NAMALEADER'S MESSAGE.

Best of NAMA. At times, these can be the scariest three words in our vocabulary. As the time for the Call for Entries approaches, I thought it might help to outline how your entry could find it's way on the big screen during our national Best of NAMA this coming April.

As a NAMA member, you will receive a "Call for Entries" brochure in the mail. Take some time to go through the list of categories to determine which category is best suited for your entry. Carefully read and follow the instructions for mounting the entry and submit it along with the form to the National NAMA office before the deadline of November 1. Remember to indicate your Chapter affiliation because your local chapter gets the entry fund rebate.

The fee (to be paid at time of submission) is $90 per entry. Forty-five dollars of this goes back to the chapter and can be used on a local or regional Best of NAMA event. The remainder is used for regional judging. Each of the six regions will be judged in November, and the top two entries for each category will become eligible for national Best of NAMA.

From here a couple of scenarios can happen. Each region will determine if they will host a regional Best of NAMA and each local chapter can decided whether they want to host a local Best of NAMA event. If you have questions about what will happen in your area contact your chapter president. Depending on what kind of event your chapter is sponsoring, chapter or regional results will be awarded, however, only the top two regional entries can advance to national judging in February.

If you decide to advance your winning regional entry, the $100 entry fee for national competition goes to support this last round of judging as well as the national Best of NAMA ceremony (plaques, audio, etc.) held April 17, 2002, in Nashville.

This year, the road to Best of NAMA just added a lane. Some specialty categories have been added in the areas of Companion Animal and Turf and Ornamental. Check your Call for Entries or the NAMA Web site, www.nama.org for details.

For those of us who have received national awards -- I'm sure you won't forget that experience. Those of us who are still waiting -- this could be your year!

Make plans to participate in Best of NAMA. It's a great way to network with your peers, foster healthy competition and recognize the best of what our industry has to offer.

Executive Committee

Marjory Walker (MIS) - President
  National Cotton Council, Memphis, TN [phone]
Teresa Hinrichs (MOK) - First Vice President/President Elect
  CMS, Overland Park, KS [phone]
Mike Gustafson (MOK) - Sceretary/Treasurer
  John Deere, Lenexa, KS [phone]
Branch Carter (SOE)
  Media Products, Inc., Martinez, GA [phone]
Lia Guthrie (MIS)
  Vance Publishing, Collierville,TN [phone]
Jeff Patterson APR (MIL)
  Swanson Russell Associates, Lincoln, NE [phone]
Tom Smull (IOA)
  Metro Iowa Plus, Des Moines, IA [phone]
Travis Brown (GAT)
  Monsanto, St. Louis, MO [phone]

Chapter Presidents(*)

BAD Badger (Wisconsin) Ellen Runge LaRose [phone]
CAR Carolinas/Virginia, JeffTennant [phone]
CHE Chesapeake (Baltimore, Philadelphia) Mandy Hilbert
    [phone]
CNA Chicago
COB Cornbelt (Quad City Area, IA, IL)
    Vicki Henrickson [phone]
DSW Desert South West (Arizona) Jerry Garner [phone]
EAS Eastern (NewYork) Brad Bremer [phone]
FLA Florida
GAT Gateway (St. Louis) Deni Kogan [phone]
GRP Great Plains (Dodge City, Wichita)
    Susan Armstrong [phone]
IOA Iowa (Des Moines) Shannon Latham [phone]
MAM Michigan, Molly Avis [phone]
MIA Mid-America Ondiana) Mike King [phone]
MIL Midlands (Omaha) Judy Mauch [phone]
MIS Midsouth (Memphis) Al Fava [phone]
MOK Missouri-Kansas, Leigh Ann Cleaver [phone]
NCL NAMA Cal (Los Angeles/San Diego)
PAC NAMA Pacific (San Francisco/Sacramento)
NOC North Central (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
    Steven Mercer [phone]
NPR Northern Prairie (Dakotas) Patti McEnroe [phone]
OHO Ohio, Bob Hothem [phone]
ROM Rocky Mountain (Denver) Mike Flesher (970) 3304071
SAJ San Joaquin Valley (Central CA) Gary Schulz [phone]
SOE Southeastern (Georgia) Nancy Hood [phone]
SWT Southwest (Dallas/Ft. Worth/Houston) Cheri Knoy
    800-795-5104

(*) Updated as chapter presidents are elected.

Councils

ABM Agri-Broadcast Management Council
    Gary Cooper [phone]
AIAC Advertising Internet Agribusiness Council
    Irene Hindman [phone]
ARC Agricultural Relations Council
    Brian Baxter [phone]
CPG Commodity Promotion Council
    Monte Reese [phone]

National Agri-Marketing Association
11020 King Street, Suite 205
Overland Park, KS 66210
E-mail: [e-mail]
Web Site: www.nama.org