From the Desk of the Executive Director: Doug Truitt

2010  -- The Year of Change

Change. What does it look like? What does it feel like? It can be painful. It can be exciting. It can be confusing. It can be fun and progressive. Much depends on your perspective.

We at the National Business Office (NBO) have fully embraced the concept of change and have experienced all of these emotions during 2010. We have changed virtually everything at the NBO, from the way we answer the phone to the inventory we stock in the company store, employee health insurance, our desktop computers, and the culture of our work environment. The list of changes is too long to recite in this column. Nothing is the same.

One of our biggest changes was transforming our website and database. This task consumed hundreds of hours of work and involved dozens of people. As many of you have experienced, the new website is up and running. It is very different from our past website, and if you have not yet visited the site, we encourage you to do so. The new site is dynamic and full of useful features. We have designed it to be interactive with the MBCA community. Please become part of this interactive online community. The more members we have participating, the better the site will evolve.

Another major area of change focused on the club’s general insurance protection. Like the website, this undertaking involved hundreds of hours of work by many, many people. We are very pleased with the new insurance arrangement.

The changes implemented in 2010 have positioned the club to move forward and break the mold from the past. For the first time in a long, long stretch, our membership is growing.

My door is always open if you would like to hear more about all the great things we are doing.

 We are very excited about where the Mercedes-Benz Club of America is headed. We continue to focus on the future.