The ACMA has been paying close attention to the various COVID-19 relief efforts coming out of Capitol Hill and The White House. They are complex, tricky and cumbersome, and as a result, the ACMA is launching a new service to help members not only navigate their options to gain the most potential government support, but also get in front of the right officials to gain the fastest action.
As of early May, there were at least eight programs available for companies seeking relief in the form of direct grants, loans and credit facilities. Below are four relief options offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA):
The other four programs are being carried out by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department to also alleviate burdens for businesses:
Service Clears Up Confusion, Provides a Roadmap
There’s been considerable confusion as to how to take advantage of these programs, which of them your company may be eligible for, how to wade through the fine print, and other details. Some of these programs are mutually exclusive. Others have specific criteria as to who they will apply to. What’s more, the final regulations for many are still a work in process.
To help address the need for accurate information as well as have open channels of communication with the Administration, Treasury, the Hill and others, ACMA is offering advisory services in concert with our partners at The Vogel Group to create a roadmap for companies seeking to maximize potential relief in terms of grants, loans and credits offered by the packages. ACMA is providing these services at an attractive rate to our members, so if you’re not already a member, click here to join now.
Q: How is the ACMA-Vogel Group service different?
A: As you may have already experienced, many of the legal firms and accountants being called on to assist in this process are not accurately informed, which is not surprising given the circumstances. Regulations and implementation guidance are being written daily. Details and fine print are still being ironed out. ACMA’s experts are in Washington DC are in ongoing contact with the White House, Treasury, Capitol Hill and the many other agencies that are involved in a rescue. Information we get is generally a day or two ahead of what is being popularly reported or covered in trade newsletters.
Moreover, most professional firms are not lobbyists and do not have direct access to lawmakers or the agencies that report to them. Members of Congress want to help their constituents, especially at a time like this, but one must have access to get the story before them and phones are ringing off the hook right now. Our experts can quickly get things unstuck, straightened out and clarified.
Q: How is it priced?
A: Whereas most legal or accounting firms have to bill on hourly rates, this service is priced on a fixed fee basis after the initial free consultation call. Once our experts have assessed your company’s specific case, their rate will be offered at up to 50% off of their market rates exclusively for ACMA members.
Q: Why isn’t ACMA doing this free for all its members?
A: Like many other organizations around the globe, we are by sharing ever-evolving details on our website daily. But the scope of ACMA’s government relief programs consulting solution is specifically tailored to each individual company.
Q: What are my next steps?
A: Contact Lynn Noble (513-608-4749 lnoble@catalogmailers.org) for a free consultation with our experts.
ACMA will continue to look for ways we can help. If you have needs ACMA might address beyond what is being offered by this service or more generally, please reach out to us. We are committed to doing all we can to minimize this disruption and get through this crisis.
Please continue to keep us advised as to how we can help you in this extraordinary time. In the meantime, stay safe, be well, and let’s make sure that the restart and recovery allow all our member companies to have a bright and viable future.
Price range: $100.00 through $250.00
You can assist with specific areas of ACMA’s program of work by providing much-needed resources dedicated to a particular issue. Our Industry Action Funds are segregated accounts held by ACMA, made available as a “war chest” to deploy on specific issues that impact direct and remote marketers and their suppliers — eliminating the time and effort needed to raise funds in the heat of battle.
Please note that your contributions to ACMA Action Funds will not be used for any general ACMA “corporate purposes” other than a 5% service fee on funds raised and administered. Non-ACMA members are always eligible to make one-off donations. Such contributions support our network of consultants on whom we depend to advocate for the interests of direct and remote marketers and their suppliers. These funds are only used to pay for out-of-pocket expenses of the specific issues outlined below. Large volume donors may be considered for Steering Committees of each Fund. Click here for more information on how the funds are distributed and used.
Restricted Status: Each Fund will be separately administered as restricted under the direction of the ACMA Board of Directors by the ACMA Treasurer and our association accountant. An elected Officer from the Executive Committee or the ACMA Board will authorize disbursements. Details on expenditures will be made available to any material contributor on request. Restricted funds may be released only upon authorization of the benefactor or in the event the contributing entity is defunct, by vote of the ACMA Board.
