If this is what is to become of my racing organization, it will die- shortly. The Region news was only 3 Regions contributing. We used to have 7-9 Region news letters in here. I heard the "person" in change has limited printing. That person should be fired...As a member.\, I want to know what my National Organization is doing. I do not care to know about Detroit either. We have many races that have been around many years as well as Detroit. Where is the list of race dates? They are mostly one month listing here. Why are not more dates listed? These times, teams need to be able to plan ahead on which ones they can afford to attend. No help here!
APBA MUST get back to basics- take care of those it has - then build a membership. It needs to print Rule Books ( or throw away the rules) , print a monthly magazine to inform ALL members, and stay with our sport - Power Boat Racing. The next thing I'll see is stories about the America's Cup racing I guess! I have had "several" past members as well as current racers ask me about what is going on here. I have no good answer - do you? Older, non-racers are ready to flee the course! I suggest the BOD look at what they are doing and the results thereof!
Regards,
Bill Giles
Honor Squadron
3-B
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