Often it is the people in the background of an organization that ensure its success and in many cases the general membership does not get to meet or actually know them. Those of us who have attended TCRA seminars over the last few years will be familiar with the face but in this article we will learn something about the person.

TCRA Bookkeeper, Jan Stimmel, has been involved with the association from the beginning. Moving from California to Reno in 1990, and tiring of taxes, having worked for CPA firms for 16 years, she decided to take a bookkeeping job in the private sector. Jan started working as the bookkeeper for Torque Converter Rebuilding Systems (TCRS) in 1996 and when Carole Myers set up TCRA, Jan was involved with the paperwork to start the association. Jan studied for her bachelor’s degree while holding down a full time job at TCRS and three other bookkeeping clients, finishing the degree in 1998. Having only one week’s paid vacation against her husband Ed’s four, extended traveling was out of the question. Eventually, Jan was persuaded to quit the TCRS position and become full time self-employed. Once this was done, Ed informed her that she had three months to start making the same amount of money! (No Pressure). Sending graduation announcements acquired some new clients and Carole asked that she work as an independent contractor for TCRS along with bookkeeping for TCRA. When TCRS was sold and Carole and Corky Myers moved to Alaska, Jan became the only TCRA person left in Nevada.

Jan has the following comments to make about TCRA.
“My initial role as just the “bookkeeper by email” has evolved and expanded over the years. I am now also one of the initial contact people for memberships and seminar information. I also get to help out at the annual seminars where I get to interact with the TCRA Board in person and meet TCRA members and other seminar attendees. I really enjoy working with TCRA. The Board of Directors just keeps getting better; the website and member benefits keep getting better, and I feel that the lines of communication are always open. Everyone is great to work with, and it is awesome to be involved in this association where the members are competitors and friends at the same time. I have worked with two other non-profit organizations that are now defunct because their Boards could not agree on future plans, they were not friends, and some Board members had their own agendas that were not in the best interests of the organizations. So, I really appreciate the TCRA Board!”

Away from TCRA business Jan enjoys traveling, spending time with her two children and four grandchildren, along with tennis and bike riding.