President's Message by Ron Hall

Greetings Everyone

Autumn has arrived in the Tidewater region, most of the snowbirds are on their way down the ICW to warmer climes and stripers are making their way into the Bay for what we hope will be a bountiful fall season. However, with fuel prices at all-time highs, one wonders if this will significantly impact our businesses  will boaters use their boats less, will many make the switch from power to sail? Speculation aside, no one will argue that these are challenging times for marine businesses. Membership in TMTA enables you to meet these challenges and discover new opportunities through the exchange of ideas, the sharing of the collective knowledge and experience of its members, and up-to-date information on industry trends and issues affecting us all. In reviewing responses to the surveys we recently conducted, most if not all members indicated that networking was the most valuable benefit to membership in TMTA. With this in mind, the Board has decided to expand the allotted social time at meetings and give members more time to network with their peers. Along these lines we recently created a TMTA Yahoo Group which essentially is an email list that any member (or non-member) can join. Once you join, you can post messages which will be sent out to all those on the list. I believe that you will find this to be a valuable resource and allow the exchange of ideas and communication with your peers to continue beyond the meetings. Many of you also indicated that the reading of the minutes, the Treasurers report, etc were tedious and so it has been decided that we will dispense with those items at the meetings and include them in the newsletter only. Finally, since many members were not receiving newsletters and other emails, we are in the process of implementing a new system for managing our communications which will ensure that every member receives a newsletter and other important updates. I hope that these changes will add more value to your membership and give you the tools with which to manage your business more effectively. See you at the meeting!

Best Regards, Ron Hall

Continue reading the current TMTA Newsletter in PDF format: Addendum to November Newsletter