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<h3 align="center">What is the Corvette Action Center?</h3><img src="/images/columns/wheelspin/wheel_rob.gif" width="175" height="85" border="1" alt="wheelspin column" align="left" /><font size="+3"><b>W</b></font>hile I was in Carlisle this past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet several members of the Corvette Action Center Community as well as several non-members. Everyone complimented on the design of the site and the quality of the information provided. Many folks have found the site to be extremely beneficial to them and that's good news. It indicates to me that the goals established for the Corvette Action Center are being met.
I wanted to take this time to address some of the questions I received. Many of the questions were from our members and I wanted to try and clarify them.
The Original Corvette Action Center
The original Corvette Action Center was started by retired Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave McLellan back in the early 1990's. It consisted of a small office at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant and was staffed by Gordon Killebrew, Jerry Watts, and Sonny Kilgo. There may have been others, but I am not aware of their names at this time. A toll free phone number was set up and Chevrolet dealers, GM Tech Center and private Corvette owners could call the Corvette Action Center and speak to one of these gentlemen for help and technical information regarding C4 Corvettes. The Corvette Action Center was a major source of reliable technical information that was otherwise hard to acquire. In essence, it was a source of help to those in need.
To my knowledge, these gentlemen volunteered their time to staff the Corvette Action Center above and beyond their regular job duties at the plant.
In the mid-1990's, the Corvette Action Center was shut down. I'm not sure of the actual reasons, but Gordon Killebrew was retiring and Jerry Watts retired shortly after him.
What is *this* Corvette Action Center?
The Corvette Action Center web site started out as a small New Hampshire based Corvette web site covering the local New England Corvette circuit. It had very little technical information and was an extremely small site. The original name of this site was "CorvetteNH.com" since it was based in New Hampshire.
It went live on the web on Sunday, April 2, 2000. In September of 2000, we started these forums, and in December of 2000, we changed the name and address of the site to the Corvette Action Center.
Since I did a career change and moved down to Virginia, CorvetteNH.com was no longer focusing on just the New England Corvette community. I wanted to build a site devoted to Corvettes that would be just as helpful to owners and enthusiasts as the original Corvette Action Center was back in the 1990's.
I do want to stress: The Corvette Action Center web site and this community is not, in any matter, shape or form, sponsored or supported by General Motors, Chevrolet or any of their affiliates.
This web site started out of my pocket. It was financed by myself and a couple others who shared my vision for what it was to become. It was also supported by donations made by some of our members as well as advertisers.
It was not designed to be an online money maker. It is a free web site and there is NO CHARGE for accessing the information provided here. Some sections are restricted to members only. They are restricted simply because I feel that our forum members should have some benefits for taking the time to participate and contribute to the overall growth of this community.
The other reason is bandwidth issues. Most people don't realize that text and images on a web page are all data that needs to be sent across "wires". Someone has to pay for that data transmission and the person that pays is the person that owns the web site.
Who Are You?
I should probably share a little bit about myself. I got into Corvettes after I got out of college in 1992. I wanted to reward myself with something for all the hard work I put in. I looked at Mazda RX7s, Mustangs, Firebirds etc. Then one day, someone said to me...."what about a Vette"? I had never really considered a Corvette since I always considered them to be out of my price range. Admittedly, I knew nothing about them. I went to the local library and started picking through Road and Track and Car and Driver magazines. I decided which generation I wanted (C4, although the C3, was running a close second) and from there, I started researching each model year. I realized, that vast improvements were made with each successive model year and it wasn't long until I realized, I wanted the latest and greatest....a 1992 LT1 with Z07 and a 6-speed. I just couldn't afford it. So....I set out to work for it.
