BoD update concerning VCA or VOA affiliation *All members should read this*

[MoparMan]

Kala -

Their region is pretty much dead because they guy in charge refuses to do anything but has the system rigged so he can not be removed. I've been helping a group of guys who want to rebuild the region and in doing so we've had direct dealings with the board of the VOA who have been, shall we say, less than impressive. If things had worked out, I was going to spend more time working with the NV region to get back on their feet. Nonetheless, I've renewed my membership in SoCal since, in my experience, it's by far the best Viper club there is.

[Speedtactics]

Below is a letter from the VCA sent Dec 21st.

Dear VCA members

The number of renewals that we have received since you read our Q&A letter a few days ago has been remarkable! Thank you! The outpouring of support has been wonderful and VERY much appreciated. Let's keep up the enthusiasm! If you have not yet renewed, please do so today at www.viperclub.org Some of us are members of multiple car clubs, so why not consider dual membership? We have no problem with you being a member of multiple car clubs. Many of you have written personal letters thanking us for the many changes we have made so that the VCA will be a better club than ever before. Now that you have seen what the new national board has been able to accomplish over the past 3 months, imagine what the new national board can do over the next year with YOUR help. Your positive feedback makes this all worthwhile. All these changes have been made for YOU, our members.

We wanted to let you know that we are having a VCA Planning Meeting the weekend of Jan 24, 25, 26 scheduled around the Rolex 24 hour race taking place that weekend at Daytona International Speedway. FYI, this is NOT for VCA officers only but for all VCA members with the passion and desire to help us move the club forward and improve the club. We'd like to invite all VCA members who are available to join us that weekend to watch the race and participate in some open discussions with the new VCA leadership group on how to best move the VCA forward during 2014. This is a great opportunity to have some fun, meet other VCA members, get involved with the club and help us improve the VCA brand! Please let us know if you'd like to attend. SRT will be present and we're working on a joint race event with them. Details to follow...

We want to emphasize that we are looking for loyal VCA supporters to take over existing VCA regions that have chosen to disassociate.  As of this writing, some regional presidents have notified us that they are not renewing their memberships with the VCA in 2014. FYI, we have now received membership renewals in every state in the USA. Your region can continue to thrive in 2014, but we need your help! Please contact any of us to discuss further. We have already found new leadership in several areas to keep their VCA region alive and well.

Lastly, in the spirit of the holidays and recognizing that many of us could do more to help others, we national officers have each chosen to write a check for $100.00 to the Wounded Warriors Project. Please join us if you can. We each plan to write "Viper Club of America" on the memo line of our checks to show our support for our heroes. Or, if you prefer, you can simply write "Viper Nation" to show our group's support.

Send checks to:
Wounded Warrior Project
P.O. Box 758517
Topeka, Kansas 66675

Go on line to donate at: www.woundedwarriorproject.org/Donate

We wish you all a Happy Holiday season filled with family, friends, and everything you hold dear.
2014 is going to be a great year—thanks again for your help making this happen!

Sincerely,
Dan Everts [email protected]
Fredi Spaltenstein [email protected]
John Canal [email protected]
Lucas Chaney [email protected]
Greg Crouse [email protected]
John Mavridis [email protected]
Ron Kooser [email protected]
Cathy Smiley [email protected]

[Speedtactics]

Here is a response from VOA to the above VCA letter dated Dec 21:

Dear VOA President,

I'm sure you and your club members are busily preparing for Christmas/holidays and the last thing you want to deal with is club politics.  However, the VCA has been sending messages directly to members, often not copying presidents, to recruit uninformed members by painting a picture that everything is fixed with the VCA.  Unfortunately, these messages contain statements that are misleading or even completely untrue, which compels us to clarify some of their claims with you since we cannot address your members directly.  Please share this information with your members so they can make an informed decision about renewals.

MEMBERSHIP NUMBERS:  VCA implies they have droves of members signing up, yet they have never published any figures because in truth, their membership renewals for 2014 are down dramatically and at a fraction of the VOA. We have reports that some of those people renewed without realizing what was going on or they were completely unaware of the club they were joining. (If you have any members who mistakenly renewed with VCA, they can ask for a refund and if that fails, file a dispute with their credit card company.) It would be difficult if not impossible to conduct a car raffle, press-print a magazine, or hold a national gathering with numbers that small. Conversely, the VOA has quickly passed 900 members and close to reaching the 1000 member mark in the one month since we opened the doors. We hope you'll remind your members to join VOA before Jan 1st, so they can be considered charter members!

