Making connections to grow chapter influence

BY TIM BENFORD, PRESIDENT OF DRIVE ELECTRIC DAYTON, PAST VICE-PRESIDENT OF ELECTRIC AUTO ASSOCIATION

It’s an old saying that ‘one thing leads to another,’ and it’s very true with regard to organizing a thriving electric vehicle (EV) chapter of enthusiasts. You never know if a new contact will turn out to be either interested in EVs or in joining and supporting your group. It’s always best to keep reaching out in every way possible.

For me, as founder and leader of Drive Electric Dayton, I quickly realized that our Electric Auto Association (EAA) chapter, which I started in 2017 as a Facebook group for equally-excited future Tesla Model 3 owners, is part of a collection of organizations (per the figure above). They are all connected in common cause to accelerate the adoption of EVs, either due to the belief that EVs are simply better than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, or because EV adoption would, on balance, reduce carbon emissions and help tackle climate change.

The organization grows

My first connection came when folks from the Columbus non-profit Clean Fuels Ohio saw my Facebook page. Over lunch, Sam Spofforth, the Executive Director, convinced me to expand it to include all Dayton EV enthusiasts, regardless of EV brand. I named the chapter “Drive Electric Dayton (DED).” Clean Fuels Ohio assigned us to Ellen Eilers, an event organizer, and she helped us learn how to host ride & drive events. 

After learning about the EAA, I joined the organization and encouraged other DED members to do the same. We posted event photos on Facebook, and soon I received a call from Raejean Fellows, the then President of the EAA, saying she planned to visit Dayton to meet members of our burgeoning chapter. This led to an increase in EAA membership and some notoriety for our local chapter. 

I was soon recruited as the EAA national Vice President, resulting in furthering our influence locally. Later, I was invited by a local Montgomery County Commissioner, who was focusing efforts on sustainability, to a Zoom call with the team responsible for county vehicle purchasing. I briefed them on EV and charging news and they apprised me of county efforts to reduce carbon emissions by replacing ICE vehicles with EVs over time.

A county team member, Lamees Mubaslat, who also runs Dayton Regional Green (DRG), a group that certifies local companies as “green,” invited DED members to bring our EVs to a DRG event at Carillon Historical Park. This launched a long-time relationship that is still going today. Our DED plans for Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) 2022 include a presentation at a DRG luncheon in conjunction with a ride & drive and a children’s EV education fair.

Media links and more...

Writing articles about our EV events and submitting them to Brian Barr, the editor of The Oakwood Register, created a connection that I tap into whenever we host a DEED or National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) event. The Register very kindly published a half-page of photos and text about our 2021 NDEW event at Carillon Park. The Dayton Daily News has published artcles about us, too.

DED member Patty Caruso, the CEO of the Beyond the Box Solutions (BTB) consulting firm, is very well connected in Dayton. She put me in touch with Steve VanGorder, the owner and President of SGV Motors, selling new and used EVs. After a few Zoom calls with VanGorder, Patty, and myself, SVG Motors began focusing on becoming the EV sales leader in Dayton. SVG now has many new and used EVs available.

Another friend of Patty’s is Irv Moscowitz, the CEO of Burhill Leasing in Dayton, and as with SVG, a Zoom call confirmed that the CEO would aim to be the lead EV lessor in Miami Valley. He has joined the County Commissioner’s monthly calls with the purchasing team as an influencer.

Gary Heaton, the President of Drive Electric Cincinnati, put DED and Clean Fuels Ohio in touch with Electrada, a Cincinnati company that offers a turnkey EV charging solution to private and public customers. We became well acquainted with Electrada’s leadership, as well as its products, and when we realized the potential for EV charging at the Carillon Historical Park, I introduced the park’s Executive Director, Alex Heckman, to Electrada’s sales leader, Alexis Woolard. The park has a huge parking lot, attracts thousands of visitors annually, and begs for a Level 2 or 3 charger or two. Talks are ongoing.

DED’s renown led to an invitation from Green Energy Ohio (GEO) to join the team planning the 2021 Green Energy Tour of Ohio. The tour arrived at DED’s event at Carillon on September 9, the cavalcade of local leaders speaking at the presentations including Dayton’s Mayor, a County Commissioner, Dayton’s Sustainability Manager, the Executive Director of GEO, the Program Manager from our local utility AES-Ohio, and more. I had met Dayton’s Sustainability Manager via contact with the Mayor’s office. His wife brings their Hyundai Kona electric SUV to our ride & drive events.

One key connection DED had made earlier was with local Sinclair Community College when we were seeking a large parking lot with EV charging for an event. We struck up a conversation with Justin Morgan, the college’s Automotive Technology Coordinator, who gave my Vice president and me a tour of Sinclair’s Automotive Center, where we learned he was hoping that Sinclair would become certified in Tesla START Technician Training. As we knew Kimberly Wagner, the Manager of the Tesla Store in Cincinnati, we put the Coordinator in touch with her, and in no time Sinclair had met its goal. They have been graduating Tesla technicians since early this summer. 

Speaking engagements bring more connection

Earlier this year, Patty of BTB encouraged me to speak about EVs to the Rotary Club of Dayton. My talk, Why Your Next Vehicle Should Be Electric, was very well received and an attendee, Rick Wegmann, recommended that I reprise my presentation at the Engineers Club of Dayton. Prior to my  talk there in October, an ex-city councilor of Trotwood, Rap Hankins, had contacted me about the VW ID.4 electric SUV. We got to know each other and I learned of his commitment to share his love of his new ID.4 and electric motoring with his underserved city. His strength is politics and we plan to work together to support Ohio State Senator Michael Rulli in his efforts to make EVs and charging more available across the state. Meanwhile, Rap brought his ID.4 to join two Model 3s at the lunch presentation at the Engineers Club.     

Recently, another connection came out of the blue when Tony DiGiorgi, a salesman at a local KIA dealer group, emailed me about a meeting to discuss the new KIA Niro electric SUV. He had heard of DED through prior calls to their dealership when eliciting support for events. Tony and I met, I took a ride in the most excellent Niro, and we pledged to work together. Soon after, Tony brought a Niro to our NDEW event and sold it on the spot. Collaboration at its best!

The most recent result of continuing to make connections is this text I received over this past weekend from Carolyn Rice, the County Commissioner:

So it seems one thing DOES lead to another, and looking at the organizations connected in the automotive arena as a coherent system helps one think of making as many connections as possible to accelerate the adoption of EVs and renewable energy. As Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”