ATA Action

ATA Attends, Sponsors AFWA Meeting; Introduces Mitch King

On September 18, ATA introduced Mitch King as its new Director of Government Relations to attendees at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) meeting. Funny thing was, King was looking out at an audience of many old friends and professional colleagues to whom he needed no introduction. King retired September 1 after nearly 30 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he worked with state and federal wildlife officials all over the country.

At a luncheon sponsored by ATA, King assumed his new role and quickly let national wildlife agency leaders know he was ready to get to work to grow archery and bowhunting. "We're pleased and proud that Mitch has chosen to continue his professional work with the ATA," commented Jay McAninch, ATA CEO/president. "Our industry has increased its FET payments to state agencies by over 60% in the past two years alone, and I'm pleased that Mitch has agreed to work with the agencies to see that some of those funds go to develop community archery programs, build and refurbish ranges, expand the National Archery in the Schools Program, implement the After School Archery Program, and expand and protect bowhunting opportunities. This is an exciting time for ATA and we're now positioned to become an even better partner with the state agencies in whom we've invested nearly all our industry resources."

King and McAninch joined ATA Director of Archery and Bowhunting Programs Michelle Doerr, and ATA Board member and Sales Rep Committee Chair Kurt Bassuener at the AFWA meeting in Louisville, Ky. The week-long conference is the annual meeting of all 50 state agency directors and includes the leadership of the federal natural resource agencies as well as the hunting, fishing and conservation organizations. During this conference committees address important issues facing state agencies, including the monitoring and management of FET funds, known as Federal Aid once the money reaches the states. Other committee discussions offer opportunities for states to share information about their work to grow the shooting sports and hunting, the development of education and training programs and a wide variety of habitat and wildlife population research and management efforts.

"I'm really happy to get the chance to work with someone who commands as much respect as Mitch does among the agency professionals," said Doerr. "I look forward to teaming with Mitch to help agencies grow their efforts to recruit archers and expand bowhunting. Any FET dollars we can add to ATA's investments in growing archery and bowhunting will make a difference."

Keri Collett, Director of Operations and Trade Show, Joins ATA Team

Keri Collett was recently selected as ATA's first Director of Operations and Trade Show. This position will direct the trade show, in addition to ATA's business, financial, technical and general administrative operations. Collett began work in ATA's Salt Lake City office on September 24.

Collett has had great experience in the business world. She worked for Hewlett Packard from 1987 to 2001 as a trade show and account manager, and took an early retirement buyout when she left HP. Since 2001, Collett has lived in Salt Lake City and has worked as a management consultant for FedEx Kinko's, Hewlett Packard, Best Buy and several graphics companies.

In addition to her vast marketing and communication skills, Collett has experience with administration, organization, business, financial, personnel and IT program management. She has led strategic planning and management efforts and is adept at developing and executing program plans and maintaining accountability while focusing on work products and outcomes. Collett is results oriented.

"Keri Collett is an excellent addition to ATA and brings much needed leadership to our operations," said Jay McAninch, ATA CEO/president. "We've grown our operations to where we're a $4-5 million organization with 12 employees and contractors working in six states. We have many substantive programs and work with a wide array of partners, which creates the need to maintain highly organized support systems. Keri will contribute greatly to the efficiency and effectiveness of our operation and will add to our collective skills in the marketing area as well."

Keri shoots archery and has recently begun bowhunting. She and her husband are avid outdoors enthusiasts and hunt with muzzleloaders in addition to archery equipment. She has been looking for an opportunity that combines her love for the outdoors and her diverse background and talents.

ATA Attends Archery Hall of Fame Induction and Reception

On Friday, September 21, Michelle Doerr, ATA director of archery and bowhunting programs was on hand as three remarkable individuals, William 'Bill' Bednar, Ishi and Dr. Dave Samuel, were inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame. Many other awards and honors were also presented, and past inductees were introduced.

Rick Bednar, CEO of TenPoint Corossbow Technologies and son of the honoree, presented his father, William 'Bill' Bednar, with his award. Bill began as a competitive archer in 1958 and won several National Championships as well as six gold medals in the Senior Olympic Games. His family is still active in the archery community today.

Glenn Hisey of Pope & Young Club provided a beautiful slide show while outlining Ishi's many contributions to the sport of bowhunting. Accepting the honor for Ishi was John Hernandez with the Archery Hall of Fame, who, along with a word of thanks, sang a Native American song in tribute to the legend.

Dr. Dave Samuel, whose dedication to bowhunting through his writing, research, teaching and work with the National Bowhunter Education Foundation was the final inductee for the evening. Presenting his award was M.R. James, President of Pope & Young Club.

To top the evening off, a large bronze statute of Fred Bear, created by artist Ben Watts, was unveiled in the Archery Hall of Fame Museum. A poem to legend Fred Bear was read by Billy Ellis.

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2008 Trade Show Updates

Trade Show Hotel Block to Open to All Attendees on October 1

The ATA Trade Show hotel block will open to all attendees on October 1. Members, if you haven't made your reservation yet, you better hurry! You'll need your special hotel passcode for reservations made before October 1. If you do not have your passcode, please call the ATA office at 866-266-2776 or login to the members-only area at www.archerytrade.org where you will find it posted. Hotel information is available on the ATA web site at www.archerytrade.org/tradeshow08/index.html. Click on Hotel/Shuttle Info. Three hotels have already sold out - the Marriott Downtown, the Westin, and the Crowne Plaza.