I have a degree in biotechnology and after college, I worked for 5 years in nutritional immunology. I did a lot of testing for clinical studies that involved testing various nutrients on the immune systems of healthy elderly populations. I picked up a second part time job and worked two jobs for three years just to be able to afford the down payment on my Vette. During this time, I joined the VetteNet (an online Corvette email listserv group) and met several local owners. I got involved with a local Corvette club and started going with members to local shows even though I didn't own a Vette. After Corvettes at Carlisle in August of 1994, I came home and started calling Corvette dealers to see what they had in stock. A month later, I took possession of my current Corvette. The rest is history.
From there, I tried my hand at commercial real estate and quickly left that. I'm not a salesman. I refuse to look someone in the eye and pretend to sell someone the Golden Gate Bridge when in fact, it's nothing more than an outhouse. That's just who I am. From there, I worked for a few months at a Chevrolet dealership as a parts runner. As boring as the job was, it was exciting since I was able to actually work at a Chevrolet dealership and see how one operates. I also got to check out many of the Corvettes that came in for service. Even though it bored me, I still enjoyed it and when it came time to leave, the Parts Department manager offered me a full time position at their counter helping customers. I had actually considered it because in some ways, I felt a sense of home there. Alas, it was not in the cards. Biotechnology and the possibility of running my own research laboratory was too enticing.
To make a long story short, I worked two more biotechnology jobs after that and quickly reached my fill of it. It was time for another change. At that time, I was just learning about the web and its vast information and future potential. I decided to pursue web development. I took a few courses and landed a job down here in VA. Web Development is what I do now.
What made you start this Corvette Action Center
Believe it or not, CorvetteNH.com started out as a course project for one of my web development classes. I decided to take it just a notch further.
Basically, I wanted to take the ultimate passion in my life - Corvettes and combine it with something that would tie into my career. Therefore, I was able to build something I was passionate about using skills that I needed for my career. Both work hand in hand. That which I learn at my job is applied here in the structure of the site and that which I learn by running and building this site, I take with me to my job.
Above and beyond all of this, the main reason for me starting this site was simply that I wanted to build an online technical resource where Corvette owners and enthusiasts could come and learn about the Corvette. They could find the answers to their questions and have a respectable level of confidence in the quality and reliability of the information they would receive from here. That is not to say that the information provided here is 100% accurate. It is not. I have never made any claims that the information we provide here is 100% accurate nor would I ever. What I have said, and will continue to say is that I will do the best I can to insure that the information provided here is reliable. In most cases, you will see what the source of the information is that is provided in various parts of this site. In some cases, the information will come from GM: for example, from Media releases, GM Powertrain, etc. The Knowledgebase linked above is a good example of this.
I also wanted an online community where owners and enthusiasts could come and hang out and feel comfortable asking questions about the Corvette; regardless of how simple those questions may be.
This weekend, one member pointed out to me that he feels extremely comfortable coming here and asking what may seem to be the dumbest, most basic of automotive questions. However, he knows that he'll get quality responses to his questions and not get flamed or insulted for his lack of knowledge. Let's face it, we are not all automotive technicians. We all come from various backgrounds and have experienced different paths in life. Not everyone grew up with a wrench in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. If that were the case, Corvette mechanics would be out of work because we'd all be doing our own Corvette repairs.
Before I started the Corvette Action Center, I researched other Corvette web sites on the web. I examined other online communities and based upon what I saw, I decided to start my own online Corvette forums to compliment the rest of the Corvette Action Center site. It is my belief that factual information provided from reliable sources combined with the experiences of Corvette owners and enthusiasts makes for a well-rounded source of information for everyone.
Who *is* the Corvette Action Center?
The Corvette Action Center web site is owned and operated by me. The concept, design and layout has come from me in addition to the feedback I have received from members and non-members. A good friend of mine helps me do a lot of the back end hardware maintenance and configuration.....in essence, that which runs the Corvette Action Center.
