President’s Message 20 20
byGreg Chiecko OABA President
Dear OABA Member:
First and foremost, THANK YOU! The fact that you are receiving this issue of Midway Marquee indicates that you are an active member. The OABA is a membership-based organization and we cannot continue the good work we do for our industry without individuals like you. Please continue to encourage others to join or renew their membership with the OABA.
Thank you for your warm welcome as the new President and CEO of this fine organization; everyone has been so helpful during this transition year. Every time I reach out for assistance or guidance from someone in the industry, they do their best to help me and the OABA. It is heartwarming to be involved with such a great industry of committed individuals who place the greater good of everyone on the top of their priority list.
I am happy to report in the first year we have successfully hired two new individuals to the OABA team. Sue Gallup, administration and member services manager, and Tim Kwiatkowski, director of sales and member services. These two individuals are completely committed to our organization and the goals set forth to move it forward. If you have not had an opportunity to meet or interact with your OABA staff, please give them a call or drop them an email. Al DeRusha stands ready to help with all things Jamboree.
Also, this year we moved the office from Winter Park, FL, to West Springfield, MA. Thanks to the generosity of Eugene J. Cassidy at Eastern States Exposition, we have a great office space at a very affordable rate. Bob Johnson has been an invaluable asset to our staff and has concluded his contractual obligation to OABA as of the close of 2019. Thank you, Bob, for all that you do to “make our industry a little better every day.”
From a financial perspective we had a fantastic year. We have switched our fiscal year to a calendar year which gives us better reporting of our finances in a timelier manner. We have separated our H2B income and expenses to ensure that we are only spending resources dedicated to that effort and not depleting our resources of member services. Thank you to all who support the H2B effort. For the first time in several years, we finished the year with excess revenues. We can now start to replenish our investments that we have drawn upon in recent years. We continue to expand our membership and participation in our fundraising programs.
I have spent a great deal of time on the road to meet, and listen to, as many of our members as possible. I started the year in Brownsville, TX, to attend the Twentieth Century Rides Jammin’ Jamboree — it was so cold that night that we had to postpone the Jamboree to the next evening. I was also able to attend Jamborees at A Fantasy Amusements, Wade Shows, Rosedale Attractions and NAME. I intend to eventually make it to all our Jamborees; it will take a few years.
I have attended three ASTM meetings in the past year. It is extremely important that we add input to the standards created for Amusement Safety from the mobile industry. I had the privilege to attend the Florida Federation of Fairs, Ohio, Illinois and Western Fairs conventions, as well as several fairs and carnivals including LA County, Washington State Fair, Central Washington Fair, New York State Fair and several others. It will take time to get around the country to visit the hundreds of events that take place each year, but I am looking forward to getting to them all.
As we move into 2020, the OABA will expand our content offerings for VOLT — Virtual Online Training Program. We will expand our member benefits and seek to find affordable health care options for our members, while at the same time, continuing our advocacy for a permanent fix to our temporary foreign labor issues. Improving our website and social media communications are priority items and we will work to update our safety messaging for the public and media.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, officers and staff, we wish you all a successful and safe 2020 operating season. We all do important work in hosting millions of guests every year. If there is anything, we can do to make your operation and our industry stronger, please let us know.
OABA
midway ma
rquee2020 EDITORIAL 1
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