April 24th meeting update.

The meeting will be at The Harvest Moon, 1405 Walnut Street Dallas Center, Iowa. Then Sugar Grove Custom Cars after the meeting.

Tan-Tar-A Show

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Rocket Capsule April 2010

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JERRY WILSON, CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE OCA

The Oldsmobile Club of America was established to be "educational, provide literature, advisors, seminars, and activities to assist members and the public in understanding, preserving, restoring, and appreciating vehicles built by Oldsmobile" (OCA Bylaw 2.10). To accomplish that purpose, the OCA must focus attention on activities that facilitate relationships between members and chapters. I am asking for your vote to help us build an organization that is increasing membership, maintaining financial strength and credibility, and expanding relationships between the national organization, chapters, and members.

I have been an OCA member for more than 20 years and have served two terms as a Zone Director, so I am intimately familiar with the current situation and how the OCA should function to achieve its stated goals. My academic background is actuarial science and statistics, and my business experience has been developed through working with senior management of major firms. I am an OCA Master Judge and have judged at 15 national meets. I am active in the Archway Chapter (St. Louis) and have coordinated the annual Mid-Missouri Oldsmobile Show. I have several Cutlass Supremes, one for 40 years. My daily driver is an Aurora and my wife Caryl drives a Silhouette.

With your support, I hope to accomplish the following objectives:

• Establish a balanced budget instead of one in which authorized expenditures significantly exceed expected revenue.

• Conduct a much-needed financial audit and schedule audits on a regular basis.

• Provide financial transparency so members know how their money is being handled.

• Establish term limits, so we can draw better candidates and generate new ideas.

• Allow only persons who hold elected positions to vote on Board issues.

• Publish minutes of Board meetings for all OCA members and other interested parties.

• Provide national support for the chapters and more open communication with elected Zone Directors. Control of the OCA should be retained by the Zone Directors, Chapters, and members.

Running with me on a slate dedicated to strengthening the OCA are two dedicated members who share my values, goals, and objectives. They are:

STEVE MESTAD, Des Moines, Iowa, candidate for Vice-President

DAVE VOLLBRACHT, Wayne, Nebraska, candidate for Treasurer

We appreciate your consideration and support.

Please mark your ballot from the April 2010 issue of Journey With Olds and send it in.

Jerry Wilson

OCA Member #16532

 

Biography of Steve Mestad for Vice President

As Vice President, my goals will be to promote a user-friendly club by working with the Board of Directors to support your goals, ensure fiscal responsibility, improve operations, provide access to club information, and solicit new ideas from the members. I will do what I can to bring your club and you together for enjoyment as we preserve the Oldsmobile heritage.

I joined OCA and the Minnesota Olds Club in 1991. In the Minnesota Club, I served as Treasurer during 1995 and 1996, Vice President in 1997, and President from 1998 thru 2000, and have been awarded a Lifetime Membership in the Club. In 2004, my wife Lori and I chaired the 2004 OCA Nationals held in Minneapolis, one of the largest OCA Nationals turnouts. Lori has been involved in many activities and was also Treasurer in 2002 for the Minnesota Olds Club. Since moving to Iowa in 2004, I am active in the Iowa Oldsmobile Club and am currently serving as Treasurer.

I have a BA degree in Finance and Banking along with 14 years experience in the insurance industry servicing and supervising Commercial and Personal Lines Claims in General Liability, Products & Completed Operations, and Bodily Injury Claims, Property Claims, Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and Errors and Omissions claims of Insurance Agents. I currently own and manage a grading and excavation business in Des Moines, IA. We own a 1968 442, and our daughter Holly owns a 1936 2 door Street Rod.

In 2006, I was elected Zone Director for the Western Great Lakes Zone which includes WI, IL, IA, MN, ND, SD & NE. I came onto the Board of Directors one year after the 2005 year Board Meeting, in which the current executive committee had just completed 34 Bylaw changes and 49 Policy Manual changes, some of which included the removal of term limits for the executive positions, granting voting rights to appointed positions, allowing the financial bookkeeping to depart from Generally Accepted Accounting Procedures, and posting a Sgt of Arms at the Board Meeting doors to keep OCA members out.

