2nd Quarter Business Meeting

June 5, 2014, 9 a.m.

Sleep Inn & Suites

Colby, Kansas

  1. Call to Order
  2. After a welcome from the mayor of Colby, the meeting was called to order by President Helen Dobbs.
  3. