RAMBLER

March 2012 Association Officers

Harry Montgomery F336413 President Jim Crimmins F346017 Senior Vice President Jane Battey F284722 Secretary Wayne Pedersen F327289 Treasurer Region 1 Jamie Erickson F142560 Vice President 4 Corners Ramblers Chaparral Colorado Columbines Cowboy Ambassadors Cuatro Estados GMC Mountainaires High Plains Drifters Pikes Peak Rollers Rocky Mountain Smokey Bear Southern Colorado Majestics Western Slope Rovers Region 2 Ken Beall F308636 Vice President Nevada Gypsies Northern Nevada Prospectors Red Rock Rovers Rex-A-Haulics Rocky Mountain Coaches for Christ Rocky Mountain Country Coachers Rocky Mountain Monacos Salty City Ramblers Utah Eagles Vegas Blackjacks RV Club Region 3 Marvin Pitts F238252 Vice President ANASAZI Arizona Arizona Sun Chasers Desert Roadrunners Desert Rovers Foothills Snowbirds Frustrated Maestros Rocky Mountain Rockers GMC Saguaro Jetset

VISION STATEMENT

Through its character, behavior and actions, RMMA and the Rocky Mountain Area will be seen as the preeminent area and area association within FMCA and will present the organizational and functional model that all other areas will look to for leadership and guidance. PRESIDENTS REPORT
When I became Rocky Mountain Area Vice President one of my goals was to keep the members within the Rocky Mountain Area informed about the issues facing FMCA. As Area Officers, Chapter Presidents, and National Directors, you must have all the information necessary to move FMCA forward. As National Directors you are required to make decisions at the Governing Board Level and as such need all the information available to make informed decisions. As you are probably aware, FMCAs membership has been on a decline for several years now. We just received the yearend report and the report for the month of December. During the 2011 year we had a net loss of 7677 members. Our net loss for December was 992 members. Our active members at this point are 85,789 members. Our lost revenue for the 7677 members was $307,080. Unfortunately our membership continues to decline at the rate of 500 to 700 per month. Because of the economic downturn and major decline in revenue it is currently estimated that our revenue is only about 65% of our operating expenses. At this level our potential annual losses may exceed $1,000,000.00. We cannot sustain these losses for long and survive. It is estimated by some Executive Board members that we will have to withdraw one hundred thousand dollars per month during this fiscal year to meet expenses. There are many reasons for the current financial conditions but the list is too long to try to present them in the newsletter. On the revenue side, we are not able to maintain a level high enough to meet current expenses. Our revenues have declined dramatically over the past few years due to declining membership, lost revenue from advertising in our magazine, and losses from conventions. FMCA has taken steps taken to reduce staff, and operating expenses. The FMCA Executive Board had to make some tough decisions at the meetings in Cincinnati in November 2011. However, our job is not done. The Executive Board is looking into every corner of our operations to see what can be done to turn things around. As we develop plans I will keep all of you informed and up to date. There are several possible solutions, and all are difficult. Solutions may include loss of benefits, staff reductions, increased dues, and downsizing. In addition, every possible source of revenue will be considered to help bring our budget into balance. We will consider membership; smaller, more profitable conventions; allowing towables to attend our conventions, and new sources of revenue for our magazine. There is no question that our membership will continue to decline over the next few months as motorhome sales are down 39 percent over last year and towable are up 19 percent. However, there is some good news also; Tampa Show Sets Record, Good Sign for Industry The 2012 Florida RV Super Show set a new record of over 54,000

