The Loss of a Good Friend - Steve Drake

Steve DrakeThe association management industry lost a champion and true advocate upon the passing of Steve Drake (May 21, 2021).  Steve was the 2009 President of AMCI and for those of us that had been fortunate to know and work with Steve, we lost a true friend that always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.  Steve built a very successful association management company, Drake and Company, serving many agricultural-related associations and contributing his leadership skills to the industry.  In 2011 Steve sold his company to AMR Management Services, but he continued to play a significant role in our industry as a consultant helping associations with strategic planning, marketing, and management searches.  

Most of us were not aware of his recent health problems. He was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrous (IPF) in January and died suddenly from that disease on Saturday, May 22. After selling his business he and his wife Barb moved to Fort Myers where he enjoyed the golf, the sunshine, and continuing his ties to our industry while operating his consulting gig.  My last conversation with Steve was in the summer of 2019, Steve was telling me how excited he and Barb were to be moving to Colorado and building a house to be close to their daughter and her family.  They were scheduled to close on the house on June 15.    

Steve was the consummate communicator, always building the vision of what ‘it’ could be to a Board, or staff, or to volunteers.  I first met Steve when we both competed for management of the National Christmas Tree Growers Association.  My company was two years old, and this was my first experience with a national association search but I was no match for Steve’s communication skills.  I wanted to show what our company could offer and brought in an IT/web consultant from Boston and used a ‘high tech presentation’ called PowerPoint. This was in 1997.  For Steve’s presentation, he used a felt board and built a Christmas tree from shapes he had cut out and stuck to the felt board with Velcro.  He was a communicator and built the vision. My experience that day started a multi-decade friendship with Steve Drake that I will never forget. 

I had the privilege to serve on the AMCI Board under Steve’s leadership when he was the AMCI President.  Those of us that knew Steve from his AMCI involvement learned from his desire to make AMCI shine for our members, and he was always thinking outside the box, looking for new ways to serve our members and the industry.  There were never problems - always opportunities. He was practical, pragmatic, and innovative. 

True to his form as a strategic planner and a believer in having a vision statement to maintain focus, his wife Barbara has shared the vision statement he wrote for himself as he struggled through the Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrous disease.     

“To do all I can, to live as good as I can, for as long as I can.”

Steve had a warm smile, a twinkle in his eye, and he was always working to make new AMCI members and first-time conference attendees feel comfortable, welcome and be an important part of the organization.  Many of our long-time AMCI members found out about Steve’s passing from an email chain started by our good friend, Beth Quick-Andrews.  Thank you, Beth, for getting this news out to our cohorts.  Some of the comments expressed about Steve from that email chain included,

When Jim and I walked into our first AMCI Annual Meeting at the Rancho Bernardo Inn outside of San Diego, Steve was the first person to great us and introduce us to many of you. I will be forever grateful for his generous mentoring and friendship.

Beth Quick-Andrews, CAE, Q&A Business Solutions

 

Steve was one of the first to reach out to me at my first AMCI meeting and make me feel welcome. He will be missed.

Leslie Murphy, Raybourn Group International

 

Steve was a combination of entertaining, engaging and wisdom. He will be missed.

Mark Engle, Association Management Center

 

The AMCI Annual Conference at Rancho Bernardo was also my first meeting. Steve led the Building an AMC session. I learned so much from him then and through the years. He left a lasting impact on many and will truly be missed.

Pamela H. McKenna, CAE, McKenna Management, Inc.

 

Steve was a wonderful man and so very welcoming. He will be sincerely missed.

Marilyn Jansen, Association Management Center

 

You all said it so well. Celebrating a life well-lived of a man who made an impact on each of us!

Molly A. Lopez, MS, CAE, M L Consulting, LLC

 

I have so many happy memories of meetings, meals, and moments with Steve Drake. Life is oh so short. Remember to make every day count!

Sue Pine, Bloch|Reed Consulting

 

Steve will definitely be missed. He was a true believer in the impact that associations can have on an industry.

Nick Ruffin, CAE, AMR Management Services

 

Steve Drake was a good friend to many in our industry. We all have fond memories to cherish and treasure of our time together with Steve. Now it is our turn to ‘play it forward’ and honor Steve’s legacy. Be sure to notice the new folks at the next conference, those that may not be engaged . . . put a smile on your face and be a Steve Drake to them.

Steve Drake – thank you for the impact you have made on our industry. We are all better for knowing you.

Charles Hall, Association Services Group, Inc. 

 

NOTE: Steve was an Ohio State University Buckeye through and through.   He loved everything to do with OSU even to the point of sending all his friends an email of the OSU marching band playing the fight song.  A fund has been established in Steve’s honor at Ohio State University for students who need financial, emotional, and academic support in the College of Agriculture.  The Drake family requests those wishing to contribute to Steve's memory to please consider CFAEF Student Support Fund (#316943) at The Ohio State University Foundation, PO Box 710811, Columbus, Ohio 43271, or visit give.osu.edu and search by fund number (316943).  AMCI has made a contribution to this fund in Steve’s memory. 

Career Accomplishments:

The following a partial list of some of Steve’s career accomplishments. Appreciation to Den Gardner, former Executive Director of the American Agricultural Editors Association and long-time friend of Steve and Lynn Henderson, Editorial Director for Agri Marketing News.   

  • After a career as an Associated Press news reporter and 10 years in college public relations, Steve Drake entered Agricultural Public Relations in 1978 with the American Soybean Association (ASA).
  • After ASA, Drake formed and grew Drake & Company, focusing on association management through a multitude of clients, mostly in agriculture. Some of his many career highlights included:
  • Developing a PR team at the American Soybean Association and winning a PRSA Silver Anvil in the process.
  • Transitioning Soybean Digest magazine to a commercial magazines from a house organ.
  • Working to coordinate Monsanto's flood relief preprogram, generating $3+ million to rural families during the great flood of 1993. He won a Silver Anvil for this work.
  • Expanding and growing the National Christmas Tree Association through such efforts as the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and the Trees for Troops program. This program alone has touched 122,000 military families with free Christmas trees.
  • Working with leaders of the American Agricultural Editors Association (AAEA), Livestock Publications Council (LPC), and the Agricultural Publishers Association (APA) to create the Ag Media Summit (AMS). Today the AMS is the premier annual professional development conference for hundreds of ag communicators.
  • Serving on the Board of Directors of the Association Management Company Institute (and predecessor organization IAAMC), serving on the Executive Committee and as President of the association in 2009.
  • In 2015, Steve was inducted into the Agricultural Public Relations Hall of Fame. Established by the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC) the Hall of Fame achievement recognizes career excellence in agricultural public relations and communications.