PRESIDENT PAGE

President’s Column

Last Updated on December 20, 2007

Presidents Message

Departing Comments

As the December 13, 2007 membership meeting was my last membership meeting as your President I have taken this occasion to congratulate you on your selection of an officer team for the year 2008. I believe you have selected a group of officers that reflect an extraordinary level of intelligence, experience and competence. Those attributes include more that 40 years of ASC experience by Louis combined with the relative youth and outstanding professional capabilities of Mark, Brad and David. As such, there is no question in my mind that 2008 will be an outstanding year for our club.

In addition to the officers, I hope that you, the membership, appreciate the type of Board of Directors you now have serving the interests of our club. Unfortunately, I suspect that very few members have an awareness of the extraordinary amount of time, dedication and energy your Directors voluntarily put into serving the best interest of us all.

It should also be appreciated how efficiently your Board now conducts its business. Once the Board was reduced to a sensible size, and the makeup of the Board reconstituted, the efficiency of the club's deliberations increased dramatically.

For example, from a gross cash position slightly in excess of $70,000 dollars, an amount that would have created insolvency in as much as it was substantially less than the then current annual cash operating requirement, our gross cash position has since increased to approximately $189,000. It is essential that this occurred in as much as during the same period the club’s annual operating cash requirements have risen to approximately $113,000 plus capital expenditures which have been averaging approximately $35,000 annually. During the same period we have spent approximately $100,000 on capital improvements and, as of March 2008, we will have paid off a $50,000 emergency loan two years earlier than required in addition to which our $50,000 standby credit facility remains untouched.

Of most importance we have now memorialized financial control procedures that will serve to protect and continue that which has been accomplished. Initially, these financial controls were difficult for some Directors to become accustomed. However, today they have become second nature. This is a direct result of every Director having made a dedicated effort to cooperate from the day these procedures were first introduced. Without that level of cooperation very little progress would have been made.

Although it required a bit longer to accomplish our membership meetings now allow us to complete our monthly business without needless arguing and rancor. The time saved has provided me the opportunity to offer special presentations throughout the year such as; (1) a presentation by the Sig Arms Company, (2) a Cowboy Shoot Demonstration, (3) a NEMLEC-SWAT demonstration, (4) a GOAL presentation on legislative matters and (5) the presentation a few months ago by Lt. Posselt, a young marine officer having recently returned from active combat in both Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Progress in other areas such as establishing the vital post of security officer, pursuing an active community relations effort, enhancing our new membership efforts and many others also would not have been possible without the professionalism and dedication of your Board.

I therefore wish to publicly thank them for the incredible support and cooperation they have provided me during my tenure as Treasure and the past two years as President. It is my hope that you, the membership, will from time to time, express your appreciation to them as well.

In closing I also wish to thank you, the membership, for allowing me to serve you the last three years. It has been an endlessly interesting and always rewarding experience and I pledge to you, the members, as well as to your newly elected officers and Directors, my unqualified support for their efforts during 2008.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

Dick Reichter

Thank you, Dick.

I would like to take a few moments of your time to review where we are here at ASC and where we are going.

I joined ASC in 1965, that's a long time ago…You could say this is not your grandfather's sportsmen's club we’ve come a long way.

I have been a member of your Board of Directors for 8 of the last 9 years – but never have we made such progress and improvements than in the immediate past three years.

We have a financial system, budgetary controls, and facilities, described by the MA State Police, as the Taj Mahal of sportsmen's clubs in the state.

Our facilities are not only the finest, but they are monitored by an outstanding group of range directors who are dedicated to providing you with the finest facilities under the safest conditions.

Our capital improvements are well funded and are progressing on schedule. We hope this year, to make several needed improvements to the main clubhouse here, without cutting back on the day-to-day operations of the club.

I would like to thank the Board for its work this past year, and especially to Dick for your leadership and direction..

You are a tough act to follow, but I shall do my very best.

Thank you.

Lou LoPresti

President Elect