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Introducing the New Owner of Drum Corps Planet


JohnD

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To the members of Drum Corps Planet, Color Guard Planet, and Marching Band Planet:

I’d like to take this opportunity to finally introduce myself as the new owner of Drum Corps Planet and the DCP family of sites. There has been speculation about and interest in ‘who’ the new owner of the site is – so I thought I’d let you know a little about me. I’ve been a fan of the drum corps and pageantry activities for a number of years, a parent of two sons that participated in a DCI Div III corps then aged-out of DCI Div I, a trumpet soloist in a championship high school program taught by a legendary music teacher, and an active performing arts supporter. I’ve been an entrepreneur and successful businessman, primarily in the telecom technology industry, and have worked with clients and partners around the world. In the past couple of years, I decided to slow things down professionally and was looking for something ‘more-fulfilling’ to put my time and energy into. The DCP opportunity came along at the right time.

Over the past few years, I had the honor of serving as a member, then eventually President of the Board of Directors of BD Performing Arts – the organization behind The Blue Devils. It was an incredible experience and it gave me a unique insight into the drum corps activity, the dedication of the people involved, and the difficult challenges that corps and guard organizations (large and small) around the country face. One of the reasons for the lengthy transition period was that I felt it necessary to remove any potential conflict-of-interest concerns that could exist with my involvement in both DCP and The Blue Devils. To that end, I removed my name from consideration for another term on the board at the recent annual meeting, completed my Board duties, and can now serve the drum corps community in a new and exciting way.

Each and every one of us have our personal favorites and allegiances … and I’m still a Blue Devils fan. However, I must emphasize that beyond that - I’m MORE a fan of the great activities we support, the people and life-long relationships that are created, the rich history of the activities, and the ways these activities positively influence peoples’ lives year-after-year. With this new role, my attention has broadened to the activity as a whole – supporting, growing, and improving the DCP community.

I’ve assembled answers to some of the questions that have been raised since the sale was announced. Hopefully, you’ll find the answers you’re looking for and be as excited about the future of the DCP communities as my team and I are.

Q: What is going to change?

A: Our first priority is to ensure that the community is on a sound technical and financial foundation – which are some of the core skills and resources that we bring to the table. As we better understand the needs of the entire DCP membership and community, we’ll be adding services, features, and more content to the sites. Our first step will be to develop a new and improved look-n-feel for the sites – which will help provide the foundation for improvements over the coming months. Our goal is to grow and enhance what are already the premier information and community / discussion sites in the drum corps, marching band, and color guard activities.

Q. Are we going to be asked to ‘donate’ to the site to keep the doors open?

A: I’m fully committed to making these sites self-sustaining in the next year and prepared to fund the operations for the time that it takes to get there. We’ve done our due diligence and are satisfied that we understand the commitment that is required to sustain the sites’ operations. Just so there’s no misunderstanding – DCP and its related sites are NOT non-profit or membership-owned and funded organizations. We’ll be working with people in the activity and related businesses to build a base of sponsorship to fund the sites’ activities and growth.

Q. What about the confidentiality of my personal information – including name, email address, other contact info, etc.?

A. We will continue the Drum Corps Planet Privacy Policy under the terms described on the site’s “Privacy Policy” page. To review the published Policy, please read the privacy page on DCP. Should any changes to this Privacy Policy be required for some reason in the future (legislation, for instance), our members will be notified well in-advance of the Policy change.

Q. Will the new owners take an active part in the day-to-day activities of the site?

A. There are many talented and dedicated people filling the roles of editors and forum support team members and we hope many of them continue their roles and support of DCP. My intention is not to be the news editor or administrator of the site’s news features and forums – but rather to set high standards for professionalism and conduct. Initially, we’ll be focused on ensuring the sites’ growth and finding ways to improve the features, services, and benefits of the community. Partnerships with others in the various activities we support will be explored and considered, in the hopes of finding new sources of information and content for the sites. New channels and methods for collecting, presenting, and delivering that information will also be explored and expanded. Sponsors and advertisers from within the activities we support will be sought to help fund the operation and growth of the sites. There’s plenty of work to do for everyone.

Q: Ok – so what about in the future?

A: We’re excited about many of the positive things that are happening in the DCP community and want to explore new ideas and ways to make the sites even more accessible to a wider audience, while offering our members and guests more information about the activities that we’re all passionate about. As members of this site, we don’t want to do anything that would jeopardize what we already enjoy. There will be changes made as we move forward, always with our focus on improvement. We hope you’ll support these improvements as they’re implemented over time and our efforts to improve the site’s focus and dedication to the activities we support. Your comments and suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

Q. And what about George – will he continue to be involved?

A. I have a great deal of respect for the contribution that George Dixon has made to this community. Without his investment of time and money over the past 4 years, DCP would not exist as it does today. Going forward, George has graciously agreed to assist with on-going technical support, but only if so-requested. We see this plan as the best way of ensuring that there are no technical issues with the sites as the transition continues and that things continue to run smoothly. I’d like to thank George for his vision, his commitment, and his concern for the well-being and preservation of the community …and appreciate the trust he’s put in us to take the DCP vision to the next level.

Thank you, in-advance, for your continued support of and participation in this community. We look forward to working with the entire DCP/CGP/MBP community to make this THE premier site in the activity – the one you’ll look-to regularly for the latest news and information, the source for up-to-the-minute statistics, polls, and reviews from around the country, the place to go to engage in lively, engaging discussion about the activity, and one that sponsors will be proud to support.

I’m excited to be a part of this vibrant community and helping build its future …...

Let’s get the show on the road!

John M Donovan

Publisher

DCP Partners, LLC

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Welcome John, have fun and good luck :)

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Does this mean that we can't make wise cracks about the yowza yowza yowza????

Just kidding. :P

IF I may so bold to speak for the entire community at DCP,,Welcome!

Look forward to the future of DCP.

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HEH! What a small world. I know your son! COOL! Glad to meet you--and welcome.

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Welcome, John. :)

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welcome aboard. We're glad to have you.

Always remember, if it ain't broken, don't mess with it......there's a lot of good here, and I'm glad to see you become a part of it.

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