Use of Funds: Moneys from each fund may be used for hiring lobbyists, economists, attorneys, consultants, public relations or government relations personnel, conducting research or other surveys highlighting positions favorable to cataloging, supporting coalitions or other groups allied to our positions, paying for advertising aimed at influencing elected officials or other stakeholders, organizing grass roots outreach, education or advocacy in support of public policy positions or for other tactics favorable to ACMA policy positions. Money raised will not be used to support any political candidate or political party; these moneys must come from a Political Action Committee.
Lynn Noble is ACMA’s Vice President, Industry Relations, having joined the ACMA in May 2015, following an extensive direct marketing career in private industry as well as the US Postal Service. He is responsible for leading the membership development efforts for the ACMA through new member acquisitions and providing enhanced member value.
Throughout his career, Lynn has held key marketing & sales positions with several leading direct marketers, as well as several high-level management positions with the US Postal Service.
In 2009, at the request of the ACMA, the US Postal Service initiated a new position of Catalog Manager to lead the Service’s efforts to stabilize and grow the catalog industry. Lynn returned to the USPS to lead those efforts and was instrumental to developing a stronger industry partnership between the Postal Service and the catalog industry. Serving as the product manager for catalogs, Lynn helped to raise the awareness of catalog-specific business challenges within the executive ranks of the USPS. During his tenure, the ACMA and catalog companies enjoyed a collaborative and progressive environment that produced more stabilized rates and inclusion in key USPS promotional opportunities.
Just prior to joining the ACMA Lynn was the USPS’s Manager, Strategic Account Operations, leading a team of senior sales professionals who focused exclusively in the Catalog, Mail Order, and E-commerce arena. In addition to his Postal positions, Lynn previously held key positions with leading direct marketing companies, including Cox Target Media, Market Logic, Catalina Marketing, Freesamples.com, and Advantage Direct.
Named Vice President & Deputy Director in January 2010, Miller came to the ACMA following a lengthy career of more than two decades following the catalog/multichannel/e-commerce/retail businesses. Reporting to ACMA president & executive director Hamilton Davison, Miller oversees marketing and communications, membership development, and organizes and oversees ACMA’s National Catalog Forum, while working with Davison on most of ACMA’s postal-related efforts.
Miller started his career as a reporter with Catalog Showroom Business, following a form of retailing that was led by the likes of the Service Merchandise and Best Products retail chains.
After several years of editor/reporter roles with business magazines that followed the toy and gift industries, Miller was named associate editor of Catalog Age magazine (now Multichannel Merchant) in 1986. He rose up the ranks at Catalog Age over the next 18 years to be the magazine’s senior news editor.
Beginning in the late ’80s, Miller became Catalog Age’s postal beat reporter, where he’d follow key postal events and pull out the key catalog mail-related issues for readers. During that time, he attended many Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meetings and National Postal forums.
After leaving Catalog Age in 2004, Miller consulted with several catalogers and multichannel suppliers for a time, he was named news/website editor at Commercial Property News. Less than a year later, he was asked to take the reigns at Catalog Success (now All About ROI) where he served as editor-in- chief from 2006 till the end of 2009.
ACMA appointed Michael K. Plunkett as its President and Executive Director in January 2024, succeeding founder Hamilton Davison. Mr. Davison moved on to own and run a company. Mr. Plunkett brings years of executive leadership experience having been the President and CEO of the Association for Postal Commerce (PostCom) since 2017. In the newly-formed dual role, he will continue his current role with PostCom and the two organizations will operate separately.
During his tenure, PostCom has continued to lead the mailing and shipping industry on policy and regulatory matters and to work with Government agency partners to advance issues of importance to members. Mr. Plunkett is also President of the Delivery Technology Advocacy Council, a nonprofit launched in 2020 to concentrate on delivery and logistics technologies.
Prior to PostCom, Mr. Plunkett accumulated more than 25 years Postal experience with the United States Postal Service in numerous executive roles in operations, marketing, product development and pricing. As a leader within the Postal Service’s management team, Mr. Plunkett developed a well-earned reputation for innovation by leading efforts to develop pricing agreements for domestic services and in the development of the forever stamp and the priority mail flat rate box.
Mr. Plunkett has testified on pricing and policy issues before the Postal Regulatory Commission and Congressional subcommittees. He has authored and presented papers on postal policies, economics, and operations for National and International conferences.
Mr. Plunkett holds Masters Degrees in Business from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Sloan Fellow. He earned a Bachelor Degrees in Economics and Finance from the Pennsylvania State University.
