VCOM CREW   THE VCOM CREW      VCOM Founder Tom McGrath and Director Jim Cannon are the “go to guys” for clear, accurate information on motorcycling issues. Their work at the State Capitol ensures that our issues and concerns regarding the freedom to ride and safety are communicated clearly and accurately to lawmakers and government officials.      Jim Cannon Jim Cannon, Director of the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM), has been crazy for motorcycling since his first ride at age 12 on a neighbor’s bike in his native Taylors, South Carolina. Since then, he’s built his life and his career around motorcycles. As VCOM Director and a registered lobbyist, he is a tireless advocate and spokesman for Virginia’s motorcyclists to legislators at the General Assembly, state agencies, and local governments. Every winter, Jim is at the State Capitol daily, working to educate lawmakers at the Virginia General Assembly on motorcycling issues. Jim understands the nuts and bolts of motorcycling. In addition to being recognized in numerous courts of law as an expert general mechanic, he is a trained motorcycle accident investigator, certified by the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. He frequently speaks on motorcycling safety and increased awareness to motorcycle clubs, high school driver’s education classes, and other groups. In May, Jim was honored with the Governor’s Transportation Safety Award (2003) for his efforts to raise awareness of motorcycling safety issues in Virginia. When he’s not working, Jim builds custom motorcycles and rides competitively, holding several current East Cost Timing Association (ECTA) speed records. Before joining VCOM in 2001, he operated Blue Ridge Cycle, a retail motorcycle business in Salem, Virginia.      Tom McGrath Tom McGrath, an attorney whose know as “Virginia’s Motorcycle Lawyer,” founded the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM) in 1992 to fill an important need – a political voice for the state’s motorcyclists. As a lawyer focusing his practice on motorcycling and an avid rider himself, Tom knew first hand that most lawmakers know little about what it’s like out on the road or about why we love to ride. To help the state’s motorcyclists find a voice and leverage their power, he founded VCOM, and as a registered lobbyist, works tirelessly to protect the rights of motorcyclists at the state legislature. Tom travels throughout the state each month, talking with clubs and at shops about the motorcyclist’s need for superior insurance coverage as well as safety and legislation issues. In 1997, he received the Governor’s Transportation Safety Award for his work to increase motorcycle safety. He has been characterized as “a hero” in Easyriders Magazine and has received the Silver Spoke Award from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists and the Outstanding Motorcycle Safety Award from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Tom, a lawyer licensed for more than 30 years, continues to successfully represent hundreds of motorcyclists across the state.