December 2023 Meeting
Shark Tooth Sports Car Club
December 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes
STSCC attendees: Ron and Mary Bimonte, Ed Cashman, Rick and June Dilella, Rich Gruenberg, Steve Iannone, Ken and Kathy Maher, Roger and Margo Maple, Bill Mendes, Alex Nodel, Tom Lupica, Rodney Pennington, Al and Joanne Royal, Tom Rossi, Michelle and Bill St. Clair, Ron and Linda Wencil, Gary Westfall.
Guest attendees: Jeff Wachman, Bill and Amy Zehms.
The meeting was called to order at 5:33 PM by club president Ken Maher and commenced with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Post Meeting Dinner:
Dinner following the meeting, originally scheduled for the British Open Pub, Venice, had to be changed to Valenti’s Ristorante, Venice.
Club Leadership: Presented by Ken Maher.
Tom Rossi has formally assumed the duties of club Treasurer for a 2 year term. Appreciation was expressed to Tom Lupica who had graciously been filling the position on an interim basis.
Bobbe Lytle has assumed the position of Media Relations from Garry Spinazze, who has moved to Colorado for family reasons.
Please see the Power Point presentation for a complete listing of all the current members in both elected and appointed club positions.
Membership Director Report: Presented by Bill Mendes.
Guests at tonight’s meeting were Jeff Wachman who has an MG and Bill and Amy Zehms who have a Corvette.
The club welcomed new members Ron and Mary Bimonte. This now brings the club membership to 29, totaling 56 members and 43 sports cars.
Personalized name badges are available for purchase for $11.00. Please contact Bill Mendes to place orders.
Please see the Membership Director Report in the PowerPoint presentation for membership details and primary car companies represented in the club.
Secretary Report: Presented by Ed Cashman.
Rick Dilella made a motion to approve the November 8, 2023 meeting minutes, seconded by Steve Iannone and approved by voice vote.
Benevolent Committee Donation: Presented by Ron Wencil.
Recipient of this month’s donation is the Venice Challenge Baseball Field of Dreams.
Michael Beaumier, president of the organization, accepted the $500.00 check. He provided a brief history of the program and how it assists challenged participants to enjoy playing baseball.
Club members are invited to come out and see the program in action for themselves.
Please see the PowerPoint presentation to view a video on Venice Challenger Baseball.
Club Partners: Presented by Ken Maher.
Participating Club Partners remain the same. Please see the power point presentation for a complete listing of all partnership levels and current participating partners.
Club associate member, Alex Nodel, owner of Sage Auto Studios, a Platinum level club sponsor, provided an update on new services and products available from Sage, including clear windshield protective film, car storage, and car rentals. He also announced the opening of Sage’s second location on Clark Road.
Treasurer Report: Tom Rossi.
The club’s financial status is sound.
For the end of November, the club has $3,912 in the bank, and the profit and loss for the year is $4.34 profit.
Please provide membership renewal dues to Tom Rossi NLT January 1st.
Please see the Treasurer’s Report in the PowerPoint presentation for full financial details.
Social Events: Presented by Ken Maher.
Ken reviewed recent past club social and dinner events and listed upcoming events, including the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art on January 27th, a Marina Jack’s cruise on February 29th, dinner at Osteria 500 Waterside Place, January 15th, and dinner at Libee’s in Englewood on February 19th. Please see the PowerPoint presentation for details.
The new random seating procedure for dinners using car marque cards was explained.
Plans for the May 11-18, 2024 club road trip were discussed. There is still time for club members to join along on the trip. Please inform Ken if you are interested in participating. Stops will include the National Corvette Museum, the Gibson guitar factory, the Jack Daniels Distillery, the Beechcraft Heritage Museum, and the George Dickells distillery.
Please see the PowerPoint presentation for further details on these and other social events.
Social Media: Presented by Ken Maher.
A reminder that social events and dinner sponsors are responsible for taking pictures of members attending their event and submit them for use on the club website and social media outlets.
Vice President Report: Presented by Ken Maher.
A listing of regular monthly and recurring car gatherings, as well as upcoming car shows is available in the PowerPoint presentation.
President’s Report: Presented by Ken Maher.
Ken discussed the recent collector car auctions, both Carlisle and Premier, in which some members participated as drivers. He explained how driver participation in these auctions provides the club with a large portion of its benevolent funds and encouraged all members to consider participating in upcoming auctions.
The Shark Bites club newsletter for the 1st quarter of 2024 has been published and is available to read online.
It was decided that the proposed road trip to Charlotte, NC in the summer of 2024 will be tabled, as there has not been sufficient interest at this time.
Two Renn Haus shop tours were conducted for club members, the first on October 11th and the second on November 30th.
The next club photo shoot and pizza picnic is planned for February, 2024.
The third annual Reserve Car Show and Hoagiefest, hosted by Ken and Kathy Maher, is planned for March 9th, 2024.
An upcoming “Vanity Tag” contest is planned to select the club member with the most interesting vanity plate.
The revised club constitution and by-laws have been posted on the club website.
Benevolent Committee: Presented by Ron Wencil.
The club received a thank you note for its contribution towards the flag pole at heritage Park.
The committee members have proposed that for 2024, the club plan on making a total of 10 monthly donations of $500.00 each for the calendar year. The months of June and December will have no defined donations, unless there are sufficient funds to be included.
The committee will continue to search for matching contributions in order to maximize the impact of club donations.
It is proposed to seek club approval for proposed donations on a quarterly basis rather than each month, as has been done in the past.
It is recommended the club continue the annual $1,000 scholarship award to a Venice High School graduate who will be attending either the county VoTech for automotive studies, or college to study automotive engineering.
The current 10 proposed charities for 2024 are listed in the PowerPoint.
The proposed charities for the first quarter of 2024 are: Backpack Angels, Sheriff’s Activity League, and Venice Area Pregnancy Care Center.
A motion to approve the proposed donations for the 1st quarter of 2024 was made by Tom Lupica, seconded by Tom Rossi and approved by voice vote.
Get to Know a Member: Al and Joann Royal.
Both are originally from Connecticut. They have two adult children, a daughter and a son. Avid Corvette enthusiasts, Al related how his car passion started upon returning from duty in Viet Nam. Still in the service he first purchased his brother’s Impala, eventually acquiring a ’61 Corvette “Fuelie”, which he drove from the base he was stationed at to meet Joann for a date. After about only 4 or 5 dates, the car required the fuel injectors to be rebuilt, and he didn’t have the funds. Joann covered the cost of the rebuild. With that he acquired a properly running “Fuelie” and a partner, wife and friend for life.
Now You Know: Rick Dilella.
Rick related the story of one of the most famous and well known Ford Mustangs. In 1968, two Mustang GTs were purchased for use in the Steve McQueen movie “Bullitt”. The one that McQueen actually drove during the film wound up being purchased for $3,500. In 2020 that very car was sold at auction for $3.4 million, making it the most valuable Mustang ever.
Next Meeting:
The January meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 10 January, 2024.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 6:49 PM.