Annual Report - RAA

AssociateMemberCouncil2007-2008AMC Chairman’s ReportAssociate Member Council BoardJuly 2008ChairmanRick TownsendAAR Aircraft Servicesrick.townsend@aarcorp.comVice ChairmanKarla CaddenARINCkcadden@arinc.comMembersJohn BuckleyATR North AmericaBarry MacKinnonBombardier AerospaceMark HaleEmbraer AircraftTerry HiblerFlightSafety InternationalCarl SwaabekGE AviationTodd FreemanGE Capital Aviation ServicesAl AinsworthWorld Fuel ServiceBrent JohnsonMidwest AeroTom TatroPacific Propeller InternationalI would like to open my report by saying a “Huge Thank You” to all the Associate Members whocontribute in so many ways to the success and continued funding of the RAA. Without this support,Roger Cohen and his talented staff would not be able to do address all the important issues thataffect the regional airlines directly and the Associate Members in-directly.Your AMC Board is made up of individuals and companies from all facets of the regional airlineindustry with diverse views and knowledge. Our main goal is to represent all the Associate Membersto the RAA as well as the airline presidents and CEOs who make up the Presidents’ Council.The AMC Board set seven ambitious goals this year:• improve communications• find and maximize additional funding for the RAA scholarship fund• revitalize key memberships on the board• improve access for the Associate Members to airline management• improve communications to the Associate Membership• continue to grow the RAA Purchasing Forum.I am happy to say with a lot of hard work from the AMC Board members we improved in all ofthese areas.We revitalized several board member positions with more to be elected during the 2008 Fall meetingOctober 28-29. The RAA scholarship fund raised over $3,100 this year and instituted even moreways to raise money for next year’s students. We reviewed six candidates and awarded three winnersthis year.Through better communications, the AMC provided tools and marketing ideas to the RAA Board toincrease the Associate Member membership and expand the RAA’s foot print into some other keyairline market segments. The Purchasing Forum, under its new schedule and format, was once againa great success with 31 tables, 29 airlines and 121 vendors attending. Thanks to all the volunteerswho make this work.Finally, the City of Indianapolis was a great venue for all the great RAA activities – Bryan Bedfordand his team of folks at Republic Airways did a great job in being this year’s host airline. This AnnualSpring Convention was a great success with many new exhibitors, a record number of attendeesand near record Associate Members booths at 178.Committee ChairsTom VickAverett UniversityJerry SchumakerU.S. TechnicalI sincerely wish all the best to every RAA Airline and Associate Member as we once again fightthrough another turbulent period in our industry. Meanwhile, regional airline history (which manyof us have lived through) shows that if we all pull together, we will be successful in our endeavors.Sincerely,R. Rick TownsendChairmanRAA Associate Member CouncilRAA 2008 Annual Report 77Associate Member Directory