Or maybe some of us would rather say “Goodbye 2008!” 

Last year certainly presented us with our share of challenges and I can’t say that I’m sorry to see it go. But then, there were many good times, too.  Personally, Sue and I had a lot of opportunities to attend Klub rallies and meet a lot of new Klub members.  We attended an excellent rally at the Tampa Super Show last January and participated in a wonderful International Rally in DuQuoin.  Then, in October, we had an opportunity to host the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Special Event rally, which really turned out to be a lot of fun.

The common element in all of these events, of course, has been the people – our Klub members – who made 2008 a memorable year in a positive way.   And regardless of the economy or any of the other challenges thrown at us, it will be our members, getting together at rallies, special events, luncheons and other activities who will make 2009 a great year as well.

One of the things we will remember from 2008, especially from a Klub standpoint, is having to do more with less.  There are so many folks who pitched in to help the Klub that I can’t possibly name them all, but certainly Barney, Barbara, Vicky and Linda in the office, and the Regional Directors have worked very hard to adjust to these difficult times.  We all owe them our gratitude for their efforts.

Realistically, 2009 is going to start out to be at least as tough for Newmar and the Klub as 2008.  But there are definitely some bright spots.  Our rally calendar is filling up.  I’ve taken on the responsibility of posting the calendar updates on the NKK Master Calendar, and I typically get two or three new entries a week.  Please be sure to check the calendar on a regular basis, as it is continuing to grow.

The website is continuing to develop.  More and more of the States and Chapters are posting updates on their activities and, because these are published within days of when they are written, they contain very timely information.   And if you have photos or information pertaining to Klub activities that you would like to see posted on the website, by all means send them along to your State or Regional Directors.  Unlike a printed publication, we have plenty of room to put your information out for all to see.

What can you do to help?  Obviously, we need you as members.  Please help the Klub remain a viable, dynamic organization by keeping your membership active.   As Barney and Barbara said in their latest update, we have what we think is a good plan to keep the Klub moving forward, but that plan depends on your membership..  If you haven’t done so already, you can renew your membership on-line by clicking here.

You can also help out by attending rallies and Special Events in 2009.  After all, that is what we are all about!  As you well know, our Klub events come in all sizes, shapes and flavors, so there have to be at least a few events that will appeal to you.  Fuel prices are down now as well, but regardless of what happens to fuel costs, there are sure to be some activities near you.  Plan to attend at least one rally this year that you haven’t attended in the past and make some new Newmar friends.

Another way to help is by making sure as many Klub members as possible know about all the changes taking place on the website.  Please help us “spread the word” as you attend our various events.  If you can, take your laptop computer to an event and offer to provide a “tour” of the website.   I’ve tried that on a couple of occasions and many of our folks seemed to find it very worthwhile.

In any event, I’m looking forward to 2009, and to working with each and every one of you to help the Klub continuously improve.  As always, I’d really like to hear from you, get your thoughts, ideas and concerns and use them to help make the Klub even better than it is today.  My email address is m-a-l@hagedon.net and telephone number is 520-603-1190.

Happy New Year!!

On Friday, November 14, I attended my first Newmar Kountry Klub Board of Directors's meeting as your new Member-at-Large. While I would much rather have been there in person, I was able to participate by teleconference from our RV at a Klub rally in Benson, Arizona, using Skype, an Internet-based video phone service.  Given our current economic situation, it didn't seem to make a lot of sense to spend the money on travel and, all things considered, it worked pretty well.

Barney and Barbara Barnett, in their roles as International Directors, have an in-depth report from the meeting on the Newmar Kountry Klub home page, but I wanted to give you some general impressions and also fill you in on my report to the board:

My overall impression is that we have a Board that is very much committed to the ongoing viability of the Klub.  Because we are heavily dependent on an annual subsidy from Newmar Corporation, our Board consists of four voting members from Newmar -- Matt Miller, Dick Parks, Gary Shuder, and Kevin Bogan.  As we all know, Newmar and the entire RV industry is dealing with serious survival issues of their own right now. 

These Newmar executives are clearly focused on keeping the company in business and that is important to us as Klub members for obvious reasons.  It would be hard to see the Klub in anything like its current form without the support of Newmar.  What they have asked of us is to do everything we can to control spending and the need to continue in this mode is not likely to change for a while. 

It's a simple fact that every dollar that Newmar spends to support Klub operations is money that will not be available to help run the business.  From my perspective, I want to make sure the Klub is doing everything possible to help Newmar and, ultimately the Klub, survive and prosper.

Over the past couple of months, Sue and I have attended a half-dozen Klub rallies, including the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta Special Event, which we hosted.  In the process, I met with over 300 Klub members to get their input and ideas to take forward to the Board.  I've also talked with several members on the phone and have had a few email contacts as well.  Overall, I've been in touch with members from thirteen states, two provinces and seven regions.

The overwhelming majority of the folks I spoke with are very concerned about the challenges facing the Klub and Newmar and are very supportive concerning the actions being taken to keep the Klub and Newmar as viable organizations.  Not surprisingly, the number one issue is the changes being made in the publication of the Konnection. 

There are a significant number of our members who do not have access to the Internet.  They depend on the Konnection and other mailings to learn about upcoming rallies and special events and to stay informed as to what is going in their region, state and chapters.   More than a few folks have said that the Konnection is the main reason they belong to the Klub!

On the other hand, I heard from many of our members who want the Klub to move more quickly into electronic communications.  They are typically folks who use computers and the Internet extensively in their daily lives.  Many are full-timers or travel extensively.  Not surprisingly, these are "younger," newer members of the Klub.

Our challenge is to find a way to serve both groups, while at the same time cutting costs, and the board really wrestled with this problem.  It would be relatively easy to publish both an electronic and a print version of the Konnection, but, right now, we just can't afford to do it.  So we are going to do the best we can, with the resources we have available, and we ask you to bear with us. 

Barney and Barbara have covered our plans in the article on their web page.  At this point, we believe this will get the most critical information out in a print "newsletter" that will be mailed to those who are not on the Internet.  Postage is a big expense and getting bigger, so PLEASE make sure the Klub office has a current email address for you.  And remember, the most current, up-to-date information on the Klub and our activities will appear on the Klub website.

One of the other areas that concerned a number of members was changing the date and location of this year's International Rally.  There were several reasons for moving the rally, but the primary one was to reduce the cost of supporting the event.  Having the rally in Goshen greatly reduces travel expense for the Klub staff and Newmar support and service techs. 

Scheduling a rally as large as ours usually requires several years of advance planning, so moving the 2009 event on short notice required us to find a date that was available.  In fact, we were lucky to get a date at Goshen with so little advance planning.  In short, is this something we wanted to do?  No.  Is it something we had to do?  Yes.

I believe the Board is working hard to keep the Klub viable and focused on meeting the needs of our members.  I am proud to be a Board member and will continue to work hard to represent your interests.  The only way I can do that is if I hear from you.  Please continue to pass along your thoughts, ideas and concerns and I will do my best to address them.  Thanks for hanging in there with us!