Page 2 PRESIDENTS LETTER contd attendees over the five public days of the show, which ran Jan. 11-15 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. According to the host Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA), this total is approximately 900 more people than attended the show in 2011. Exhibitors Offer Upbeat Reviews of FRVTA Show In the wake of last weeks 2012 Florida RV Super Show, which set a new record for attendance, several exhibitors offered upbeat comments about sales and the general mood of buyers. These reports can be seen in detail at http://www.rvbusiness.com/. Just maybe, we are beginning to see a turnaround in Motorhome sales and if so, possibly we will see an influx of new members. Of course, we will continue to seek everyones help in recruiting members to FMCA. I will make every effort to be up front, honest and factual in my effort to keep everyone informed. As additional information becomes available I will send new reports. In addition, Susan and I will make every effort to attend as many of your Chapter functions as possible in 2012. Your views and input are very important. I would appreciate your suggestions, ideas, possible solutions, etc. to our problems. I am always available if you should have any questions or concerns. FROM YOUR SR VICE PRESIDENT Contd most wanted to receive information about their attendance as a vendor. This is good news as we need more vendors showcasing their wares to make the rally a success. In addition to the vendor excitement we have a couple of substantial RV dealers who are seemingly interested in coming to Gillette. We have not even spent time talking with the South Dakota dealers yet, so this should also give our attendees a lot to do while they are in Gillette. We have also planned some new things for you to do this year. We will have pickle ball courts set up and try to get a tournament going, we will have regular bingo, and all of our guests who are over 60 will receive a free invitation to use the nearby recreation center. This center offers tennis, exercise equipment, an Olympic size swimming pool, and much more. Of course we will continue to have the activities we have always had. Our entertainment is starting to come together; we will publish it on the RMMA website when we firm it up. www.rockymountainarea.com. We are looking into some tours to nearby places, and will talk more about that next time. I hope you are planning on coming to the Rendezvous starting on September 11 thru the 16th. It will be a nice stopover for those of us who are returning from the national convention in Indianapolis, and those who are spending the summer in the beautiful Northwest. If you have comments or questions about the Ramble, please email me at crimminsmeister@gmail.com or give me a call at 623.261.9728.

HARRY MONTGOMERY, RMMA PRESIDENT NATIONAL AREA VICE PRESIDENT

FROM YOUR SR VICE PRESIDENT Hi to all of you Rocky Mountain RVers. I am sitting in the sun in Surprise waiting for the Super Bowl to start, and thought I would take a few minutes and bring everyone up to date on what we are planning and what we are doing with relationship to the 2012 Rocky Mountain Rendezvous which will be held in September in Gillette Wyoming. I am very excited about this years rally and particularly excited by the response we have been receiving from the FMCA family and vendors. During January Melva and I spent two weeks in Indio (I was on the parking crew) and another two weeks in Quartzsite working the FMCA booth. In both cases while talking with other members it was apparent to me that there are a lot of our RMMA families who are as excited as I am. The response we received in Quartzsite was remarkable. We had to make a run to Parker to find a copy store so we could run more copies of our Gillette handout. Since we were parked with the vendors, I had a dozen stop me and want to talk about Gillette, and

Jim Crimmins, Senior Vice President

REGION ONE VP, JAMIE ERICKSON Hello to everyone, March is upon us and time to start the spring season. The board has been working hard; a big thank you to Jim, Ken, Wayne, and Jane; they have helped me cover activities, and lent a hand on entertainment when I was stuck. Wayne helped get us the Army Band for Saturday night entertainment. The planning meeting will be held at Camplex, May24thth May 28 , so please plan to attend. FMCA and local chapters are losing members. We need to recruit so please help to get new members. I called about eight people from a list of members that didnt renew. Half sold their motorhomes, some forgot, and others were not interested, so I sent a list to all Region 1 chapters did not know anything about chapters; so I asked them to try us again. They are coming to check us out. GILLETTE RAMBLE: The Ladies luncheon will be 11:00am-2:00pm in downtown Gillette. There will be a tour & shopping,

