Merger - a good idea or not? (benefits of proposed merger between Tire Assn of North America and International Tire & Rubber Assn)

We'd both benefit -- Fitzgerald

As I am sure many of you have heard, TANA has been through quite a bit of change in the last year. In fact, even its name has changed.

While there are those of you who believe that TANA only changed because it had to, nothing could be further from the truth. We changed because it was the right thing to do.

The changes we've made have enabled us to serve our members better, faster, and less expensively. But we're not finished -- not by a long shot.

There are many more changes TANA has yet to make, which is what I'd like to talk to you about.

Last year, TANA focused on correcting only its very largest problems -- the demise of its trade show, the loss of advertising revenues from its publications, and its tenuous financial predicament.

We went to work on each one of these problems and, by the end of the year, brought our trade show back to life, launched two new publications, and got spending under control.

It was truly a dramatic comeback.

This year, after having to tear so much down last year, it is time for TANA to rebuild.

We want to build an organization that draws its strength from each and every segment of the tire industry -- bar none.

We want to create a new ASE certification program for tire and wheel technicians that will be the envy of every, technical certification program everywhere.

We want to launch one of the first web sites on the Internet to make it possible for tire technicians to be trained on-line.

We want to make this year's off-the-road tire conference the most successful we have ever had and make it a springboard for our involvement ill other aspects of the commercial tire business.

And last, but by no means least, we want to expand on this year's record of success in Las Vegas to make the International Tire Expo the largest, most exciting tire show in the world.

We learned a great deal last year, as you can imagine.

We learned what happens when members fail to pay adequate attention to what is going on in their organization.

We learned what happens when you try to do too much on your own with no alliances and …