Exhibitors! Watch the Mail for Exhibitor Kits and Check Out
Sponsorship & Promotional Opportunities

Watch for exhibitor kits in the mail soon. This year you will receive ALL your order forms in one complete packet from Shepard Exposition Services. It will include forms to order decorating services (i.e. carpeting, tables and chairs), convention center utilities (electrical, sign hanging, etc.), as well as ATA exhibitor information and forms. Please read through all the material carefully, paying special attention to deadlines and where to send the completed forms. Fax numbers will differ depending on the service you are ordering!

Exhibitors - don't miss your chance to order a sponsorship for the 2008 Trade Show. Sponsorships are a great way to increase your visibility at the show. This year we've assembled the biggest selection yet with banners, stair graphics, column wraps, key cards, badge lanyards - just to name a few. Brochures were sent by email and will be included in your exhibitor kit. You can also view the opportunities online at www.archerytrade.org/tradeshow08/downloads/TS08SponsorBrochure.pdf. Promotions are sold on a first come, first served basis, so you'll want hurry to place your order.

The ATA also offers FREE promotions. You can order extra copies of the Attendee Registration Brochure to send to your customers. Stick some in the next order you send out or use them as a personal invitation for your customers to come to the show. We'll also send you a copy of the 2008 show logo by request. Contact cindybrophy@archerytrade.org for more information on promotions and sponsorships.

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ATA Membership Corner

ATA MSP Spotlight: Meridian One

Meridian One now provides a complete menu of business-to-business shipping services. Whether today's business ships lightweight envelopes, 250-pound shipments, or less-than-truckload freight, they can now call one number - 1-800-MEMBERS - for significant savings on time-definite delivery.

1-800-MEMBERS is an authorized sales agent for DHL, Roadway, Yellow Transportation, USF Companies & New Penn and UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Special discounted rates are available to Archery Trade Association members through 1-800-MEMBERS for shipping with the aforementioned carriers.

1-800-MEMBERS is not available to all companies or the general public. We are an exclusive resource for both participating trade/professional associations and their members, and large corporations and their customers.

Besides the competitive discounts that ATA members receive by shipping with the endorsed carriers, the primary advantage is the customer service. If you, the member, need service support or have special requests you will have the peace of mind knowing that 1-800-MEMBERS will provide a 'live rep' on the phone for you within seconds that will stay with you until resolution.

For more information, or if you would like to set up an account and start shipping today please call 1-800-MEMBERS ext. 303, or visit www.1800members.com/ata.

ATA Seminar Series Transition to Better Meet Member Needs

Beginning at this year's trade show, members will begin to see some changes in how seminars are addressed and their frequency. It's all part of a three year plan to help the ATA focus better on the needs of members and offer more comprehensive information and training to them. This year, ATA will implement the "Track" component. The tracks will not only help attendees pick seminars that are most relevant to their needs but also help the ATA improve its offerings and any content holes. This will help provide seminars and training that better meet the needs of members.

In a nutshell the tracks are as follows:

New Business Basic Training:
" Aimed at new retailers and manufacturers, seminars in this track will focus on the basics a new, small business should know in order to be successful in the industry.

New Member:
" Strongly recommended for any organization in its first year of ATA membership, this track will focus on the benefits of being a member and what the association has to offer. ATA Member Service Providers will be presenters in this track as well as ATA staff.

Technical:
" As in the past, a strong seminar presence for manufacturers and other archery equipment producers will be promoted. Presentations in this track will focus on specific equipment points such as bow tuning, arrow tuning, etc. Other topics are also welcome pending review, relevance and application to all ATA members.

Manufacturers:
" The focus here will be on topics that have the most relevance to the needs of the industry's manufacturers and producers. Topics such as legal and financial issues, taxation, FET, employee relations, etc. will be included.

Retailers:
" Topics to help retailers become more diverse such as employee training, starting school programs, basic retailing tips, building community archery programs, working with the state wildlife agency, customer relations, etc. will be the focus.

General Interest:
" Topics that don't naturally fit in any of the other tracks will be in this category. Also, information that is relevant to all members and organizations in the industry will fall into this track. Topics will include information on government programs and legislative information.

ATA Members: Your Username and Password Give You Access to
Important Online Tools

ATA recently mailed letters to all members providing each with their ATA online username and password. This username and password is used for online member tools, and is the same username and password members will use to access 2008 Online Trade Show Registration. Look for your information in the mail or call the ATA with questions at 866-266-2776 x202.

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IT Happens - a note from DJ

While many of us may choose a 'need to know' approach to IT, others may be thrust into the unknown - learning to know what they may have previously thought was better left unknown. That happened to me recently when I was donned the 'IT Project Manager' for ATA's recent IT transition. Suddenly I found myself explaining terms like "IT migration" and "terminal environment" and "mapping to the newly synched drives within the terminal versus the 'my docs' files that had previously synched to the mapped local drive on our in-house server." "Oh no," I would say as someone tried to send an email during the migration. "You can use the OWA login information to send email but until your contacts have been populated, you must access your contact information in your local Outlook cache." Huh?

What does all this mean and why does it make my head hurt? What it means, and what you need to know, is that ATA is undergoing a transition to make its contact database more accessible and functional to ATA staff so we can work better with our members and partners. In order to do this, ATA moved all of its previously 'in-house stored' information to an external host, a company that happens to have expertise in the Navision database we use to store all this information. They are helping us configure our database contacts to better serve our members. Pointed communication pieces? You bet. Enhanced member interactions? You bet - take a look at online registration when it opens up next week. Shared areas to work on partner projects? You bet. External access to update and utilize our database? You bet.

While we complete our transition, there may be some minor hiccups. For example, you may have tried to recently send one of us an email here or there that didn't go through correctly. Don't worry - it was just because the MX records weren't pointing to the new……you know what I mean!

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