Officer’s Message

How time flies when you’re

having fun! I can’t believe we are half way through this

year already. The summer selling season is upon us, and it seems like there is some relief with inventory finally flowing onto dealers’ lots across the country. Unfortunately, dealers are still plagued with staffing shortages including technicians. Both of these items were major topics discussed at the NMEDA Strategic Planning Session in April. The Board of Directors met with NMEDA Staff and moderator Bob Harris to develop a vision for NMEDA for the next three years. The 2022-2025 Strategic Plan is being developed to not only tackle current difficulties the mobility industry is facing like the afore mentioned technician shortage, but to also create new tools and programs that add value to our members. Be on the lookout for more information about the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan soon!

It seems like yesterday we were all in Columbus, and now in just three short months we will be back together in Charlotte for the 2022 NMEDA Annual Conference. When Danny Langfield asked me to write the officer’s message for this Circuit Breaker issue (affectionately called the “Conference Issue”), he thought I was uniquely qualified as a North Carolinian who lived in Charlotte for over 10 year and a member of the Conference

Take it From a North Carolinian

By Catherine Martin, Ilderton Conversions

TREASURER, NMEDA

Committee. This year’s Conference is expected to be the best one yet for so many reasons:

Location

Flying to Charlotte is easy with direct flights from 137 cities within the US. The Charlotte Convention Center is located in Uptown Charlotte (not Downtown) and has many bars, restaurants and the NASCAR Hall of Fame within walking distance. If you can, plan to arrive a little early to see the sights of Charlotte before the conference begins. Uptown Charlotte is also home to The Carolina Panthers who will host the Arizona Cardinals Sunday Oct 2nd @ 4pm. Area hotels including our host hotel, The Westin, will fill quickly so make your reservations as soon as possible.

Weather

No snow boots needed this time! The average temperature in Charlotte in early October is a sunny 75-80 degrees so it should be beautiful. It’s also the perfect time of year to visit with the leaves beginning to change colors.

Programming

The Conference Committee & NMEDA Staff has been hard at work planning some ALL NEW for 2022 programs including a Sales Learning Track by Paul Webb (seats are limited so if you’re interested in this track—sign up today!) and Industry Roundtable Discussions (moderated discussions about the mobility industry with 8-12 people per table). Last but not least: Don’t forget our TECHNICIAN TRAINING! BraunAbility & VMI will be hosting trainings as well as the Manufacturer Service School and Turny EVO Seat Training.

Auction Fundraiser

The Conference Committee & Staff have been working to find ways to grow the auction and capitalize on the success we had in January. (If you hadn’t heard, the auction brought in just under $80K!) To assist with donation solicitation, we have developed a “menu” of items to help those folks who want to donate but struggle with what to donate. And we’re investigating how to bring the auction online, so that people who cannot attend the conference, or cannot stay through day three can have the chance to win some of the amazing items donated by our NMEDA Exhibitors and Partners. Stay tuned for more details.

Being a part of NMEDA, first on a committee, then as a Rep at Large on the Board and now on the Executive Committee has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my mobility career. I am so glad so many new faces have raised their hands to be on committees this year, and I hope some of you will consider running for Board Positions next year. If you didn’t get a chance to volunteer for this year, don’t worry Danny will be reaching out again soon for volunteers for 2023.