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OHIO ORGANIZES ACE CHAPTER
BACE BEGINS WITH A BANG

By Angelina Spencer
Cleveland, OH

If anyone had told me two years ago I’d be starting an ACE state chapter, I would have said they were psychotic. Like every other club owner not affiliated with ACE, I assumed this whole organization was a scam contrived by blood-sucking attorneys as a front to make money. In fact, that is basically how I felt about any organization that rode into Ohio with all of their protective promises and stories of glory. It’s nothing personal—its just that as club owners we are used to faux finish personalities and justly suspicious of persuasive pitches after being the “receiver” one too many times.

Two years ago, when I heard ACE was sponsoring a legal symposium in Myrtle Beach to address the Paps case, I considered it an excuse for a vacation. I intended to take advantage of the slashed room rate and silently ignore any pleas for a contribution. I figured rooms full of attorneys were going to shout “gloom and doom” and I was ready for them.

But the unexpected happened: I listened to phenomenal speakers like ACE National Board members Chip Walker and Stephen McWilliams. These were not hoity-toity lawyers, but people just like me facing the same struggles. I learned the importance of Paps and how it affects us. I received a crash course in negative secondary effects, and discovered club owners large and small were all experiencing the same legislative pinch. To my surprise, by the time the weekend was over, we not only joined ACE, we discussed forming an Ohio chapter.

I put off my decision to start a state association for many reasons. First, I’m a “puppy” in adult entertainment compared to the seasoned bulldogs that surround me. Second, I’m a female owner/manager in a predominately male-dominated industry. Finally, I cheated my way into the managerial realm by dancing across a stage and into the arms of an established club owner. Who would listen to me? These excuses served me well as an effective avoidance maneuver until I attended ACE 2001 Legal Symposium this March in Miami.

At the hotel, I stepped off the elevator and met David “Slim” Baucom of MAL Entertainment. After I realized he wasn’t the hotel janitor and he figured out I wasn’t a feature entertainer, we began to talk at length about the future of our industry. This conversation spilled into the weekend where other club owners from all over the country joined us. The recurring theme of our conversations was commitment, sincerity, and enthusiasm.

My grandmother once told me you may not be able to recognize sincerity on someone’s face but you certainly can feel it. ACE’s sincerity felt right to me. The attorneys, club owners, and support staff of ACE all answered my tough and sometimes nasty line of questioning. In fact, Brad Shafer at one point was sure I was an FBI agent. When the symposium was over I was convinced ACE was legitimate and committed to our industry. Why? Because it was formed by club owners and not attorneys as some claim. Because they honestly address your questions and return your phone calls. Because they deliver what they promise. Because ACE is comprised of an extensive brain trust loaded with hundreds of combined years of valuable experience. Because many of the individuals committed to ACE, including the attorneys, often dip into their own funds or sacrifice time and money for the cause.

ACE is well organized and doesn’t blow smoke up your ass.
There is also an unexpected advantage in joining ACE outside of the obvious information and resources available to you. Club owners exchange great ideas for business and learn from one another. These meetings alone will spare me years of mistakes. I’d also like to believe I am on my way to forging some of my greatest lifelong friendships with people I’ve come to highly respect. If I travel to almost any sate and run into a problem, I now “know” people. For this reason too, ACE is security.

Suffice to say after the Miami meeting I could no longer pacify myself with excuses why not to form a state chapter. I returned home and pitched the idea to other club owners with the help of “Just Teasin’” owner Bill Martin. My husband, Tim Spencer of the Circus in the Flats was instrumental in supporting our cause and helping compose a letter to club owners. June 18 was D-Day. The response we received was overwhelming—35 clubs confirmed their reservations.

Organizing a meeting is thankless work. Some club owners hung up on me, others screamed through the phone, and many would not return calls. I don’t like to be hung up on so I took the “Erin Brockovich” approach and decided to pay some clubs a personal visit. I sought advice, I begged, and I spent countless hours on the phone and e-mail with ACE Vice President Larry Kaplan. I used my own money to mail 139 letters to club owners in Ohio. I feared no one would show up or worse yet, they would show and pelt me with rotten tomatoes.

As Ohio’s most seasoned club owners filled a room I was plagued by visions of a western saloon brawl, replete with smashing bottles and splintering chairs—but it was not to be. These owners were not gun toting, dirt crusted cowboy wanna-be’s. Although a hint of experienced grit was evident in their attitude, I was addressing a room full of corporate bean counters interested in asking tough questions, receiving honest answers, and protecting their businesses. By the time a formal motion was made to form our association, the vote was unanimous.

For the first time in Ohio adult entertainment history we occupied the same space as a unified force with a common goal: Our right to function as legitimate businesses without having matters of personal taste and choice dictated to us by moralistic governments. As someone relatively new to adult entertainment, I must say I was extremely proud. If club owners can set aside years of competition and resentment and enter the same room without killing each other and come to agreement, then we can achieve anything. Newcomers like me are the future of your industry—and we are watching you intently as you mold us so we may follow your success. In Ohio, the club owners were successful in setting a lasting example for us “whipper-snappers”. Thank you.

To join the ACE National Trade Association or for information on starting an ACE chapter, call (216) 965-7527or e-mail: ace@acenational.org