Looking to the Next Chapter

Looking to the Next Chapter | President’s Message | Jerry Holcom

Welcome to the second issue of MWACA Magazine. Our first issue appears to have been a roaring success—we received phone calls, emails and texts from many of those on the delivery list complimenting us on such a classy member-centered publication. Also, to our surprise, we received numerous inquiries from people outside of our distribution area requesting a paid subscription to the magazine. With all of the demand, we have set up a subscription process for four quarterly issues mailed directly to your business. The annual fee is $15 and more information is available on the MWACA Facebook page.

On behalf of MWACA, and from me personally, I’d like to extend a big thank you to the editorial advisory board for all of their help, and an even larger thank you to Chris, Bryce, Jordan and everyone else involved at 10 Missions Media for their vision and creativity putting this fantastic program together and following through with it.

Next, I want to say goodbye to everyone who reads my President’s Message in the MWACA e-newsletter and the MWACA.org blog, and to those who read this article in MWACA Magazine. September 21st will be my last day serving as president of MWACA. The bylaws allow a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms, and this is it for me. There is no way I can describe how much holding this office the past four years has meant to me; I am privileged to have served with a group of people who shared the same goals as me and who were willing to go out on a limb, taking a huge risk that we could fail. We knew if we succeeded, however, great things were going to happen.

My time as president has been the best experience of my life. I have met and become friends with hundreds of key industry leaders. I have had the opportunity to publicly express my opinions through the blog and this magazine. I have stayed involved in VISION as it has become the premier training and networking event in the country. During my tenure, I have honed my leadership skills to a point where I am much more comfortable chairing meetings, conducting conference calls and having one-on-one discussions that used to make me uncomfortable. Yes, I have also had that rare opportunity to give back to an industry that has been extremely good to me.

For all of that, the highlight of my term as president has been the relationships I have built with Heather Sebben and Sheri Hamilton. These two women have done more for this organization than anyone else I can recall, and Julie Gilmor, the “new girl in the office,” seems to be following the same path. I have known Heather’s father and grandparents for years and it is easy to see where she gets her values and spirit. Whatever job I asked her to do, Heather was ready to tackle, and she smiled the whole time she was doing it.

I don’t know exactly how to describe everything Sheri has done to make my term as president successful, so I’ll tell you what she has been: Sheri has been a student and a teacher, as we learned so much from each other. She has been an able assistant, always steering me in the proper direction when I forgot where I should be. And to say Sheri is a creative planning genius is understating her real ability. Sheri has been a travel agent, a nurse, an IT specialist (with help from Bob), a graphic designer and a psychologist. She has been a sister, a mother and a second wife.

But more than anything, Sheri has become a true friend and advisor. If I have been a good president, then much of the credit goes to this unbelievable woman. I know that as the new executive board takes over in September, they, too, will find the value that she brings to this organization. Thank you, Sheri, for all you have done for me and for the entire automotive repair industry.