P.C.A. News
January 2008
Presidential Pointers from Rick Propas
On behalf of the Board, I would like to wish everyone a happy and
healthy new year. I hope everyone had a good holiday season, filled
with joy and that all of you found some sort of pen-related goodie
unter the bush, tree, or mantle.
Despite having taken time off to be with our families, we have been
busy. The Board of Directors of The Pen Collectors of America is
pleased to welcome on board our new treasurer, Russ Ewert. More on
Russ later.
The treasurer's is a key position within the PCA. Like board members,
he is a volunteer, yet he carries a tremendous burden in keeping
records, reporting finances and assuring compliance.
In fact, we are currently looking for an assistant to work with Russ.
If you or anyone you know does not mind data entry and seeks to learn
the ins and outs of non-profit management, this would be an ideal
position.
Speaking of volunteers, those of you who filled out interest forms at
the Columbus Pen Show in November, should expect to hear from one of
us soon. We have not forgotten you.
Elsewhere in this issue you can also read about plans for our new Web
site and find out how to help shape it.
Please accept our best wishes for 2008 and, as always, we appreciate
your support for the PCA. This year, help spread the word.
And if you have any questions or comments or suggestions please feel
free to contact Rick Propas).
Meet Russ Ewert, Your New Treasurer
Russ Ewert graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in
Business and Law and taught accounting and finance. He has conducted
"Fundamentals of Finance for Non-Financial Executives" seminars
around the country
He began his banking career at the First National Bank of Chicago's
Commercial Banking Department and was elected a Vice President.
Subsequently, he went to Drexel National Bank as CEO and President.
In retirement, he consults with troubled (profit challenged) companies.
During his career, Russ felt the need to give back to the community
and has volunteered with many not for profit organizations (NFP).
He represented a multimillion-dollar NFP, working with Chicago's
largest law firm, during an IRS audit concerning the 501(c)(3)
accounting and activities and successfully represented a bank that
the IRS was trying to close for violating the Patriot Act and cash
reporting requirements.
While working with the PCA, Russ is committed to a transparent and
integrated accounting system with an audit trail in place.
Russ claims to know more about business and organization than about
pens, stating that "several members who have sold me pens ( thus have
cleaned the depths of their collections) can attest to my knowledge
of pens."
Member Outreach by Kim Svabik
The PCA is taking a leap into 2008 with a strengthened presence that
will be felt by the pen community, PCA members, and future collectors
of all ages. We are proud to announce the upcoming debut of a new
display at the February Los Angeles International show
A desire to visually identify the PCA mission and programs, as well
as making a commitment to the pen community solidified the board's
decision to move forward with this project as a first step toward an
integrated marketing strategy for the PCA. Our goal is to attract
interest by visually pulling people to the display booth, allowing
direct dialogue with our members, as well as, signing up new ones.
The benefits of increasing awareness and interest at pen shows adds
value to the Pen Collectors of America mission and programs.
Help Us Design a new, interactive PCA Website by Linda Bauer
The PCA board is inviting feedback from members (that means you!) for
a proposal for a new Web site design for the Pen Collectors of America web site.
At our board retreat last August, we discussed providing improved
services to PCA members and as part of that, we decided to start work
on a more interactive PCA Web site. It had been several years since
the original site had any design changes, and the "frames"
architecture was outdated.
The board discussed a number of ways the Web site could be of more
service to members, such as having a downloadable electronic Library,
more up-to-date news and events, and possibly even our own forum.
We recently made some updates to the Web site to freshen the look.
The site currently has PCA News, pen show information, reports on
Pens for Kids activities, and downloadable copy of the bylaws.
But before we launch any major redesign effort, we want to hear from you.
What would you like to see in the future on the PCA Web site? What
kind of information should be available for pen collectors, and what
kind of functionality should our Web site have? Should it have a
members-only area on with login required? Would you like a
downloadable electronic library where you can download pen
information for a small fee or for free? Would you like the ability
to post photos of your pen collection, do pen reviews, write articles
for posting?
How about a PCA wiki or moderated forum?
Send comments and suggestions to Linda Bauer
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