Page 3 REGION ONE, CONTD followed by the luncheon which will include entertainment. The price will be $12.95 and you can register when you register for the Ramble. We will have new games, including pickle ball, as well bean bag baseball moderated by Al and Bobbie. There are many tours available (see the RMMA website). Entertainment will be great and as a special feature there will be dinner theatre on Saturday night featuring entertainment. An outstanding sit down dinner will be served to you and you will be wonderfully entertained. Again, watch the RMMA website for further details as they are confirmed. This years Ramble will be a first - we will have a reception for our chapter presidents. We are still in the planning stages and our menus will be chosen when we are in Gillette in May for the final planning meeting. Be sure to sign up for the golf tournament when you register for the Ramble. It will be held on Thursday, September 13th. I look forward to seeing all of you there! The entertainment for Gillette is now set: TH TUESDAY, Sep 11 : Card Bingo TH WEDNESDAY Sep 12 : Opening Ceremonies, Kenna Rose & The Frustrated Maestros TH THURSDAY Sep 13 : Afternoon Bingo, and evening CASINO NIGHT th FRIDAY Sep 14 : Hands N Harmony th SATURDAY September 15 : optional Dinner Theater & the Army Band. Any questions please email or call; jerickson@qwestoffice.net : 1-505-330-1380 2012 Ramble will be held in Gillette, WY. I am excited about going to Gillette even though it is more work for everyone to go to a new place. I ask that you take this opportunity to join us and show your support for changing locations. I am busy recruiting additional Captains/Co-Captains and planning all of my areas of responsibility. If you are interested in volunteering, we would love to have your help. Contact me and we will get you involved in the area of your interest. Gillette, WY will provide the chance to see another part of our great country and still have the great times we typically have at the Rambles. THINK GILLETTE. Jo Ann & I have also had the opportunity to visit two Chapters & we look forward to visiting others. If you are in Region 2 & there is anything I can do for you or your Chapter, please contact me at 702-419-1380 (c).

Ken Beall, Region 2 VP

REGION TWO NEWS, MARV PITTS On Thursday, December 29th, coaches began to arrive at Tonopah, Arizona for a New Years rally. By the next day, approximately 80 coaches had gathered. This rally, sponsored by the Arizona Chapter, with specific invitations extended to all chapters in Arizona, but with the welcome mat out to all FMCA members and guests, has become a traditional event at this time of year. The venue for this rally, Saddle Mountain RV Park, is located along Interstate 10 about 40 miles west of Phoenix at what used to be known as the man camp, which housed construction workers during the days when the nearby Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Plant was being built. It is now in private ownership and a first class RV Park has been developed. The buildings which used to provide living area for the workers, now provide the meeting rooms, dining room and entertainment area for RVers. The Arizona Chapter did an outstanding job of hosting. The rally included hosted breakfasts and dinners, entertainment, and, on New Years Eve night, dancing until the ball dropped in New Yorks Times Square. Games with prizes included Wii bowling, pool, horseshoes, crazy canasta, bean bag baseball, and several others. The congeniality of the crowd was contagious and it was good to see old acquaintances again as well as make some new friends. When the rally was over on the morning of January 2nd, all agreed it was a great time. Were already looking forward to next year!

Jamie Erickson, Region 1 VP

NEWS FROM REGION TWO, KEN BEALL RMMA had another great Ramble in Farmington last fall. This was my first Ramble as the Region 2 VP and I had a lot of fun. This past year has been a year of learning and a lot of work working on the 2011 Ramble and getting ready for the 2012 Ramble. For those of you that were at the Ramble, I sure you will join me in giving a big thanks to the following Captains and Co Captains that supported me and you in my area of responsibility: Signs - Denis and Hilda Pecoraro; Carts and Radios Virginia Hamilton and Arnie Thompson; Seminars Martha Gardener and Jo Ann Beall: Ladies Tea and Crafts; Lorraine Phillips; Pet Parade Melva Crimmins. If you see any of these great volunteers, express your appreciation for their efforts. They all put in many, many hours. At the end of the Farmington Ramble, the RMMA officers spent two days working on the initial planning for next years Ramble. We reviewed the input we received from the Ramble attendees on their desires for next years Ramble. We listened closely and the

Marvin Pitts, Region 3 VP