Members,

Over the past couple of months (a year actually) we have been working with Rick Case Powerhouse on getting club members discounts for service and accessories. Rusty Johnson (General Manager) and I came to an agreement on this recently and now I want to forward it to you.

First of all, if you have been on any recent rides, you may have noticed I was wearing the new club t-shirt or the club patch on the back of my leather vest. Thanks to Ken Cimetta for designing this. He put a lot of work into an emblem that stands out.

Some members fronted the club money to purchase the patches and Rick Case fronted the club money for the purchase of the t-shirts. Both will be paid back with sales of each.

The dealership initially offered to sell the shirts at the dealership, but then I would not know who was a member of the club. Ken changed some features on the web site and you are now available to purchase the shirts and patches directly. Rather then mail the patches to you and incur another expense, I will drop off your shirt/patch to the dealership and you can pick it up there at the cashier window.

Before you can purchase a patch or t-shirt, you must be a registered member. Membership fees are only $25.00 a year for the entire family. This is very cheap considering what other clubs charge.

Now here is where the discount comes in. Rick Case Powerhouse will give you an additional 10% discount off your service/accessory purchase each Wednesday when you are wearing your club shirt or patch. Add that to your “Reward’s Points” and you get 20% off! With today’s economy, I need every coupon or discount I can get. If I were going to make a major purchase or service appointment, this 20% discount could pay for my membership fee and shirt the first time I used it.

There will be additional membership benefits. These will include the opportunity for free give-a-ways on club rides, ice-cream socials, members’ only events and more. The membership will decide what we do. Remember, this is your club, take action to make it better.

Questions and Answers:

1. Do I have to be a dues paying member to ride with the club? No, not for basic rides. But if there are special give-a-ways or free lunches, only dues paying members will have this opportunity. The easiest way for me to recognize you will be your wearing your club shirt or patch, but if you are not into patches or our club shirts, I will have a membership list in my cell phone.

2. Where does this money go? The club has some administrative expenses that we need to pay for. Adrian & Ronnie Sue Goldfarb have been offering their legal services to register the club as a “not for profit status” and there are federal fees to pay. HRCA charges the club a yearly registration and then there is the issue of insurance to consider. I would like to start having regular club meetings at local restaurants and the club could pick up part of the food bill. No club member can profit from any funds collected. The club would decide how funds are spent.

3. What is my place in the club? That is entirely up to you. How involved do you want to become? I would like more Ride Captains. Available positions are endless. Here are some samples: Welcome Committee, Ride Planner, Ride for Kids Task Force Member, Safety Officer, Training Specialist, etc. Or you can just be a member and ride with us and enjoy the great outdoors.

4. Will I still get all your wonderful emails? For the short term the answer is yes. But there will be special opportunity emails sent out to dues paying members only.

5. What privileges will I have using the club website? Working with the webmaster, you should have the ability to post comments about any given ride, pictures, make suggestions, etc. I would like to see a club bulletin board soon so you can post items for sale.

6. When does this start? What better time then now? I have the shirts in a wide selection of sizes, but only a limited number of patches left.

7. What if I already purchased a shirt/patch from you earlier? Thank you for your purchase, but you are requested to register as a dues paying member.

For registration, go to http://www.goldcoastriders.com On the right side you will see a tab for Register. This will allow you to choose a login and password. Next, log-in and go to the “Pages” tab to purchase your membership and shirts or patches. We are still trying to work out some of the bugs ( I should get an email that you registered and size shirt). I will send you an email regarding when you can pick up your shirt/patch at the dealership cashier. If you don’t hear from me within a couple of days, please send me an email so I can chase down the order.

Looking forward to riding with you.