Clearing The Air, nothing too dramatic Options

[ChrisFoley]

This is not a rant and I don’t want this thread to become argumentative. TIA

Some of my recent remarks about the club-world split were taken as offensive by some of the administrators and members here. For that I apologize. It was not my intention to disparage anybody.
Sir Andy, I respect and applaud your service/commitment to the 914 online community. I vocally supported your position before and during the collapse (in December I wrote on the temporary club site that Brad should hand over all financial control to you) and was hurt by your apparent ignore-ance of that. It was the basis for my “selective memory” remark.
McMark, I came at you first and I am sorry. You didn’t deserve the Attitude I gave you.
To the rest of the admins I apologize for calling you “cohorts” (that’s about the level of the name calling I was accused of) and any other harsh words I had for you recently. You are passionate ‘teeners with a desire to serve the community and I respect that.
To the membership at large who didn’t understand why I was so bent out of shape I would like to provide a brief explanation of my strident position:
Very few members are in my position of being a diehard ‘teener and full time 914 businessman. Nearly 10 years ago when I came to a crossroads I decided to “steer” my little general welding company in the direction of being devoted full time to 914s. The last 914-specific business in this area (Simon Sports Cars) closed 20 years ago. If my choice had been about money I would have chosen a different direction to be sure. Instead I put long-term enjoyment way ahead of income potential. It was not an easy route but in 2006 I achieved a milestone by relocating to a larger building with room to work on several 914s and manufacturing space for exhaust systems, etc.
With the added financial burden I took on in order to grow I am in a position of needing even more business just to survive. One of my best sources has come from having a significant presence online. The stainless fuel lines I manufacture are an excellent example. I never expected to sell over 100 sets in less than a year, nearly all through the club/world site(s).
Displaying banner ads to the primary 914 online community looked like a great place to use a significant portion of my advertising budget when the management of 914club.com presented their plan. While I sent my money to a business entity I placed my trust in the group of people who were working to implement the plan. Within hours of my banner ads being added to the display rotation the site went down. As things unfolded I could have asked for a refund as so many subscribers did. But I am not one to take a commitment lightly, and Brad appeared to be trying hard to fulfill his obligation so I remained in the game.
Based on the limited information I had to work with, when 914World.com was launched the presentation rubbed me wrong in a number of ways. Suffice it to say that I felt lied to and abandoned by many of the people I had trusted. As each day passed I felt worse, not better, and began to act out. The defensiveness of the admins here only fueled my fire at the time. It wasn’t until the poll on banner ads at 914World came out that I saw any light at the end of the tunnel. A phone conversation with Eric Shea that weekend helped me considerably as well. Thanks Eric. Now I hope to complete my resolution of the issue by sharing this.
Thanks for listening,
Chris