In addition to myself and my friend, there are the community administrators (moderators) here within the forums. They have been chosen by me to help run the forums and insure that they operate smoothly, efficiently and within the guidelines established. (See the FAQ section linked above.) They also help me test out various pre-production parts of the site. I often consult them for advice and guidance in terms of what direction the site should go in and how certain parts of the site should be structured. For all intents and purposes, I have 100% trust in them and their ability to help run this site. They are not paid for what they do. They do not have salaries here and the time they spend here is volunteered by them.
Unlike other online forums, our forum administrators conduct themselves maturely and professionally. They are knowledgeable, friendly and courteous to all members of the community and they have a complete understanding of how I would like the site and the forums to operate. Actually, I probably should rephrase that. The Community Administrators and I are usually within complete agreement on how the forums and site should operate. We are essentially, a "Roundtable" and interact with one another in that fashion.
What is the purpose of the Corvette Action Center?
The best way to describe the purpose of the Corvette Action Center is to cite that which is listed on our "About Us" page:
The prime directive of the Corvette Action Center is to promote the awareness, preservation and enjoyment of the Chevrolet Corvette and help educate owners and enthusiasts by providing a professional and reliable online source of Corvette news and information.
We consider the Corvette Action Center to be a major informational repository and in a "continuous state of improvement". The information contained within is constantly being updated in order to insure that it is reliable and consistent. The engineering of the site is also under a constant state of development in order to make room for future additions and to insure that site navigation and informational access is quick and intuitive.
Due to the nature of this site, I would like to ask that forum members try and insure that the information they post publicly here in the forums is, to the best of their knowledge, accurate and reliable. I am not fond of posts such as "Guess what I saw on the floor at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant today...." etc. While it may seem like exciting information, in most cases, it's 100% completely inaccurate and causes rumors to start. It goes against what this site stands for. Certain information and future plans for Corvette development are classified by GM and they are classified for a reason. I would appreciate it if members respect GM's desire to keep certain information confidential.
Hopefully, I have pretty much addressed everyone's questions about what *this* Corvette Action Center is and how it started. If you have any questions, or any suggestions, please feel free to post them. I think most of you know by now that I'm always looking for feedback on how to improve things here.
I wanted to take this time to address some of the questions I received. Many of the questions were from our members and I wanted to try and clarify them.
The Original Corvette Action Center
The original Corvette Action Center was started by retired Corvette Chief Engineer, Dave McLellan back in the early 1990's. It consisted of a small office at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant and was staffed by Gordon Killebrew, Jerry Watts, and Sonny Kilgo. There may have been others, but I am not aware of their names at this time. A toll free phone number was set up and Chevrolet dealers, GM Tech Center and private Corvette owners could call the Corvette Action Center and speak to one of these gentlemen for help and technical information regarding C4 Corvettes. The Corvette Action Center was a major source of reliable technical information that was otherwise hard to acquire. In essence, it was a source of help to those in need.
To my knowledge, these gentlemen volunteered their time to staff the Corvette Action Center above and beyond their regular job duties at the plant.
In the mid-1990's, the Corvette Action Center was shut down. I'm not sure of the actual reasons, but Gordon Killebrew was retiring and Jerry Watts retired shortly after him.
What is *this* Corvette Action Center?
The Corvette Action Center web site started out as a small New Hampshire based Corvette web site covering the local New England Corvette circuit. It had very little technical information and was an extremely small site. The original name of this site was "CorvetteNH.com" since it was based in New Hampshire.
It went live on the web on Sunday, April 2, 2000. In September of 2000, we started these forums, and in December of 2000, we changed the name and address of the site to the Corvette Action Center.
Since I did a career change and moved down to Virginia, CorvetteNH.com was no longer focusing on just the New England Corvette community. I wanted to build a site devoted to Corvettes that would be just as helpful to owners and enthusiasts as the original Corvette Action Center was back in the 1990's.
I do want to stress: The Corvette Action Center web site and this community is not, in any matter, shape or form, sponsored or supported by General Motors, Chevrolet or any of their affiliates.
This web site started out of my pocket. It was financed by myself and a couple others who shared my vision for what it was to become. It was also supported by donations made by some of our members as well as advertisers.
