Hello, my name is Blair Milburn and I am running for the TICA Maine Coon Breed Committee.  I would like to take a few minutes of your time to introduce myself.

I began showing Maine Coons with my wife, Susan Milburn, in 1999.  I had been a “cat person” all of my life having grown up with cats.  When I was looking for my first apartment, one of my selection criteria was the ability to have a cat.  Soon after moving in, I and a neighbor took in a feral pregnant mother and I became owned by one of the kittens.  However, from that point until 1999, I didn’t know much about cat shows, or Maine Coons.  But, as many of you probably have experienced, both Maine Coons and showing gets into your blood quickly which definitely happened to me.  I have shown many Regional Winning alters including the 9^th Best International Alter in 2004-2005.  Showing alters deepened my appreciation of our breed teaching me much about Maine Coon’s type and personality.  In addition, it allowed me to start meeting many of you.  I have also been, and continue to be, involved in several clubs, as a member and club officer, and have contributed to putting on shows on the US West Coast.

Several years ago, we decided to move from purely exhibiting into breeding.  CascadeMtn (Cascade Mountain) Maine Coons was born.  Breeding has extended my education about the breed into more health related areas along with learning new things such as the details of setting up a cattery, the genetics of breeding and all the joys and heartbreaks of developing kittens from age 0 to 4 months.  It has definitely been a rewarding experience especially in showing kittens of my own breeding.  I have continued to have exhibiting success showing more Regional Winners and the 8^th and 15^th Best International Kittens in 2007-2008.        

Outside of the cat fancy, I am a senior manager at Intel Corporation.  I lead a 150+ person design team based in the US and Asia.  I have contributed to most of the significant CPU developments at Intel over the past 20 years.  During that period, I have worked with and led many people from different backgrounds and cultures both locally and remotely around the world. 

I would like to be on the breed committee to continue to promote the Maine Coon breed.  I view promotion as something which is done both external and internal to the breed section itself.  External promotion can be pretty straightforward such as breed displays at shows but I believe we could also be investigating less traditional methods and trying new things.  Promotion internal to the breed section would include continuing to examine and evolve the breed standard based on analysis and discussion by the breed section members.  Members of the breed committee can facilitate that discussion.  However, I do not believe that means breed committee members are not entitled to have or express their own opinions in constructive ways.  A final aspect of breed promotion which is both internal and external to the breed section is related to health issues.  I would like to continue to explore how to have educational and non-confrontational discussions of health to educate both Maine Coon exhibitors and breeders and the general public.

I feel that my experience as both a long-time Maine Coon exhibitor and as a Maine Coon breeder makes me qualified to represent you on the Breed Committee.  I also feel my experience working with people both inside and outside the cat fancy, locally and globally, would make me an effective committee member. 

To all of the Maine Coons friends I have met at shows, I hope you will vote for me and will recommend me to your friends.

To all my fellow Maine Coon breeders and exhibitors I have not yet met, I hope to meet you soon either in person at a show or on-line.  And, I hope you will also consider voting for me.

Thank you.

                                                                        Blair Milburn

 

If you have any questions for Blair you can Email Blair Cascade Mtn

 

To visit the Maine Coons at Cascade Mtn click HERE

 

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