Bylaw Voting Reminder
Communication Award Deadline Reminder
Homework Assignment
2006 Banquet Update
MATS Pressroom
2005 Election Results
2006 Budget
TWNA Internship Program Reminder
Next Board Meeting
Kolman's Korner
Still
Time To Vote
If you have not yet voted on the new TWNA bylaws, there still
is time. You have until November 11, 2005 to cast a vote-for
or against-the new bylaws. To review the bylaws please follow
these links:
www.twna.org/TWNA-NEW-BYLAWS.pdf
www.twna.org/TWNA-OLD-BYLAWS.pdf
The bylaws also can
be reached by going to www.twna.org and navigating to the "About"
page on the web site.
If you did vote,
thank you for taking the time to participate. For those of you
who had questions or concerns about the bylaws, Roxane Rose
is keeping a file of your comments. As soon as TWNA completes
the incorporation process, and as needed in the future, we will
assemble any proposed changes, including those generated by
suggestions from members, and post a ballot for the full membership
to accept or reject said changes.
Communication Award Deadline Reminder
The TWNA Communication Awards are open to entries from both
the press and marketing/PR sides of the trucking industry. There
are categories for writing, graphics, broadcast, websites, and
internal communications, just to name a few. Virtually everything
from feature articles, to press kits, to marketing brochures,
to magazine redesigns, are all included in the scope of the
program. Nearly everything except advertising is eligible for
entry.
Publishers are encouraged
to submit entries on behalf of their staff and freelance writers,
photographers, and graphic artists. Freelancers can submit their
own work if not submitted by the publisher.
The entries will
be peer-judged against a thoroughly refined and tested standard
scale. There is a small fee for each entry to cover the cost
of administering the program. TWNA membership, although encouraged,
is not required to submit entries.
The entry deadline
for the 2005 award program is December 1, 2005. The entries
must be produced for first use/distribution between 11/1/04
and 10/31/05. The entry form has been posted to the web as a
PDF file at www.twna.org/entryforms2006.pdf
A Little Homework for Winter Break
By TWNA OEM Director Derek Smith
Indulge me, please, and think back to your first essay, circa
fourth grade. Chances are the assigned topic was something along
the lines of "What my country means to me." Next,
get out your jumbo pencil and Big Chief writing tablet, substitute
"country" with "TWNA" and start scribbling.
What was started
17 years ago by a handful of trucking journalists as a clearinghouse
for Mid-America press conferences has grown to a 140-member
organization self-tasked to positively promote trucking, act
as industry watchdog over mainstream media coverage and generally
help everyone in trucking get along more amicably. It has a
formal governing structure, a respectable budget for a non-profit
organization of its size and representation from many of the
top trucking publications and other media, manufacturers, agencies,
suppliers and organizations. It has a respected voice, solid
history and promising future.
But, like many at
age 17, TWNA is on the cusp of being all grown up and not entirely
sure what it wants to be. It has a general vision with defined,
well-intentioned objectives but it needs support and consensus
of the full membership to reach maturity. The collective input
of members on how to realize that vision and work those objectives
is essential. The organization needs your input to continue
to be effective and to ensure it remains relevant to your needs.
Make your membership
matter beyond just paying annual dues. Be active, participate,
help shape the direction of TWNA and positively impact the industry.
At the top of the newsletter is a list of TWNA's press directors
and associate directors. They are there for your ideas and opinions
at any time. Use them as a resource, share what's on your mind
and find out how you can be more active.
Work for TWNA and
make TWNA work for you.
Banquet Plans
The board approved a proposal from the banquet committee regarding
the event budget and format changes for TWNA's 2006 Truck Industry
Awards Banquet. A TWNA member has been selected to receive the
Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recipient will be announced
during the banquet which will be held during the 2006 Mid-America
Trucking Show.
To encourage additional
press attendance at the banquet, to build TWNA's membership,
and to provide an additional membership benefit, a free renewal/new
membership will be included in the $60.00 banquet ticket price
for press attendees.
Our sponsorship levels
are each being increased by $500.00 for the 2006 Industry Awards
Banquet. While we do realize that budgets remain tight, there
have been some significant improvements to the banquet over
the last few years that have added to the cost. Among the notable
changes are:
Improved video
projection (2005)
Improved event photography (2005)
Exhibiting Communication Award entries (2006)
Subsidizing an increase in press attendance (2006)
Along with these
specific additions to the program, there have been incremental
cost increases in many other expense categories. We are hopeful
that we will not need to increase the sponsorship rates for
the next few years, now that we've had a chance to fine-tune
the program. The new sponsorship rates are: Platinum - $8,000;
Gold - $5,000; Silver - $2,500; and Bonze - $1,500. For full
details on the benefits associated with each sponsorship level,
please contact Tom Kelley.
Thanks to the Banquet
Committee - Jami Jones, David Kolman, Derek Smith, Don Alles
and Tom Kelley - for their hard work on this project.
MATS Press Room & TWNA
A committee consisting of David Kolman, Roxane Rose, Charles
Wilson and Tom Kelley worked on drafting recommendations for
the MATS press room. TWNA will be contacting show management
to discuss the proposal. Topics include moving the press room
closer to the press conference locations, providing interview
rooms within the press room, as well as providing guidelines
for PR access and maintaining an easy-going, pitch-free zone
for the press attendees to work or rest.