It was not designed to be an online money maker. It is a free web site and there is NO CHARGE for accessing the information provided here. Some sections are restricted to members only. They are restricted simply because I feel that our forum members should have some benefits for taking the time to participate and contribute to the overall growth of this community.
The other reason is bandwidth issues. Most people don't realize that text and images on a web page are all data that needs to be sent across "wires". Someone has to pay for that data transmission and the person that pays is the person that owns the web site.
Who Are You?
I should probably share a little bit about myself. I got into Corvettes after I got out of college in 1992. I wanted to reward myself with something for all the hard work I put in. I looked at Mazda RX7s, Mustangs, Firebirds etc. Then one day, someone said to me...."what about a Vette"? I had never really considered a Corvette since I always considered them to be out of my price range. Admittedly, I knew nothing about them. I went to the local library and started picking through Road and Track and Car and Driver magazines. I decided which generation I wanted (C4, although the C3, was running a close second) and from there, I started researching each model year. I realized, that vast improvements were made with each successive model year and it wasn't long until I realized, I wanted the latest and greatest....a 1992 LT1 with Z07 and a 6-speed. I just couldn't afford it. So....I set out to work for it.
I have a degree in biotechnology and after college, I worked for 5 years in nutritional immunology. I did a lot of testing for clinical studies that involved testing various nutrients on the immune systems of healthy elderly populations. I picked up a second part time job and worked two jobs for three years just to be able to afford the down payment on my Vette. During this time, I joined the VetteNet (an online Corvette email listserv group) and met several local owners. I got involved with a local Corvette club and started going with members to local shows even though I didn't own a Vette. After Corvettes at Carlisle in August of 1994, I came home and started calling Corvette dealers to see what they had in stock. A month later, I took possession of my current Corvette. The rest is history.
From there, I tried my hand at commercial real estate and quickly left that. I'm not a salesman. I refuse to look someone in the eye and pretend to sell someone the Golden Gate Bridge when in fact, it's nothing more than an outhouse. That's just who I am. From there, I worked for a few months at a Chevrolet dealership as a parts runner. As boring as the job was, it was exciting since I was able to actually work at a Chevrolet dealership and see how one operates. I also got to check out many of the Corvettes that came in for service. Even though it bored me, I still enjoyed it and when it came time to leave, the Parts Department manager offered me a full time position at their counter helping customers. I had actually considered it because in some ways, I felt a sense of home there. Alas, it was not in the cards. Biotechnology and the possibility of running my own research laboratory was too enticing.
To make a long story short, I worked two more biotechnology jobs after that and quickly reached my fill of it. It was time for another change. At that time, I was just learning about the web and its vast information and future potential. I decided to pursue web development. I took a few courses and landed a job down here in VA. Web Development is what I do now.
What made you start this Corvette Action Center
Believe it or not, CorvetteNH.com started out as a course project for one of my web development classes. I decided to take it just a notch further.
Basically, I wanted to take the ultimate passion in my life - Corvettes and combine it with something that would tie into my career. Therefore, I was able to build something I was passionate about using skills that I needed for my career. Both work hand in hand. That which I learn at my job is applied here in the structure of the site and that which I learn by running and building this site, I take with me to my job.Above and beyond all of this, the main reason for me starting this site was simply that I wanted to build an online technical resource where Corvette owners and enthusiasts could come and learn about the Corvette. They could find the answers to their questions and have a respectable level of confidence in the quality and reliability of the information they would receive from here. That is not to say that the information provided here is 100% accurate. It is not. I have never made any claims that the information we provide here is 100% accurate nor would I ever. What I have said, and will continue to say is that I will do the best I can to insure that the information provided here is reliable. In most cases, you will see what the source of the information is that is provided in various parts of this site. In some cases, the information will come from GM: for example, from Media releases, GM Powertrain, etc. The Knowledgebase linked above is a good example of this.