SRT RELATIONSHIP:  In their recent announcement, the VCA stated they are working with SRT and planning events together.  However, if you read carefully, the people they are working with are with MOPAR, not SRT.  Those are two different entities, and they simply have a business relationship with MOPAR.  Although they stated they are working with SRT on a joint event at Daytona, we are in contact with SRT and confirmed that SRT is NOT working with VCA on any joint event. This is a complete fallasy used to create the impression that progress has been made in this area. Like all ALMS races, this SRT event is simply open to ALL SRT owners (including VCA members).  On a related note, if you hadn't heard, Doris and Ralph Gilles joined VOA on 12/16 by their own choice as paid members. It's OK to read between the lines.

REGIONS:  We know what your members value most is having fun with their friends in your local club, which is why we encouraged you to take a vote and either stay or move your region intact and together.  While your members are free to join one or both clubs, it's important that they understand that only the dues money they pay to VOA will be returned to YOUR club. If they want to continue having fun with their club friends, they need to join YOUR club since that's where the activities will be.  As you know, we already have the majority of the regions (30) on board and several more coming. Some regions have reported that the VCA is still witholding some of their 2013 dues money.  If this is the case with you, we recommend you request the money before the end of the year.

EXPERIENCE:  VOA is being led by the MOST experienced, senior members from the Viper community, including ALL of the Founders who started the original club.  This is why we've been able to achieve so much in such a short period of time.  We know what the issues are and what state the VCA is in.

VCA THREATS: VCA board members have recently posted that in their opinion, VOA regions should turn over their assets (money) to any new VCA region that forms in their area. We presume this is just a scare tactic used to keep regions from leaving, since you are a separate corporation, and those assets were paid by your members (or earned through fund-raising) and belong to you.  Most of you are continuing on as the same corporation but with a different name on the door.  Consider the analogy, if you were an independent gas station owner who sold Chevron gas, and decided to change to being a Shell station, would you be required to turn over your money to a new guy who opens across the street as a Chevron station?

It's not our intent to be negative, but it's important that you and your members know the truth.  We hope this clarifies the situation so your members can make an informed decision about which club to join.

We are moving ahead in a positive direction, and looking forward to an exciting year ahead! We have no baggage and have built a completely new club with all the necessary components and have made over 40 leaders responsible for managing it as the Board of Directors. We ASSURE you that the club will be built with good culture, talent, and a positive spirit that you will be proud of.  We appreciate your fervent support and encourage you to be involved and vocal.

We'll be sending out a newsletter to our members with more updates shortly. In the meantime, have a happy and safe holiday season.


Best wishes,

Maurice Liang

President

Viper Owners Association

[HyperViper]

First and foremost I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

Hoping that the SoCal board can make quick work of this in the new year so we can all start to mend from all the agony. I remember just 4 short years ago how excited I was to have realized a dream and purchased a brand new 2008 Viper AND became a member of the Southern California Viper Club and the Viper Club of America. The events (specifically) of the last few months have damped this enthusiasm for membership at the national level and especially the VCA. I know the VCA has made some progress lately but feel it is too little too late.

I feel that the Viper Owners Association has the right attitude and approach for us moving forward.

Hoping you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2014

[Kala]

Kala -

Their region is pretty much dead because they guy in charge refuses to do anything but has the system rigged so he can not be removed. I've been helping a group of guys who want to rebuild the region and in doing so we've had direct dealings with the board of the VOA who have been, shall we say, less than impressive. If things had worked out, I was going to spend more time working with the NV region to get back on their feet. Nonetheless, I've renewed my membership in SoCal since, in my experience, it's by far the best Viper club there is.

The VOA is set up to work from the Regions up, instead of Nat'l down to the regional level.

IMO If changes need to be made on a regional level, it is up to the NV members to make those changes. Not a Nat'l club stepping in, demanding changes of a regional club.

[Kala]

I'm with Hyper on the VOA membership, couldn't have said it better.

Can we get an update from the BOD?