Additionally the
committee developed qualification guidelines to ensure that
press credentials and the related access are limited to legitimate
journalists engaged in covering the show.
Election Results
Elections were held for the directors whose terms are up at
the end of the year. Eric Berard and David Kolman were re-elected.
Sherry White of Truck-Lite will replace Don Alles as the Supplier
Director. Derek Smith was unopposed in the election for OEM
Director. Thanks to all of you who voted. Congratulations to
all.
The Budget
The budget for fiscal year 2006 was approved, including an interim
compensation package for the Executive Director. The board has
also decided to conduct a formal review the role of the executive
director as well as the compensation package. A committee will
meet during the next several months to formalize the job description
and compensation package for TWNA's Executive Director. If you
have any suggestions on this matter, please contact Denise Rondini.
From The Chairperson
I am more than a little disappointed in the response to the
letter sent out by the Scholarship Committee trying to gauge
the interest of TWNA member companies in "hiring"
an intern. I did not hear from too many of you.
We all talk about
needing to bring young people into this industry and the Scholarship
Committee -Mike Pennington, Mike O'Neill, Dan Barnhill, Andy
Haraldson and Denise Rondini - spent a great deal of time designing
a program that would do just that.
We are just about
ready to start soliciting funding for the program, but to date
do not have enough members who have expressed an interest in
"hiring" an intern. I put hiring in quotation marks
because hiring usually implies a cash expenditure in the form
of a salary. In this case, however, the money raised for the
scholarships would cover a salary/stipend for the intern. In
addition, TWNA Scholarship Committee would do all the leg work
of reviewing applications and selecting qualified recipients.
All you would have to do is put them to work!
This is an incredible
opportunity not only to get some free help-which I am sure all
of us could use-but to mentor someone who will go on to become
a truck writer! Please think about "hiring" and intern
and send me an e-mail (denise@konacommunications.com) letting
me know that you are interested. This program will not work
without member support.
The Next Board Meeting
The board will hold its next regular monthly meeting on November
30. If there are any issues or projects you think the board
should be tackling, please contact one of the following board
members:
Don Alles, Dan Barnhill, Eric Berard, Tom Berg, Bette Garber,
David Kolman, Denise Rondini, Roxane Rose or Derek Smith.
KOLMAN'S KORNER
What Are You Doing
To Help Prevent Terrorism?
As we have seen from
recent events, terrorism remains a serious threat. What exactly
is terrorism? Law enforcement defines teer
ism as the unlawful
use of, or threatened use of, force or violence against individuals
or property to intimidate or coerce a government, its citizens
or any segment thereof to further certain political, social
religious or ideological objectives.
To prevent and deter
terrorist attacks, each of us needs to be alert for things that
"DLR" - security speak for "Don't Look Right."
You can do your part
by recognizing, observing and reporting to law enforcement unusual
or suspicious persons and activities which might pose a security
threat, especially at or near key facilities such as government,
military, utility and fueling sites, roadways and infrastructure,
ports and airports.
Here are some possible
indicators of suspicious persons. An unidentified individual:
- Loitering near
a facility or in the lobby of a facility for an extended period
of time.
- Wandering throughout a facility.
- Dressed in oversized
or inappropriate clothing (for example a long heavy coat in
warm weather) that appears to be concealing something.
- Entering a facility
carrying an oversized backpack or a large suitcase.
- In a facility
with no visible company issued identification.
- Who when challenged
by a company employee, doesn't respond or doesn't provide
a reasonable explanation for his/her actions.
- Asking specific
questions about your facility (for example about security
related matters).
- Asking questions
about key agency personnel (for example their normal arrival
or departure times, vehicle, their parking space).
- Trying to deliver
a package or other item to an office or to a specific person.
- Photographing,
videotaping and/or sketching the exterior or interior of any
facility.
- Without proper
identification entering your facility claiming to be a contractor,
law enforcement officer, reporter or a service technician.
These are some possible
indicators of suspicious activity:
- Two or more unidentified
individuals observed loitering near a facility or in the lobby
of a facility.
- Individuals or
groups who are uncooperative if challenged by a company/company
security employee.
- Individuals or
groups who appear at your facility without prior notification
or clearance and claim to be contractors or service technicians.
- Unidentified
individuals attempting to deliver packages or other items
to an office or to a specific person.
- Unidentified
individuals attempting to remove property from an office or
a facility without proper authorization.
- Unidentified
individuals who appear to be conducting surveillance of a
facility (for example sitting in a vehicle for an extended
period of time and/or taking photographs or videotaping).
- An unidentified
individual observed placing an object or a package outside
a facility and departing the area.
Possible indicators
of suspicious items or vehicles include:
- Any unattended
backpacks, boxes, containers, luggage and/or packages in an
elevator, hallway, lobby, restroom, snack bar or stairwell
of your facility.
- Any item that
could be an improvised explosive device (for example items
with visible wires, antennas, batteries, timing devices, metal
or plastic pipe with each end capped or covered). NOTE: Untrained
personnel should not examine or move a possible improvised
explosive device and area must be cleared.
- Rental vehicles/trailers
parked near a facility, parked at or near the loading dock,
or located in the parking lot without prior authorization.
- Any vehicle that
appears to be overloaded or has any substance leaking from
it.
- Any vehicle parked
illegally or parked at an unusual location.
- Any type of vehicle
that appears to be abandoned (for example has an expired or
missing inspection sticker or registration plate).
Source:
Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security.
