GM and its impact on FIRST

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by 595294001

I'm sure you've all seen the stories of GM's bankruptcy and you all know how much money it has given to many clubs and to FIRST as a whole. So with Gm going under, what do you think the kickback will be on FIRST?

Hopefully, GM won't "go under". If they go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, that means that they will reorganize. This is currently what Delphi is still doing (since 2005) and what Chrysler is doing.

Originally Posted by CraigHickman

GM won't bring itself out of bankruptcy.

Teams that rely on auto sponsorship may want to find companies with factories/engineering locations stateside that aren't failing, such as Subaru, and others. GM is dying, and what we're seeing is the floundering of a company trying to stay alive.

I believe that Craig is very wrong, and GM will emerge from a re-organization as a much smaller company. There will be many changes along the way, making GM a different entity within 5 years.

Here's another way to look at this, from a FIRST perspective:

If any of us are in the market for a new or previously-owned vehicle, why don't we go out and purchase a car that is made by one of the companies who have supported FIRST programs for many years?

Let's see... Chrysler, GM, Ford... they have supported FIRST. Maybe we should support them, eh? I don't see Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, or other non-US-based auto companies being major sponsors of FIRST events and foundations. In this tight economic times, I suggest we support the companies who are supporting what we are passionate about, instead of piling on and giving up on them.

Andy B.