The Latest: MOA News

MOA Headquarters Moves to New BMW Owners’ Campus in South Carolina

Wednesday, November 4, 2015   (32 Comments)
Posted by: Ted Moyer, 100360

The BMW Motorcycle Owners of America (BMW MOA) and the BMW Car Club of America (BMW CCA) in conjunction with the BMW Car Club of America Foundation are developing a new home for BMW Club members in Greer, South Carolina. The world’s largest single-marque clubs will relocate near the BMW Performance Center when construction is completed.

The new facility will have separate office spaces for both the motorcycle and car clubs and will share common meeting rooms as well as indoor and outdoor areas for club activities.  The property is currently anchored by the museum and archives of the BMW Car Club of America Foundation. The museum will eventually include BMW memorabilia under one roof from both the automobile and motorcycle archives. 

“This is a tremendous opportunity to build a special BMW-centric place,” said Bob Aldridge, Executive Director of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. “We are excited to partner with the BMW CCA and the CCA Foundation to make this a reality.” While the project is underway, the MOA will have temporary office space in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. 

The new facility is located adjacent to the BMW Performance Center where automobile and motorcycle enthusiasts receive on-road and off-road performance training. The move not only physically moves the two organizations into one facility; it also creates a great riding destination for BMW motorcycle owners.

Aldridge said the MOA office will move to Greenville in early November ahead of an expiring lease at its current location in Ellisville, Missouri. Once the new building is complete, the MOA will have a permanent new home in Greer.

“The MOA will continue to be an autonomous organization with its own leadership and Board of Directors,” Aldridge says.  “Other than having a new address at what is unquestionably the home of BMW enthusiasts in the United States, MOA members should notice absolutely no change in how we operate.” 

Comments...

