This is election year and the NKCA will be sending out ballots to all members sometime in July. Mr. Clarence Risner is searving his second term as President and will not be running this year, so we have an open position in the knife collecting community that needs filled.
I have had the opportunity to correspond with Perry on a few occasions and I think he has a great vision for the future of the NKCA. I urge everyone to read his Candidacy Statement:
All members of the NKCA will have a vote. I let my membership expire a couple years back, but I'm rejoining today to get a vote and do my part to get things going in the right direction. The NKCA website is located at...I believe that if the National Knife Collectors Association (NKCA) wants to thrive, we need to expand the methods used to reach the entire knife collecting world. Since its inception, the NKCA has focused on, by and large, traditional pocket knives and traditional methods of showing and marketing them. Times have changed, and I believe we now dwell in an entirely different world than when the NKCA was formed.
During the mid-nineties, the internet was born, which was then followed by the formation of eBay. This, among other things, changed the way we do business in the knife community and the entire industry. Suddenly we have a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year, knife show. At any time, whether it is day or night, you can access the internet and spend the rest of your life going to different knife related websites---that's no exaggeration! Knife collecting has exploded in the last few years and a large part of it has been because of the internet.
In relation, the knife market itself has changed. The younger crowd has started to collect a totally different kind of knife. They have locking blades and pocket clips---no longer focusing on the good ole' Case knives that most of us still have in our pockets. Custom knives now play a very major role in collecting. There are now thousands of custom makers in this country alone. Randall Made Knives have also come to the forefront of collecting, with a 5-year wait just to get one knife.
It is my strongest belief that if we are going to be the National Knife Collectors Association, then we should represent the entire knife collecting community.
My plans are to bring the NKCA into the 21st century and cater to all collectors of our great hobby. I think we need stronger ties with the ABS, The Knifemakers Guild, the Randall Knife Society, and all of the knife forums on the internet, as well as the knife manufacturers throughout the world. I also believe we need to spread our wings with regards to the location of our knife shows. Currently, we have shows in 5 states that all border one another geographically. If we are going to reach all of the collectors, we need representation all over the country with shows in a wider variety of locations.
A word about me personally:
I have owned and operated a fully licensed and successful Electrical Contracting business for the past 22 years and am still active within that profession.
I also own a knife business, Spaceport Cutlery, which has been in operation for six years and continues to grow. Spaceport Cutlery is represented by its website Spaceportcutlery.com and a small storefront presence in my local town. Ironically, the knife business actually started as a hobby! My indoctrination into the knife world starting as a hobbyist allows me to connect with other collectors from that perspective.
I believe my experiences in both businesses will be a strong asset as I work for the NKCA and implement the needed changes for its future success. I strongly encourage everyone to join the NKCA regardless of the type of knives you collect and support this association by voting for the candidate of your choice.
Thank you for your time and best regards,
Perry Miller
Candidate for President of the NKCA 2007
http://www.nkcaknife.org/
Membership info is located at...
http://www.nkcaknife.org/membership_info.htm
Bryan
