Season
Greetings!
First off
I would like to wish everyone a great holiday season and a prosperous
new year! As we wrap up 2002 and begin preparation for 2003, I
want to take a look back at the ARC Network and see just how far
we have come in the goal to provide a first-class networking and
research hub for traffic accident reconstruction and investigation.
This past year seemed to come and go at a fast and furious pace.
Last year we were blessed with some funding to help make the ARC
Network a reality. However, we needed to prove the ARC Network
was real and could continue to prosper and grow on its own. I
am very pleased to report we have hurled over the hump and the
ARC Network is bigger and stronger than ever and should continue
to survive for many years to come. I want to thank all the members
and users of the ARC Network for supporting us over the years,
without you and your participation, there wouldn't be an ARC Network.
Let's take
a moment and go back to the end of the first year and compare
to where we are now:
Hits to
the web site:
The end of 1999 we were elated to record 135,000 hits to web site.
In just 3 years we have gone from 135,000 hits per month to over
800,000 hits per month! In 2002 we recorded over 7 million hits
to web site. Now that is some serious growth.
Membership:
As we ended 1999 we totaled approximately 65 members. As we close
out 2002 we have over 300 individual members, 12 organization
members (CAARS, FARO, NAPARS, NATARI, NYSTARS, WATAI, SOAR, MATAI,
ASPACI, TAARS, IATAI, and IAARS), 5 educational members (Northwestern,
IPTM, Collision Safety Institute, University of California - Riverside,
and Visual Statement), and we have 30 police department membership
including over 40% of all state police agencies. One of the most
gratifying aspects of our membership is we have a 90% retention
rate, which tells us the membership plan is working for our experts.
This year
we introduced our "Members Only" section and added some
powerful online databases: vehicle crush stiffness and vehicle
specifications. Next year we will be expanding the data in the
vehicle crush database and putting together a more user-friendly
interface. We will also be adding some new sections and more research.
Not yet
a member?
For a limited time, The ARC Network is offering a FREE one-week
Membership to our Member's Only area just by sending us an email
and asking for it. Simply send an email to membership@accidentreconstruction.com
and see for yourself everything we have to offer. The annual membership
to the ARC Network is inexpensive and gives you additional benefits
no other organization can offer (at these prices):
Members have
praised our network for the information we provide and the casework
referrals received through our Expert Directory. That is why we
have over a 90% renewal rate for the past four years. In addition,
the ARC Network consistently maintains the top listings in all
major search engines for all keywords dealing with accident reconstruction.
Try it for yourself, go to your favorite search engine (Google,
Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc.) and type the key words "accident reconstruction"
and see what comes up!
Accident
Reconstruction Newsletter:
The monthly newsletter has also seen some real growth. This issue
marks the 44th issue we have delivered. Our database has grown
from just a few people to over 8000! Next year we are going to
add new features and more content to our newsletter. We will be
reintroducing a "Sharpen Your Skill" section; however,
this time the questions and answers will be coming from some of
the best learning institutions across the United States. Another
area we are working on is a "Tools of the Trade" which
will host topics, articles and helpful hints on various tools
used in our industry.
Other Services:
The ARC Network has also been involved in growing other areas
of the network. Over the past 3 years we have helped other companies
with branding and recognition through our advertising programs.
We currently have a 98% retention rate with our advertisers and
very often receive feedback on how much business they generate
by advertising on the ARC Network.
We also have
helped a few companies with their web presence. Last year we launched
a web site program where we handled all the details of having
your own business web site. From domain names to hosting to design
and maintenance, the ARC Network handles it all. Next year we
will help the Institute For Law Enforcement Education launch their
new web site. For more information on the ARC Network's web services
visit www.accidentreconstruction.com/web/index.asp.
The ARC
Network in General:
When we launched the ARC Network back in September 1998, the web
site had a tremendous amount of content and research topics. As
we begin our fifth year the site has been loaded with even more
content and is continually updated with fresh content. This year
we have:
- Launched
a new police department program
- Launched
an exclusive members only section
- Launched
a new database-driven, enhanced events calendar
- Held our
first crash conference
- Launched
a new fully-functional discussion forum
- Kept the
site up to date with news and research information
- Delivered
a monthly newsletter
- Helped
other nonprofit organizations maintain their web sites, newsletters
and events.
- And much
more...
Coming
to the ARC Network in 2003:
- New and
improved vehicle crush stiffness database
- A new companion
site to the ARC Network focusing on the legal, medical and insurance
side of vehicular accidents
- Enhanced
newsletter
- More member
benefits
- 2nd Annual
ARC-CSI Crash Conference in Las Vegas (June 2003)
- Learning
tools
- and more.
Above are
just a few of the great accomplishments and goals we have set.
We are working hard to make the year 2003 even better. It has
been a pleasure developing and managing the ARC Network. Never
before have I met such quality people. Every one of us at the
ARC Network would like to thank all of you for making the ARC
Network a success. Until next year...
We wish all
of you a very happy and safe holiday!
Sincerely,
Scott Baker
and
The Entire Staff of the ARC Network.
www.accidentreconstruction.com
arc@accidentreconstruction.com
