Ronald Reagan???
That would be great. Oh? We're not talking politics here?
never mind....
I've been going to York for 20+ years, and with the exception of Jerry C, I've always found it easy to speak to ANYONE at any train company. They were there and accessible.
I was glad to be able to talk to Howard Hitchcock if only to wish him the best with his stewardship of Lionel. He was accessible and conversant.
No matter how good anyone thinks he or she is, we have ears for a reason. To think you couldn't learn SOMETHING from speaking to devoted hobbyists in your industry, even if only twice a year, is idiocy.
Gerry
"To think you couldn't learn SOMETHING from speaking to devoted hobbyists in your industry, even if only twice a year, is idiocy."
To assume that Calabrese wasn't listening to hobbyists, either directly or indirectly, because he didn't have a chance to talk with you personally isn't exactly insightful.
York is important, but it isn't the entirety of Lionel's business by a long shot. While there are 30,000+ TCA members and perhaps a few thousand attendees at York, there are likely at least 100,000 customers who buy Lionel train sets each year, and they have needs and desires that differ from the York crowd. Calabrese did a fantastic job bringing innovation and whizzy products to the hobbyist and that's what constitutes 99% of my evaluation of his work.
Here's what Neil Young wrote about Calabrese a few years ago on this forum:
"Jerry Calabrese is a creative visionary and an excellent partner to work with, shepherding Lionel through these tough economic times. The future looks bright to me."
I read Neil Young's Book recently. I was quite impressed as no sooner are you on page 1 of his book and he starts talking about Lionel.
I always liked Neil Young as a muscian. When he teamed up with Lionel and rolled up his sleeves and helped out i liked him even more.
He has kind words for Jerry and that is OK by me!!!
