Gerry Leone, NMRA Communications Director

Here is the August NMRA InfoNet News.

  • Charlie Getz is the new NMRA President. Mike Brestel passed the reins to him at the Annual business meeting inGrand Rapids. Charlie says his first order of business is to simplify the NMRA’s organizational structure.
  • New Board Members: Pacific Director Michael Bartlett (Australia) andCanada Director Fred Headon became members of the Board inGrand Rapids. Michael replaces Peter Jensen; Fred replaces Clark Kooning, who took over for Don Hillman who retired for health reasons.
  • Charlie appointed Western Director Jack Hamilton to lead a new Strategic Planning Committee, which will prepare a plan to help guide the NMRA into the future. He’ll make a preliminary report at the winter Board meeting.
  • The Sacramento National Convention host group presented the Board of Directors with a check for $7,500 to be donated to the Diamond Club. Diamond Club funds are used for scanning and posting archival photographs and artwork of the NMRA’s Kalmbach Memorial Library.
  • Charlie updated the Board on the state of the “Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum (CSRM). An anonymous donor has pledged $250,000 in matching funds and, as of late July, donations of at least $160,000 were still needed to achieve the match. The funds must be received by the end of 2012. The exhibit is expected to cost between $500,000 and $750,000. The “Magic of Scale Model Railroading” exhibit will be seen annually by 600,000 visitors to CSRM.
  • Page Martin, Garrett Ewald, and Barrett Johnson were named to the Marketing Department during the convention. Each individual has professional marketing experience and is tasked with developing advertising and promotions aimed at retaining existing members, re-enlisting lapsed members, and attracting new ones.
  • Ben Sevier of the Pacific Southwest Region has accepted the position of Information Technology Director for the NMRA.

Remember: if you change email addresses, be sure to send your old and new email addresses to: NMRA-infonet@earthlink.net.