NTRA ADVANTAGE EXECUTIVE MCELFRESH TENDERS RESIGNATION
By Ray Paulick
Terry McElfresh, senior vice president of NTRA Advantage, the group purchasing division of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association he has directed since 2007, tendered his resignation last week, multiple sources have told the Paulick Report.
McElfresh’s apparent resignation came just one week after NTRA Advantage announced first-quarter sales of $16.2 million, a 114% increase over 2009. An NTRA press release said a 124% increase in the sale of John Deere equipment paced the upswing and that early second-quarter sales of John Deere equipment are even stronger.
However, sources told the Paulick Report some of those sales may have fallen outside the terms of NTRA Advantage’s contract with John Deere and that the tractor supply company raised questions about who was receiving discounts of up to 23% on the company’s equipment. Discounts are limited to members of the NTRA and a number of other horse industry organizations, including American Quarter Horse Association, U.S. Trotting Association, U.S. Equestrian Federation, U.S. Polo Association, and the American Association of Equine Practitioners.
Word of McElfresh’s resignation comes on the heels of a decision by Churchill Downs Inc. not to renew the NTRA membership of its tracks: flagship Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., Arlington Park in suburban Chicago, Fair Grounds in New Orleans and Calder in Miami.
McElfresh could not be reached for comment, nor could Alex Waldrop, the NTRA’s chief executive officer.
Copyright © 2010, Ray Paulick
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Tags: american quarter horse association, churchill downs, John Deere, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, NTRA, NTRA Advantage, Terry McElfresh
May 24th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
The NTRA Purchasing programs have been great and think you may or may not be 100% correct. I have used a number of the NTRA programs and all you have to do is go online and register to get discounts from many companies like Sherwin Williams, Office Depot and John Deere. If you even look at the NTRA website the John Deere program indicates its for and is perfect for equine hobbyists, fans, or other enthusiasts and not sure who would not fall into one of these categories.
May 25th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Not sure what the big deal is as I had my neighbor back in 2006 call the old NTRA Purchasing President and received a discount on a tractor and he is not even in the equine industry or a NTRA member. I would think Deere needs every sale they can get in this economy.