Gregory MacKinnon says...
Posted Sunday, January 17, 2016
Well, you got one more years membership out of me. Dam it. You got some explaining to do or I'm out of here. Maybe I missed it, are the BMWMOA staff OK? These moves are not easy on people and families. Good luck.
David Mellor says...
Posted Tuesday, December 29, 2015
How about some pictures? The building, the location, the views. TIA
Wayne D. Garrison says...
Posted Tuesday, December 8, 2015
I always enjoyed a visit to the MOA headquarters and the people working there. Times change, believe it or not there is a water cooled Boxer motor. When someone is put in charge of running an organization, they can't always ask for everyone's opinion, nothing would get done. I don't know if everyone is upset because of the move, or they though someone should have asked them first. I am sure that when I visit the new location I will meet new friends (just like at a rally). I have been an officer in our local club and find that the majority of our members just want to have fun, and enjoy their sport. People were put in charge and given a task, they (or I) would do what was collective decided on. It seems everyone is ready to jump ship without giving the new location a fare chance. Just like the K motor took time to see if it was a good move, this too should be given time. What does everyone think is going to happen, just complain about it and they will move back? Just my $0.02.
Kent Willis says...
Posted Saturday, December 5, 2015
As a retired construction worker Im interested in our project. Who is the contractor - What are the costs - Will we build non -union? - Who is the project manager?-How long will the club be in debt?
Herbert Hummer says...
Posted Friday, November 27, 2015
I guess it would have been nice for the organization to inform us ahead of time but now that I think of it, they are charged with running things so I will let them run it. And as far as having the HQ on the east coast and not in some central location, I could care less. I can't imagine why I would want to visit it anyway. Free cup of coffee? Take office people away from their tasks while they give me a tour of a bunch of cubicles? I left offices and cubes behind when I retired. Now a rally or a track day at HQ.....
Gary W. Hoffman says...
Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2015
As a 42+ year member I have seen innumerable changes in the MOA organization. Some good, a lot not so good. We lose officers, workers, editors, etc., with no explanation. Only later do we hear, through the grapevine, of all the problems that preceded the dismissals, firings, or just moving on reasons. Along with a good staff, we, as members, have lost most of our rights. We have a logo that no one recognizes. We worry more about foundations than the membership. There were 72 programs at last year's rally--72, what the hell is that? BMW riders were formed to meet at rallies, enjoy each others company, go home, repack and meet again next week. As for the move, members are paying for that move, where was our input. A grand impressive office with the car club. How is that going to affect our membership? Our numbers are dwindling. 30,00 members out of 130,000+ numbers!!! Can we survive with the current officers thinking??? G. W. Hoffman #4285
Steve Forst says...
Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2015
If South Carolina secedes from the union again will we have to change our name to the Motorcycle Owners of the Confederacy?
Danny Jensen says...
Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Works for me.
Jeff Critelli says...
Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2015
As a board member for a local MOA chapter I can tell you that listening to thousands of member options is a waste of time. Its worse than hearding cats. The MOA board should have the best social and financial interests of it members with this move...
William F. McGovern says...
Posted Tuesday, November 24, 2015
I wish the membership still elected the officers, I don't like the BOD selecting the officers, it takes away from membership involvement. They said it was done for efficiency, but I don't believe it. As far as moving the HQ this should have been discussed in public and members vote on it, regardless of the difficulty involved. Also, the ads for bikes should be put back in the magazine, I liked looking the ads over. Members need to take back their organization.
Patrick Restaino says...
Posted Monday, November 23, 2015
Did they ask anyone about the Logo??? Then they wonder what they can do to get more participation... We sorry to say are an afterthought..
Peter Duncanson says...
Posted Friday, November 20, 2015
This is a non-event. How many members had any reason to visit the office, no matter where it's located? I bet far more members went to the Performance Center than the HQ, and now it's more convenient for them to see the HQ. Of all the comments so far, I haven't seen anyone say how this actually affects them. It seems most people are just unhappy that no one asked their opinion, and honestly, if you were in charge, would you invite 30,000 opinions? Now, I don't know why this move was made, and I don't know if this costs the MOA more, less, or the same. As long as there is no malfeasance, I just know it doesn't affect me one way or the other, and I hope the staff are being treated well.
Kyle Turner says...
Posted Friday, November 20, 2015
I'm sure there must have been good reasons for this move. I just didn't know about it until it was a done deal. And I go on the website almost every day. So I agree with other people here that it should have been, and should be in the future, more transparent via multiple media and headlines, etc.
David Peterson says...
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2015
I'm disappointed with the Board, both for the new location of HQ, and the lack of communication with the membership about it. Not everyone has time to spend reading the forum, and that should NOT be the (informally) official venue for the board to conduct this kind of business. As to the location, it was already a 2-day ride (OK, so I'm slow. It happens when you get old...) to the HQ in the St. Louis area, and I had only managed to get there once - during business hours - in the last 20 years. How long will it tbe before I can get to the S. Carolina office?! Many of us who live west of Kansas (shudder!) don't get a lot of opportunities to get to the eastern seaboard, and when we do, time spent visiting the new HQ is time not spent riding! I understand the synergies that may come of being so close to the BMW CCA and the Performance Center, but having the HQ in the middle of the country went a long way to dispell the feeling that the BMW MOA is focused on eastern riders and riding
George M. Unangst says...
Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2015
The broad should be up front and get the word out. Board to members, ASAP. It should detail the plan.
John Lang says...
Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2015
There is quite a bit of information revealed within our Clubs "Forum" (near 250 member comments as of this date/time; out of the 17,540 registered Forum members of the 30,000+ MOA membership total) To access this area, The Club... subsection "Clubhouse"... thread title: BMW MOA H/Q moved to S.C.; ... one MUST be a Registered User, whereby full content is then viewable and one may participate beyond the visitor/guest level.
Jay Bagley says...
Posted Monday, November 16, 2015
I agree with most of the comments made so far. While the move may be good for the club, the communication to the membership is very poor. I'm not happy with that! Are staff members losing their jobs?
Tom S. Burns says...
Posted Sunday, November 15, 2015
Egos do the move? with out input for membership. I have a couple of years left on my membership, and then slip off to the unknown. Never been a big on large groups with too many egos running things.
William Groh says...
Posted Saturday, November 14, 2015
Wow Going from center of the US to east coast? I know that most of the membership is probably located in eastern US but this is shocking?
Jeff Dean says...
Posted Friday, November 13, 2015
Is this a joke?
Jon Eaton says...
Posted Friday, November 13, 2015
There's a city called Munich, in the country of Germany. In this town is the corporate headquarters of BMW. They have an excellent museum and offer factory tours. The motorcycle factory is in the Spandau neighborhood of Berlin. Go there if you want the BMW experience.
Scott Muetzelburg says...
Posted Friday, November 13, 2015
Shame on the bod for not talking to the membership before spending this money no matter what the reason. What else is going on behind the backs of the membership?This stinks of cronyism.
Buren Walker says...
Posted Friday, November 13, 2015
Whoopee! Sounds like a great move. Makes the BMW facilities now a destination for me. I agree a great area for the national rally. Bob Walker , Richmond, Va.
Wayne Lifsey says...
Posted Monday, November 9, 2015
Sounds good, but what about Jackie Watson's question?? STAFF moving. They have done great job.
Stacy Sauer says...
Posted Friday, November 6, 2015
Greer, South Carolina --- future International MOA Rally site???
Greg Louis says...
Posted Friday, November 6, 2015
Has the BMW MOA ever thought about changing the name of our motorcycle organization? MOA is not a title that jumps out at you to let other riders know that you are a member of a BMW club. Case in point, HD is not shy their brand. In fact, here in MN, MOA means Mall of America!
Steven Miller says...
Posted Thursday, November 5, 2015
I am very disappointed this important topic was not more pro-actively communicated with the members. If the BoD did cover it fully in the Board meeting minutes then this is a good opportunity to request, and I ask that with the sarcasm font ON, that future important topics be announced in multiple formats/methods calling attention to the minutes, in order to avoid any hint at obfuscation. Additional methods, all of which would be appropriate would be; the President's 'message' at the front of the ONews, a short letter to the members drawing attention to the topic in the Rider to Rider section, and the same short message would be entirely reasonable to be personally emailed to all members. This may be a good thing for the club, it may not be. That's not my point. Communication is paramount. That's my point. Steve Miller Oregon
Chris Kerckhoff Sr. says...
Posted Thursday, November 5, 2015
One wonders about the independence of the MOA. Although, for most of those outside of metro St. Louis this is probably a non-event.
Jackie Watson says...
Posted Thursday, November 5, 2015
Is the staff in Missouri moving also?
Rich Barnhart says...
Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Yet another reason to ride to SC!
Paul G. Mulhern says...
Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2015
A positive change for the membership!
Bruce J. Sanders says...
Posted Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Hooray!

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