I also wanted an online community where owners and enthusiasts could come and hang out and feel comfortable asking questions about the Corvette; regardless of how simple those questions may be.
This weekend, one member pointed out to me that he feels extremely comfortable coming here and asking what may seem to be the dumbest, most basic of automotive questions. However, he knows that he'll get quality responses to his questions and not get flamed or insulted for his lack of knowledge. Let's face it, we are not all automotive technicians. We all come from various backgrounds and have experienced different paths in life. Not everyone grew up with a wrench in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. If that were the case, Corvette mechanics would be out of work because we'd all be doing our own Corvette repairs.
Before I started the Corvette Action Center, I researched other Corvette web sites on the web. I examined other online communities and based upon what I saw, I decided to start my own online Corvette forums to compliment the rest of the Corvette Action Center site. It is my belief that factual information provided from reliable sources combined with the experiences of Corvette owners and enthusiasts makes for a well-rounded source of information for everyone.
Who *is* the Corvette Action Center?
The Corvette Action Center web site is owned and operated by me. The concept, design and layout has come from me in addition to the feedback I have received from members and non-members. A good friend of mine helps me do a lot of the back end hardware maintenance and configuration.....in essence, that which runs the Corvette Action Center.
In addition to myself and my friend, there are the community administrators (moderators) here within the forums. They have been chosen by me to help run the forums and insure that they operate smoothly, efficiently and within the guidelines established. (See the FAQ section linked above.) They also help me test out various pre-production parts of the site. I often consult them for advice and guidance in terms of what direction the site should go in and how certain parts of the site should be structured. For all intents and purposes, I have 100% trust in them and their ability to help run this site. They are not paid for what they do. They do not have salaries here and the time they spend here is volunteered by them.
Unlike other online forums, our forum administrators conduct themselves maturely and professionally. They are knowledgeable, friendly and courteous to all members of the community and they have a complete understanding of how I would like the site and the forums to operate. Actually, I probably should rephrase that. The Community Administrators and I are usually within complete agreement on how the forums and site should operate. We are essentially, a "Roundtable" and interact with one another in that fashion.
What is the purpose of the Corvette Action Center?
The best way to describe the purpose of the Corvette Action Center is to cite that which is listed on our "About Us" page:
The prime directive of the Corvette Action Center is to promote the awareness, preservation and enjoyment of the Chevrolet Corvette and help educate owners and enthusiasts by providing a professional and reliable online source of Corvette news and information.
We consider the Corvette Action Center to be a major informational repository and in a "continuous state of improvement". The information contained within is constantly being updated in order to insure that it is reliable and consistent. The engineering of the site is also under a constant state of development in order to make room for future additions and to insure that site navigation and informational access is quick and intuitive.
Due to the nature of this site, I would like to ask that forum members try and insure that the information they post publicly here in the forums is, to the best of their knowledge, accurate and reliable. I am not fond of posts such as "Guess what I saw on the floor at the Bowling Green Assembly Plant today...." etc. While it may seem like exciting information, in most cases, it's 100% completely inaccurate and causes rumors to start. It goes against what this site stands for. Certain information and future plans for Corvette development are classified by GM and they are classified for a reason. I would appreciate it if members respect GM's desire to keep certain information confidential.
Hopefully, I have pretty much addressed everyone's questions about what *this* Corvette Action Center is and how it started. If you have any questions, or any suggestions, please feel free to post them. I think most of you know by now that I'm always looking for feedback on how to improve things here.
. That's the point - together! We are all here together to promote the interest in our Vettes - not "my car is better than your car." I feel like I know many other members here even though we’ve never met. For those who I have met – what a great bunch of folks. It’s too bad we can’t get together very often (or at all). My hat’s off to you Rob for your vision and keeping true to your ideals. Thanks to you and everyone else, the CAC is not only ALIVE, but it’s HOME!
! 
Very Loyal 
a Corvette is talking to others that own them to. 
