1st Magazine
Article as President
Growing towards the
Future……………
VIADA
is experiencing and will experience change over the next few years. I like the quote from King Whitney, Jr. “Change has a
considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is
threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is
encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring
because the challenge exists to make things better.” This past year we implemented our first big
change. We just held our first
convention in the middle of summer. It
was changed to July by a vote of the Board of Directors to attract more dealers
and younger dealers with families that could make this a working vacation.
The 2nd big change this year was the implementation
of required continuing education for all dealer/operators. There are three ways you can be recertified:
classroom, online, or testing at DMV.
Those that have been in business the longest are the first to be
recertified and I am happy to report while many thought “ you can’t teach an
old dog new tricks”, they are coming out of training very glad they attended
and they learned a thing or two.
Change is certain.
In the next few years, VIADA will be going through some major changes
with our staff. We need to embrace
change. At the April Board of Directors
meeting an ad hoc committee was formed called “Strategic/Succession Planning
Committee”, chaired by Sandra Moss.
Other members on this committee are Pete Iaricci, Joe Tate, Donnie
Keene, John Porter, Lois Keenan and
myself. Over the next months we will be
working to guide the future of VIADA. If
you have thoughts and suggestions, please contact Sandra Moss or any of the
committee members.
The world’s oldest man living in Montana died recently at the age of
114. One of his secrets to longevity was
“embrace change, even when the change slaps you in the face. Every change is good.” Change is certain, we can embrace it, look
forward to it and guide it. I look
forward to it because “the challenge exists to make things better.” Let us hear from you on your thoughts and
ideas for the future.
Let me congratulate Billy Mullins from Grundy, Va.
on being selected State Quality Dealer and the very touching posthumous award
for Quality Lady to Pamela Kershaw, wife of Howard Kershaw who left us in June
of this year. I look forward to serving
you this year. May you, your family and
businesses be blessed in the months ahead.
