Great Scott—The President Writes

by Scott Hutchings, President

Well, the AGM took place and, surprise, surprise, there were no surprises! ;-)

We have refreshed the Board of Directors and I take pleasure in welcoming Patrick Turner and Bob English to the Board for the next 12 months. Guido, Fred, and I were all reinstated as Directors. Fred was also re-elected to position of Vice President.

The newly elected Board stepped out of the room at the end of the meeting and held our first Board meeting. I am happy to report that I was reinstated as President.

Other than vacancies in Secretary, and Social and Discounts Chair positions, the balance of the Officers, Chairs, and other volunteers remain static.

Now, this club requires a Secretary. It is mandatory for us to have one and it is not something we can overlook. If we do not have someone in place by the time this article is published, take this as a heads up that the Directors will be actively looking for someone to fill that role.

As for Social and Discounts Chairs … well, this is your club. The Directors will be doing what we can to fulfill those positions … but it would be really great if someone would step forward and offer to fill those roles. As was stated at the AGM, it really doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to make these roles work for you or the club. They will only demand from you what you would be willing to put in. Of course, if the effort is there, they can also have a very positive impact on the club and the members.

Just so that we have no confusion about this, the Board is in complete agreement that we (the Directors) will not be filling the vacant roles this time around. The role of the Director is to Direct and it is our intention to do that. We can not effectively give Direction to this club if we are also doing a chunk of the work. There is a lot of positive things that we would like to be able to set in motion over the next 11 months, not to mention those things we would like to be able to set in place. For us to be able to do this, we are going to need some help from you.

If you have any inclination at all to be involved in the workings of the club, even if it is only to help someone else do their job, please let myself or one of the other Directors (or the individual you want to help) know as soon as you possibly can.

This club can only be as good as you want it to be.

On another note, SOCCI is currently looking at our major club sponsors. Sunoco has withdrawn their support from this (and many other) club this year. I am in the process of investigating the possibility of having either Shell or Imperial Oil/Mobil 1 in their place. Further details will be provided as we get more information.

2007 looks to be an exciting year for Saab enthusiasts. The Saab Owners Convention is coming up in August. Registration is now available at http://soc2007.eventbrite.com/

and hotel registration is up at http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/detnhhf_scn/index.jhtml.

You can follow the updates and get all of the details at http://www.saabconvention.org.

This appears to be one of the better organized events in recent years and I don’t think anyone could find issue with the choice of hotels this year, especially at the pricing available for convention goers.

2007 will also see JL Racing field a second 9-3SS for the first time. With the expanded team they have put together, this should be quite an exciting year at the track for both the team and Saab Canada. I would love to see our club support them at as many races this year as possible. Hint: if you are a racing enthusiast, the Social Committee Chair might be a great position for you!

Lastly, I want to put a question to you, the members;What are you looking for in The Saab Owners’ Club of Canada Inc?

More information about current Saabs or older Saabs?

More or less social events?

More technical car related speakers every month or are our meetings a chance for you to get away from "all things Saab"?

Greater access to discounts from various suppliers?

More technical advice for modifying your car?

Workshops guiding you through changing your fluids, replacing brake components, or something a little more challenging like updating your suspension?

Do you want to take more of our monthly meetings on the road and visit more dealers or other car-related businesses?

Do you want to use our monthly meetings to do other social events such as visiting the Toronto Aerospace Museum?

Do you want to have social events that our spouses, significant others, and/or children might like to attend … or do you just want to have events for club members?

Please provide any feedback or thoughts on these (or any other topic you might have) directly to me at president [at] saabclub [dot] ca

Until we meet again, Happy Saabing!

Scott