LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
EXCEEDING ALL EXPECTATIONS WOW, WHAT A GREAT TIME in Fort Worth! Pawn Expo met and exceeded all expectations as we finally were able to get our pawn family back together again. I had a great time! Everyone I talked to had a great time! I would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to our Convention Committee, who really knocked it out of the park this year. We continue to receive very positive feedback regarding the programs, the exhibit hall, the planned events, the venue, and the overall experience. We are so thrilled to have welcomed over 500 attendees to the show, and I certainly enjoyed the chance to, once again, shake hands and visit face to face. I know planning has already begun for Pawn Expo 2022 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Despite the hardship and restrictions of the past year, the NPA Membership Committee has put in long hours to find ways our organization can both retain and gain members. The new initiatives, programs and pricing options spearheaded by the Membership team have been incredibly well received. In June, Smart Financial, which has 69 U.S. based stores, joined the NPA. After attending the Convention,
Capital Pawn, which has 18 stores, joined as well. Increasing our membership is critical, and every new member strengthens our voice. My hope is we can keep this momentum going and continue to see growth in membership at the NPA through the remainder of the year. Congratulations to Beth Anundi, David Ashe and the entire Membership Committee for all their efforts and positive results. Since the Convention, I have been speaking with many of you about your interest in committee positions and possible board service. We have 13 committees at the NPA, 7 of which are active throughout the entire year. Behind the scenes, there is a network of board members and volunteers who are hard at work driving this organization forward. If you are interested in helping, let me know. Hopefully, everyone who attended Pawn Expo took away new information to help your business. I never leave without learning something new that more than pays for my cost of attending. I know how hard we work and how long the hours can be, so I urge you to take our recent Pawn Expo Keynote Speaker’s advice and “take time to recharge.” I do believe that downtime is just as critical for our businesses as the time we spend at the counter or with our customers. If we don’t ever step back to reevaluate, take on a new perspective or think outside of the box, we will continue to do the same things we have always done with the exact same result. We can, and should always, be striving to do better. Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank former President, Kerry Rainey, for his tremendous service for the past two years. Under Kerry’s leadership during the most challenging times, the NPA strengthened its foundation, realigned its goals for the future and strongly represented our industry. I am honored to have been elected to become his successor and will rely on his experience and advice. I look forward to working with, and for, each of you these next two years. Sincerely,
Boyd Naylor Boyd Naylor NPA President
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NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION | FALL 2021
