"Parrthenon" wrote in message
...

My solution for the USCF's problems is two-fold: 1. Hire someone
as ED
who has proven that he can make money for the Federation (Al Lawrence,
first;

Can't afford him.

or Gerry Dullea);

Too late.

and 2. Begin assuming right NOW that the move to Tennessee
will be a thermonuclear experience. Everything that can go wrong, will go
wrong.

My thoughts exactly.

I would favor putting Frank Camaratta in charge of the moving
operation
with Al Lawrence serving either as interim or permanent ED if he is
willing.
If Camaratta succeeds in getting the Federation moved from New York, where
chess exists, to Crossville, Tennessee, which has no roads of any kind
(not
even footpaths, I hear) and if he is held to have made the experience a
single
megaton blast disaster rather than one of those old Soviet 90 megaton
explosions in the Arctic, then he can move in as ED if Lawrence is in an
interim capacity.

None of that will come to pass.

(As everyone knows, Camaratta is slavering at the chops to become
ED;

Highly unlikely.

and the price exacted for transferring a politician into the ED's seat
ought to
be several months of 100-plus hour weeks serving the as chairman of making
the
move.)

The idea that some guy is going to step in as ED, who is largely
unfamiliar with business and chess, and then oversee the move to
Crossville, is
cockeyed. The new ED must be an experienced chess person who knows the
national office. There will have to be a second physically energetic
figure
heading up the move, separate from the ED, who will be working 100-hour
plus
weeks just to keep the Federation afloat.

Maybe we'll hire Sam Sloan. Might as well kill it quickly.

StanB

It's nice that you and Larry agree on this, but what about the Delegates
who are filled with special interests up the ying yang?

Bruce,

I understand the difficulty created by those who focus on making money for
themselves or their friends from the USCF or USCF events as well as those who
peddle influence for their own personal or state affiliate agendas. Certainly
in it's current condition we will see the vultures swoop in as they may better
line their pockets when the USCF is wounded or dead.

However, those who have been feeding at the trough would actually be better off
with a healthier USCF. We may be surprised that many delegates will do the
right thing under such conditions.

Regards,
Wayne Praeder

"StanB" wrote in message ...
"Parrthenon" wrote in message
...

snip

and 2. Begin assuming right NOW that the move to Tennessee
will be a thermonuclear experience. Everything that can go wrong, will go
wrong.

My thoughts exactly.

So why move? Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?
James B. Shearer

In article , James B. Shearer
says...
.

So why move? Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?
James B. Shearer

1. To sell the building to raise cash.
2. To get free rent for some period of time.
3. To get a new building at low cost.
4. To be able to hire better people at less cost than in the NY area.

Kevin L. Bachler

On 12 Aug 2003 09:40:14 -0700, Kevin L. Bachler
wrote:

So why move? Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?
James B. Shearer

1. To sell the building to raise cash.
2. To get free rent for some period of time.
3. To get a new building at low cost.
4. To be able to hire better people at less cost than in the NY area.

From http://www.chessnews.org/operations.htm

"The Federation will have rent free use of a building in Crossville
for about a year, and plans to obtain a 15-year construction mortgage
to erect its own building on the land, for which the payments will be
$4500 per month. "

This implies a construction project in the neighborhood of half a
million dollars, which someone will have to manage, and must involve a
certain number of unknowns. Does this really fulfil your point 3,
above, or is it evocative of a business plan from the dot com era?

In article , Mike Murray says...

On 12 Aug 2003 09:40:14 -0700, Kevin L. Bachler
wrote:

So why move? Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?
James B. Shearer

1. To sell the building to raise cash.
2. To get free rent for some period of time.
3. To get a new building at low cost.
4. To be able to hire better people at less cost than in the NY area.

From http://www.chessnews.org/operations.htm

"The Federation will have rent free use of a building in Crossville
for about a year, and plans to obtain a 15-year construction mortgage
to erect its own building on the land, for which the payments will be
$4500 per month. "

This implies a construction project in the neighborhood of half a
million dollars, which someone will have to manage, and must involve a
certain number of unknowns. Does this really fulfil your point 3,
above, or is it evocative of a business plan from the dot com era?


It really fulfills point 3. Whether or not USCF is capable of successfully
managing such a project remains to be seen.

Kevin L. Bachler

"James B. Shearer" wrote in message
om...


and 2. Begin assuming right NOW that the move to Tennessee
will be a thermonuclear experience. Everything that can go wrong,
will go
wrong.

My thoughts exactly.

So why move?

He makes good business sense.

Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?

Sorta.

StanB

Kevin L. Bachler wrote in message ...
In article , James B. Shearer
says...
.

So why move? Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?
James B. Shearer

1. To sell the building to raise cash.

The USCF could mortgage the existing building to raise cash.

2. To get free rent for some period of time.

How does the value of the free rent compare to the cost of
moving?

3. To get a new building at low cost.

So the USCF will end up with a mortgaged building.

4. To be able to hire better people at less cost than in the NY area.

I am not convinced this will prove to be the case. Some skilled
positions may be difficult to fill in Crossville. The critical
position is ED. Is that really easier to fill in Crossville?
Btw according to an article linked from mig's website the USCF
plans to move 16 people to Crossville. This does not sound like the
staff upgrade some are expecting.
James B. Shearer

"StanB" wrote in message
Is the USCF irrevocably committed to moving?

Sorta.

StanB

LOL! Another zinger from Booz

POWERFUL ARGUMENT

By Larry Parr

In what follows Wayne Praeder makes a powerful argument against my
position of seeking experience at this moment.

Larry,

Thanks to William B. Wright, here are some tidbits from the 1994 USCF Annual
Report:

Anything sound familar?

Exerpt from the President's report:

"We have experienced a record year in increased
book and equiptment sales. Membership growth
has continued uphill, to more than 74,000.
Ordinarily these factors would indicate a
period of financial growth, but, unfortunately,
this has not been the case. A portion of our life
membership assets invested in a stock fund has
taken a series of losses, due to market swings.
An accounting method used in balancing
previous budgets has been determined
inappropriate by the Finance Committee.
Our treasurer, Frank Camaratta, will be addressing
these matters in the financial workshop. At
a critical point in the growth of our Federation,
we are faced with a choice of cutting back or
seeking additional revenue to balance
next year's budget."

From the Executive Director's Report:

"The Policy Board and I are recommending that
membership dues be increased January 1, 1995.
We last increased dues on January 1 of 1989.
Since then, the Consumer Price Index is up
28.2 basis points. USCF's fixed expenses
have grown at an even faster pace, led by
postal increases - with another expected in
January 1995. Two world championship
cycles now make demands on our master
chess budget.
Moreover, we have enjoyed dramatic growth
among youngsters. That's marvelous.
After all, our future is with the young.
But the fees to such scholastic members have
been kept to a minimum because we see these
memberships as a sound investment. The
immediate financial implication is that this
great influx of members increases staff work
and expenses without commensurate income.
Some Paragraphs deleted
Our Policy Board is impressive in its ability to
sort out the priorities of the hundreds of
issues confronting it, and it is clear that this
Board's number-one priority is promoting
chess. They are volunteers in the truest sense,
working very long hours without compensation.
We're extremely fortunate to have them.
More deleted
Our goal is to break the 100,000 mark well
before the year 2000. With your continued
help, we'll reach our objective."

Regards,
Wayne Praeder