We are quickly approaching the New Year, the VOA has over 1k paid members since Christmas day and climbing daily. VOA Charter Club status will be over tomorrow 12/31/13. Will the BOD of SoCal Viper make a decision in time to get Charter Club status?

[Kala]

And I just saw this... VOA Charter membership does have benefits...


SPONSORS DONATE PRIZES FOR CHARTER MEMBERS!

Everyone who joins the VOA by Dec. 31st will be entered into a
drawing for gift certificates from our vendor/sponsors.

Thanks to the following businesses for their support and contributions:

BAD BOYZZ VIPER GARAGE([email protected]): Two $250 gift certificates good towards Viper parts or service.

DISCOUNT ONLINE PARTS(www.DiscountOnlineParts.com): $200 gift certificate towards snowblower, lawnmower, and chainsaw parts.

DV8 Motoring (www.DV8motoring.com) Five $200-off custom-built forged wheel order over $2000.

IPSCO (www.ipsco.org): Two $100 gift certificates towards Viper parts/accessories.

NARRA (www.narraonline.com): Two 50% discount certificates off a 2014 NARRA time trial event.

PARTSRACK (www.partsrack.com): $100 gift certificate good towards purchase of Viper parts and accessories.

PLUS ZERO MOTORSPORTS(www.powerplantmotorsports.com): Two gift certificates for 3 dyno pulls for car of your choice.

UNITRAX DRIVETRAIN, INC: ( www.gounitrax.com )Two gift certificates for 2 quarts of differential oil for Vipers.
One gift certificate for 2012VP speedometer recalibrator for '92 -'02 Vipers.

VIPER PARTS LARRY(www.viperpartslarry.com): Three $150 gift certificates good for Viper parts.

[Sundiego]

I've joined the VOA. I know and trust Maurice and Janni. All 17 of the original VCA founders are now VOA.

I hope the SoCal club joins VOA. I know Randy B. is sick of all the club bickering and is joining neither. I will work on him to join.

[Speedtactics]

I think the important point here is that the club and or members decide to go one way or another, not based on prizes or low badge numbers.
We should make a decision because it's the right thing to do. the BoD, doing the due diligence and properly going though everything with the corporations bylaws and assets and making sure we do things legally and ethically for all the members. Other regions may have made their move weather what they did will have any legal implications will remain to be seen. SoCal club BoD wants this to be done by the book.

[Speedtactics]

Matt,
It's too bad you met the resistance with the VOA in making a change in your region. Keep in mind the people that are in charge just moved from the old club to the new club so.....
They didn't make changes in that region before when they where part of the VCA for what almost 10 years, now that they are the VOA you would expect that they would recognize the need for change there but maybe some things don't change.

Kala -

Their region is pretty much dead because they guy in charge refuses to do anything but has the system rigged so he can not be removed. I've been helping a group of guys who want to rebuild the region and in doing so we've had direct dealings with the board of the VOA who have been, shall we say, less than impressive. If things had worked out, I was going to spend more time working with the NV region to get back on their feet. Nonetheless, I've renewed my membership in SoCal since, in my experience, it's by far the best Viper club there is.

[Kala]

Damn it Hirk...
I really needed that new toaster!   

[Kala]

I can still post here Sundiego...

[MoparMan]

Matt,
It's too bad you met the resistance with the VOA in making a change in your region. Keep in mind the people that are in charge just moved from the old club to the new club so.....
They didn't make changes in that region before when they where part of the VCA for what almost 10 years, now that they are the VOA you would expect that they would recognize the need for change there but maybe some things don't change.

I definitely understand where the VOA leadership is coming from but the situation in NV is a very unique situation and is gamed in favor of the person causing the problems such that it can not be resolved without outside help. The group I was helping was operating under the impression that if we did certain things the VOA would recognize the new group as the NV region. However, the VOA chose not to do that and to go with the existing, problematic, leader. I understand and completely sympathize with their desire to take the path of least resistance, I have done the same and remained in the SoCal region.

Eventually, those running the VOA will probably have to do something or continue to live with a dead region with only a few (literally) members that are active and a person in charge of the region who is only president for the title and whatever perks he can pull out of it.

As both you and Kala can probably surmise, there is quite a lot more to the NV story and to why I have the impression of the VOA leadership I do. I'm more than happy to bore you with the details the next time I'm down there for an event! 

[Speedtactics]

Look forward to seeing you soon.