Rocky,
I contacted my area Director and already got a reply on this issue.
Whereas I understand why you would like the national office in your
neighborhood, in Kansas, I have to disagree with your reasoning. If I
were in the Board of Director's shoes I'd be considering the following.
1. What cost savings, if any, can be realized by the move?
2. How much can SCCA get for their properties in Denver (I understand
they are very valuable and should fetch a high sum)?
3. I would want high-quality transportation options available to my
staff.
4. I would want a quality road racing faciity close by.
Now, Denver is getting to be a pricey affair for SCCA. It also has some
weather issues that makes transportation iffy in the wintry months. This
gets more important as more and more events are being run in the sunbelt
states during the winter. This is an issue for national staff movements
around the country AND for getting the national support vehicles to
events which is particularly important to the National Solo program.
Birmingham is putting in a VERY strong bid for the headquarters. Now,
most yanks have a tendency to look down their noses at deep southern
cities and people. But the fact is that Birmingham is in a beautiful area
with a nice all-weather airport and is only 2 hrs. from Atlanta airport
which is the busiest in the world with great connections anywhere.
There is a first class road racing facility being built in Birmingham
right now. And they are making strong overtures toward SCCA to move their
national office there.
Now, there isn't any more motorsports oriented part of the country than
the Southeastern United States. I know that NASCAR is responsible for
this but there is a HUGE support group of motorsports oriented and based
businesses in this part of the country. People around here LOVE racing. I
doubt the same could be said for Colorado or Kansas to the same degree.
Rubbing shoulders with other motorsports people, businesses and
organizations has its advantages.
Rocky makes the point about geographic center of the nation as being
important. Take a look at the map again, folks. Birmingham is closer to
the center than most people think (almost due south of Chicago). It's
south so the weather is good, and is a LOT closer to the population
centers of this country than Denver or Topeka.
I'm from the Atlanta area and you'd probably think I'd support moving the
headquarters here. However, the bid is to put the office up by Road
Atlanta. The Atlanta area isn't courting SCCA with many financial
incentives and the transportation issues would be more negative than
Birmingham, IMO. Why? Because Road Atlanta is on the opposite side of
Atlanta from the airport about 65 miles away. This means that the staff
could be stuck in some of the worst traffic in the country getting to and
from the airport. I'd wager they could get to the Atlanta airport from
Birmingham faster than from Road Atlanta during at least 5 hours per day.
If I were in the BOD's position I'd pick Birmingham in a hearbeat. Now,
for y'all who have never been down here and still have the images of
Selma and Montgomery in the 60s plus "In the Heat of the Night" images of
the south, you are in for a shock. This is a great place to live, work
and especially to race. I know, I've lived in every corner of this
country.
Ben Thatcher
Atlanta Region SCCA Solo II co-chair
Atlanta Region SCCA Director
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