January, 2019

As I stated in my remarks to all in attendance at our annual dinner, I am very proud and humbled to be named the 106th President of the Toronto Transportation Club for 2019. We have the distinction of being the oldest, largest and most successful Club of its kind in the North American Transportation Marketplace. I believe wholeheartedly in this Club and all that it has and continues to represent in our transportation community. I see this a great opportunity for me to give back to the Club that has been so rewarding to me.

I would like to thank outgoing and now Past President Mike Fontaine for your guidance and your readiness to share your knowledge. I thank the Club for introducing us and also being responsible for developing a very close friendship; cheers my friend. With many great traditions of the Club, I will be looking forward to taking a seat by your side for all subsequent dinners.

The Scholarship fund has become a huge part of our identity. We are so very proud to have announced that we are adding a fourth scholarship. This comes as no small feat and through all the hard work of the board, John Foss and the support and generosity of our members. We continue to find creative ways to enhance the scholarship and are working to open it up to more individuals in 2019. I want to offer congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Toronto Transportation Club Scholarship – Cameron J. Blom, Emily Kaunismaa, and Aislinn Wilmore. Thank you to the Scholarship trustees, John Foss, Kelli Saunders, Tim Boyce, Gary Fast & Denise Cardy.

I would like to recognize our outgoing board members this year. A big thank you to Gary Fast who has been with us for 7 years culminating in his role as Past President in 2018. Your tirelessness and enthusiastic dedication to the Club has left an incredibly positive impact to not only the Club but to all the individuals who have served on the board. I hope I can count on your guidance and council in 2019. Also, departing the board this past year was Joe Gilonna of Newcom Business Media. Joe has been an integral and ardent supporter of this Club for over 10 years, we know he will continue to be a great ambassador for years to come. Thank you for all your time, efforts and service – you have made a huge difference!

Congratulations to Barbara Leece who was elected to the position of 2nd Vice President at our AGM prior to the annual dinner. I look forward to working with Barb in the coming years. Also, Cynthia Nagamatsu is now the 1st Vice President and will be the incoming President in 2020. We have welcomed a few new board members in 2018 including Delon Rashid from Newcom Business Media, Mike Kaskauskas from Penske, Paul Antonellis from American Railcar and Stacey Carroll from Trailcon. I am so looking forward to the new year and working with our great team to continue to provide our Club members with opportunities to meet, network and enjoy all the outstanding events we have in store. We also challenged the board to come up with two new events for 2019. “Need for Speed” in January and Oktoberfest. These new events are not to be missed so please get your tickets early and watch for updates! New for 2019, we have enhanced our newsletter now called “The Link”, added some very interesting news items including human interest stories, Club members’ news and even a few historical facts.We hope you enjoy it!

Membership renewals for 2019 are now due. If you haven’t renewed yet, please visit our website www.torontotransportationclub.com or call Denise Cardy at 416-886-5450 for more information. I encourage you to take a look at your membership with our Club and explore the opportunity of welcoming additional members of your organization through corporate memberships, student memberships, and of course, retiree memberships. The cost is minimal and the opportunities are endless. Remember, your membership counts and is so very important to the Club’s health and vitality. I look forward to networking with everyone at all our events in 2019 and hope to see most at our first event in January “Need for Speed” at Twenty7 Club. As we head into the New Year, I want to wish everyone a successful and prosperous 2019!

James Mitton
President, The Toronto Transportation Club