NTA, LA Waterfront, Candy Machine, Crew Meeting, and Upcoming Posts!

The New Year is off to a solid and exciting start.  The crew is working on our goals for this year as outlined in previous blog posts.  Our two boards are hard at work preparing presentation plans, arranging fundraising meetings, and working towards achieving our goals.

As I write this post, I am on a plane to New Orleans for the National Tour Association conference.  We have numerous meetings with tour operators arranged and will be attending events that include our friends at TourismCares and Visit California.  In addition, we will be visiting the WW2 Museum to view the wonderful work that they have accomplished.  I believe the WW2 and Marine Corps museum has set a high standard to achieve.  We will strive to reach this level in the future and this will take both focus and fundraising to make this a reality.

A large part of our goals coming true is the successful redevelopment of the LA Waterfront.  The past couple of weeks have had a flurry of activity throughout the community.  Our friend, Councilman Joe Buscaino has shown his leadership in the redevelopment with the announcement of the Rancho San Pedro redevelopment feasibility study and his desire to see a vibrant waterfront.  I give kudos to Gene Seroka and the Port of Los Angeles for taking the initiative to present a plan of infrastructure funding to the community.  These are both enormous steps in the right direction.

A successful and vibrant waterfront will require numerous partnerships and relationships to make it a reality.  We value our relationships with our local community and business partners.  On or about March 1st we will be releasing the LA Waterfront Passport program, which provides discounts and admission to our local attractions for one low price.  The community is excited about this innovative package and we are proud to participate in this program.

As we begin the steps towards creating a world class museum, we will be focusing on numerous facets of organization development.  Part of the process is board development and fundraising.  I have to commend Barry Herlihy, Stan Sato, and the rest of our crew and loyal supporter for the recent strong showing on the deck repair campaign.  We have exceeded our goal and continue to reach for the $20,000 number to restore the aft quarterdeck and hopefully a few additional areas requiring repair.  Way to go team!

1980's Candy Machine.  Photo by Derek Cross

Last weekend the crew once again showed its strong team work.  Josh Stutz, Derek Cross, and Stan Sato came together to locate, purchase, pick-up, and install a 1980's era candy machine on the 2nd deck forward of the galley.  This machine is a very close match to the original machine and it is an awesome addition to the collection.  Thank you guys for going above and beyond in the acquisition of this important item.

On Tuesday, January 13th, we had our quarterly crew meeting in the Ward Room.  The management team discussed the 2015 goals and objectives and highlighted the 2014 accomplishments.  We are excited about the direction we are going and are already in the early stages of raising the funds necessary to accomplish this years goals.  For those that have already contributed, thank you!  If you are interested in participating in one of our future fundraising programs, please let us know at development@labattleship.com.

Slides from January 13, 2015 Crew Meeting

In August of 2015, we will welcome home three different decades of USS Iowa veterans and their families.  We are always excited to welcome them home and we will strive to give them a fun and fulfilling experience.

We started working with HNSA (Historic Naval Ships Association) management to plan the annual HNSA conference in San Pedro this year.  We are very excited to host our sister ships crew and have them experience our local community and passion of the IOWA crew.  We will most likely host 3 days of intense focused sessions on important topics for the future of the industry and close out the conference with a banquet.  We are proud to be the host of this years event and look forward to showing off the Battleship IOWA Museum and the LA Waterfront.

In closing, I want to thank the entire crew for everything they do.  These are men and women of an extraordinary desire to tell the IOWA story and be involved in something great and exciting.  Please thanks these folks when you have a chance for the selfless acts to preserve our history.

Please check back soon, as I will be posting some pictures and stories of the WWII Museum, USS Alabama, USS Kidd, and the NTA Conference over the next week.