CVOA Organizational Changes

1) Elections for Executive Officers and Regional Directors

The CVOA is now using a 3 year term for elected officials. The elections will be held on the CVOA Website, www.cosworthvega.com . All members will have the ability to vote for any official on the ballots (yes, any Regional Member can vote for a RD of a different Region). Submission to be put on the ballot should be submitted to the President of the CVOA at least 3 months before the election cycle begins. The election cycle will be for the calendar month of May, and two to three officials will be elected each year. This allows each official to commit to their role for at a minimum of three years. The Officials Elected will be staggered, one to two Executive Officers and one to two Regional Directors per year. Here is the breakdown per year.

Year One – CVOA President, Northeast Region Director.

Year Two- CVOA VP of Membership and Finance, Southeast Region Director, Midwest Region Director.

Year Three- CVOA Webmaster, CVOA VP of Merchandise, Western Region Director.

The First election cycle will begin in May of 2019. The Elected Official will take over the role they are elected for in July, following the elections. Election Results will be posted on the CVOA website in June, after the elections.

Please submit in an e-mail or written note to be considered for the Ballot to the CVOA President. (current CVOA President E-mail is cvoapresident@hotmail.com) Any questions or comments, please send them to cvoapresident@hotmail.com.

2) Hall Of Fame Members and Honorees

For almost 40 years, the Cosworth Vega Owners Association has been in existence in one form or another. From its initial creation, and even before, there are significant individuals that have contributed to the Creation of the Cosworth Vega name plate, and the perseverance and vision to create and evolve an Organization dedicated to the preservation of that nameplate. The CVOA Hall of Fame has been created to Honor these people who have significantly contributed to the Cosworth Vega and the Cosworth Vega Owners Association. The committee to choose the yearly honorees will be comprised of individuals chosen by the CVOA President, and the names of those inducted will be honored at the CVOA National Roundup. The Charter Members of the CVOA Hall of Fame class will consist of 9 honorees. Each year following 1-2 deserving individuals will be chosen.

This year, The CVOA Honors the following for 2018;

Bill Howell, Bob Maloy, Bill Hutton, Cal Wade, Bob Higman, Clark Kirby, Herb Fishel, John DeLorean and Robert Bowen.

These individuals helped to Create the Cosworth Vega, the CVOA, and the Legacy of the Cosworth Vega Racing Heritage. To see each Member’s individual contributions, check out the CVOA Tab at www.cosworthvega.com .

3) Retirement of the Robert A. Maloy Award

The individuals of the Robert A. Maloy Award have helped to establish the CVOA as the entity it is today. This Award, and its honorees, are displayed in the “Hall of Fame” Section (under the CVOA Tab) of the CVOA Website. These Honorees and this Award hold a special significance to the CVOA and the contributions these individuals gave to the CVOA. We are retiring this Award to focus on the Hall of Fame Inductees going forward.

4) New CVOA Website Has Gone Live www.cosworthvega.com

The new CVOA Website will serve as the backbone of the structure that is the CVOA. Data archives, Cosworth Vega Registry, Membership database, National Roundup Registrations, Interactive Forums for Members, Photos, CVOA Elections, and CVOA Merchandise transactions will flow this website, allowing a more one stop shop for any and all CVOA activities. Each Member can sign in with their own personal e-mail and private password, allowing for easier useage. Also, the site can be accessed through mobile devices! This was a HUGE undertaking to get this site up for the Membership. I highly recommend Members check it out, look through the tabs, and interact on the Forums, and with your RDs as well as the Executive Committee! We value any and all feedback, both positive and negative. There is even a forum dedicated to just that! Please, use the website as a valuable reference tool for your enjoyment of your CV!

5) Elimination of the “Directors Meeting” held at the National Roundup

One of the more cumbersome, and sometimes adversarial, parts of the CVOA National Roundup was the Directors Meeting. With the creation of the new website, we are now able to hold a Directors Meeting through the website. This will allow more participation, if Members choose to participate, and to allow more Members to any topics that will be discussed. This will be held on one of the forums of the CVOA Website. Topics to be discussed will be Finances, Membership, Merchandise Sales, and other topics that may arise. The main month for the Directors Meeting Forum will be June, but other topics can be discussed throughout the year.

6) CVOA Heritage Award Introduction

This was the first year we were able to roll out the CVOA Heritage Award. This a Concours type Award, rewarding owners for the preservation of a CV to as built standards as the cars rolled off the GM Factory Floor. Original and Restored Cars are eligible, there is a process to be chosen. The judging is done at National Roundups. We had two cars chosen for this year, and one earned “Gold” and one earned “Silver”. This is a much more intensive judging standard than the regular CVOA Concours Event.

7) Reduction of Regions from 17 to 4 Regions

We have reduced the number of Regions to 4. Each RD has their own Webpage through the Website, and their own Forum on the Website. These help to eliminate the need for Regional Newsletters. Both the Regional Webpage and Regional Forum serve as the sounding boards and communication boards to interact with the Members for the RD, and for the Members to interact with the RD. This also allows the Members in each Region interact with each other on a common place, to possibly meet up for a Cruise In, Car Show, Activity, or just for technical advise or assistance in a particular issue. This also allows a more real time interactive place than using snail mail to deliver pertinent, or timely information.

Regional Directors are also responsible for having at least one Regional Roundup each year. The Director can help facilitate an event by communicating with the other Members in his or her Region if they cannot personally host it, or to be the host for that particular event. With the cost going up for travel for attending a National Event, it is much more imperative that Regional Directors take an active role in making sure their Region has these Regional Events, so the co-mingling of Members and ideas can happen. If you have interest in hosting a Regional Roundup, or have ideas for a Regional Roundup, please, contact your RD! They are there for you, and are more than willing to assist in any way they can.

Regional Directors are most effective when the Members in their Region interact with them. Whether it is ending an e-mail or a phone call saying hello, or sending pics of a local show you attended, or sending pics of your project as you go progress, or just to tell a fun story of an event you attended. The Midwest Region just held a Regional Event without the RD being in attendance (OK, so the Club President, and at least 3 former RDs, and three former CVOA Executive Council Members including a Former CVOA President attended). But, the Regional RD did play in a role in helping to make the event as big as it was.

A beautiful example of a Regional Event blossoming into something more, see the pics of the last Detroit, MI Woodward Dream Cruise. We had over 12 CVs in attendance, and at least 20 Members and Former Members attend the Event throughout the day. The Woodward Dream Cruise as a Regional Event for the CVOA has been going on for 5 years. It started with just 6 CV Members and 4 CVs in attendance and has grown into something that almost rivals the CVOA National Roundup in participation! There are examples of car shows, speed events, etc. throughout the recent past that have been very successful. I encourage all to attend a Regional Meet, even if you do not bring your car. You never know what or where the event will take you!

I think that is all for now!

Thank You,

John J. Cowall

CVOA President