From the President September 2013
And I’ll see you… in September… Here we are in September… Summer a blur but not yet done and the crispness of Fall before us. There are Football games, First days of school and Formula 1 Finales before us, not to mention great ARPCA events. But before I get to all of that, I have to tell you that I just went through the August RS [Rundschau for those of you who’ve not yet had coffee…] and must express to you that I feel a major pang of pride. Our monthly publication has never looked better in the 2 decades I’ve received it. The art direction, layout, event images and content [from first time contributors!] are all simply wonderful and highly professional… My business, which funds my PA [Porsche Addiction] has a great deal to do with selling stories – taking a target demographic and enticing them to buy specific products to ensure that they will have a fulfilling life with the aforementioned products. Simply stated, you want to be the person in the picture… Well, having looked carefully at each page of the August RS, I not only want to be the person in the picture, but I also want to ensure a steady supply of the sought-after picture… Paul Nickoloff and Rob Hoffmann, along with Jack Purvis and Scott Ishler make each month’s newsletter truly spectacular. There were dark days in my two decades in our club when our monthly publication was nothing more than an 8 x 11 piece of paper, halved, stapled and mailed… So I want to start this month’s newsletter with a dose of thanks and congratulations to these people, along with all those who are supplying content [can’t wait for parts 2-3 Mr. Hopey!]. The Rundschau parallels the new-look Panorama both in style and content – groovy stories about a groovy bunch of people engaging in groovy activities. I, along with Greg Brady, tend to like that particular ‘70’s-era adjective…
In addition to our newsletter looking great on the layout and content side, have you seen the level of our advertisers? Talk about groovy [OK, I’ll stop…]. Both area Porsche dealerships, Henne Jewelers, Eyetique Eyewear, Howard Hanna Real Estate, Goosebumps Audio, Fotorecord Media, SGK Attorneys, Pecori & Pecori Attorneys [both of whom are great friends for those of us with a heavy right foot…] are all featured. Talk about groovy [Sorry, I lied…]. This publication goes out to 1000+ highly targeted, demographically sought-after people each month. If you, your company or a company with whom you do business wants exposure to an enviable and actionable audience, RS is the ticket.
Lastly regarding our newsletter, I want to thank all those who take the time to capture events with images. As I look through the August RS, I see so many cool images that are demonstrative of our club mantra that ‘it’s not the cars, it’s the people.’ From my former 986S winning its class in the PVGP Concours [it was never so clean under my ownership…] to the lovely Claudia Pryor rolling into Schenley Park in her 600 HP 911 Turbo, each image we see is a fantastic still of a moment in time to fondly remember. Most impressive in the August edition to me was the cover – a digital wash of the Porsches on the hill with tents and people in the background – really nice and highly memorable. And of course, there was the image of two members [identities non-disclosed to protect the innocent…] hoisting a packed cooler of adult beverages and enhancing the club’s ‘other’ manta of being ‘A drinking club with a car problem…’ Whatever the image, please keep them coming. It’s so cool to capture these life moments and share them with the club [and hopefully enticing ‘shy’ members to join in the fun!].
So after the PVGP, there were some awesome August events to review. First was the monthly club meeting at the Zeilinski manor. These guys simply know how to host a party. We started out on their expansive covered patio, cocktails and agendas in hand… But Mother Nature had other plans… We endured the initial storm but had to retreat when the drumming on the patio cover became too raucous for us to hear each other. Indoors then provided an elegant forum to conduct the balance of our club business. This ain’t Congress people… YOU are invited. Nobody is NOT invited. Come out and participate!!! We had new members AND one person who is planning to buy a Porsche in attendance. The latter was likely checking us out to see if he wanted to play in our sandbox. Happily, this same person [we’ll call him ‘Jim’] also showed up at our Driver’s Education later in the month as a spectator and for dinner, so we obviously didn’t scare him off… Thanks to Sandy & Bill for a great venue. Our September meeting will happen on the 12th at Auto Palace – PLEASE come out as these guys are gracious hosts.
Our home track DE [Driver’s Education] event at Pitt Race was a singular undertaking. Jim & Kathy Stout, the track owners, are making the former BeaveRun into a landmark facility. Thanks to the staff at PittRace [great South Track Tours!] and our own Track and Instructor cadre for making this event so memorable. I had the distinct privilege of instructing long-time club member, Dave Hergenroeder in his first track experience. Sidebar Your Honor… Your first track experience is like your first date with a highly-sought-after-someone… Its results can change the direction of your life… I think Dave may now need to enter the ‘track-junkie’ program at Betty Ford… While our first couple sessions involved figuring out which way the track turned, our last couple sessions involved my hitting his dashboard urging “throttle, throttle, throttle!” Dave was able to manage the track with his Boxster and truly understand what the German engineers wanted his car to do… Pretty sure he’ll be back. And I cannot forget to mention our event dinner, orchestrated by the lovely Melinda Clark [LMC]. 50+ people enjoyed a fine summer dinner after track events on Saturday evening. The penultimate moment was the dessert competition. Many entrants went well above expectations both in presentation and taste! Kudos to Melinda for serving up such a fine event.
Other notable events in August included the Wine & Shine at Thistlewaite Vinyards, where we proved that fine wine and Porsches are a perfect combination for raising funds and materials to support the UPMC Child Advocacy Back to School program. The AutoCross at the Greensburg Airport followed immediately by the Sushi & Speed event at Robokyo was a big hit for all attendees. Our AutoX team is eager for you to come out and feel [that’s right ‘feel’] what your car can do. There are instructors. There are other AutoXers who will be happy to help you. The only potential damage that can occur is to the orange cones… Your car will be fine [that is until you start down the dark path of performance enhancements…]. And I have to tell you that I’ve not seen one person consume so much raw fish as our own Scott Mores…
September is no less exciting as our previous months! Again, our business meeting will happen at Auto Palace on the second Thursday of the month. BE THERE! We have a NEW event that will benefit Make-A-Wish at Rivertowne Brewing in Monroeville on 9.15 from 1p – 4p. The Porsche-Only parking will provide ‘EYE-CANDY’ and there will be lots of great festivities benefiting the charity. BE THERE! Our last Driver’s Education of the season will happen at the storied Mid-Ohio track on 9.20 – 9.22. BE THERE! Our AutoCross #4 will happen on the 29th at PittRace. BE THERE!
So many events. So many good times to happen. I hope to see you there. It truly is a great club that we have. Please engage in it and come out to play. Thanks for all who make our club great & GUTE FAHRT!!!
NEW GERMAN WORD
“Groovy” translates as “in Ordnung “