We need to restore the quality bylaws put into effect years ago. Those bylaws were the result of a lot of thought and good business decisions. We need to get back to good business operations which will ensure a strong, fair and open transparency of the club for continued operations, for us and our children, who enjoy Oldsmobile and its history. We need to make changes that will end the four-year trend of net membership losses of 60 per year - for every 640 new members; we are currently losing 700 members.

Please join me in your support of the following:

• Restoring term limits to all Board positions so that new candidates and their ideas can be encouraged to participate in the operations of OCA.

• Publish minutes of the Board Meetings for all OCA Members and interested parties can know what is going on within their club.

• Establish a balanced budget.

• Conduct a financial audit and schedule audits on a regular basis.

• Provide financial transparency so the members know how their money is being handled when reports are published or if they inquire.

• Restore the requirement that only persons who hold elected positions may vote on Board issues.

• Provide national support for the chapters and members with open communication with elected Zone Directors.

• Control of the OCA should be retained by the Zone Directors, Chapters, and members.

I appreciate your time and consideration of your support. Please vote and urge other OCA members to vote. Thank you.

Steve Mestad.

OCA # 16975

 

DAVE VOLLBRACHT, CANDIDATE FOR OCA TREASURER

I have been a member of the OCA since 1984, having just received my 25-year pin. I currently serve the OCA Board as Parliamentarian, which is a non-voting appointed position. So, although I have made the commitment to serve the Club over the past 4 years, and been privy to the Board meeting actions I have not had the opportunity to be a voting Board member. I would like to step up and serve as Treasurer for the upcoming term.

Although my interests have gravitated a bit towards modified Oldsmobiles more recently and also drag racing, I truly appreciate all Oldsmobiles new and old, original, restored and modified.

As a business owner and manager, I know the importance of sound business practices and finances and feel I can apply this to the OCA as well. I have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Accounting and have worked in that field for almost 40 years. I am currently President and CEO of a 200-employee business in Wayne, Nebraska, where my wife Penny and I have lived for the past 5 years. I have also served several terms as Treasurer and President of our local Great Plains Olds Chapter. I was President in 1991-92 when GPOC hosted the OCA Nationals in Omaha.

My goals as Treasurer are as follows:

1. Financials. I feel OCA should have a complete audit performed every four years, coinciding with Board elections. Current practices of compilation only are acceptable on interim years but by having a complete audit performed on the above schedule fiscal integrity is further assured. This is not to imply any discrepancies exist, but rather to protect all board members from unwarranted implications and to insure proper safeguarding of the OCA Treasury.

2. I believe that there should be term limits instituted for all OCA Board members. In a club of almost 6000 members there are many people who can serve exceptionally well. A routine "change of the guard" also further protects against irregularities in the club's operations.

3. I believe OCA needs to develop a drag racing program that will encourage membership in OCA by the racers. This will increase OCA membership and at the same time bond all of us together more. Racing is a part of Oldsmobile's heritage as much as anything else.

4. I am able and willing to make the commitment to you and OCA to perform as Treasurer for the upcoming term. I have the necessary fiscal background and experience to function as OCA Treasurer, and properly execute the duties of the position. I would like to continue the good work done by the present OCA Board and hopefully bring a fresh perspective to the job.

This is my commitment to you if elected as the OCA Treasurer. I would appreciate your vote.

Dave Vollbracht

OCA # 13046

Rocket Capsule March 2010

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Rocket Capsule February 2010

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Say thanks to our troops.

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Upcoming Meeting.

March 20th 11:00 am. At The Parlor Restaurant 125 4th street, Kalona OCA Presidential candidate Jerry Wilson and Vice Presidential candidate Steve Mestad will be present.