Greetings MAMA members,

In a normal year, I would be writing this letter with a fresh batch of MAMA Spring Rally memories in my mind: boisterous conversation (and eating more than my share of fried fish) at the Lake Street Café, hustling a performance vehicle through the corners and cones on the Road America track, kicking up some mud on the off-road course, the sounds of music and merriment growing louder as I approach the front door of Siebkens for a rollicking afterparty.

However, as we are all painfully aware, 2020 is no normal year—for so many horrible reasons. In light of such widespread tragedy, suffering, and unrest, the fact that we have had to postpone the 2020 MAMA Spring Rally to the fall seems like a relatively minor hardship. We have made arrangements with our valued partners at The Osthoff Resort and Road America, and we are penciled in for October 26 and 27, with an arrival date of Sunday, October 25. Obviously, none of us can foresee exactly what the world will look like this fall, but our hope is to move forward and hold a “Sprall” Rally in some form.

The Coronavirus pandemic has upended almost every aspect of our lives, but there are silver linings to be found. Among those is our implementation of “eMeet” virtual presentations in place of our regular monthly meetings. We’ve had four so far, and more are in the works. It’s a far cry from seeing each other in person, but we’ve nonetheless had engaging presentations and productive Q&A sessions, and I’ve been delighted to see our non-Chicagoland members participating as well. We will continue our eMeets for the immediate future, and endeavor to retain a webcast component to our meetings when our in-person luncheons eventually resume. If you are an OEM or organization interested in hosting an eMeet, please contact Senior VP Harvey Briggs for more information.

In these uncertain times, I look forward to a future where we won’t need to wear out the phrase “in these uncertain times,” or the word “unprecedented.” And amidst all the unpleasant news, I see plenty of inspiring examples of human resilience, ingenuity, and adaptation. All of us at MAMA hope you are staying safe, healthy, and well.

All for now,

Damon Bell, MAMA President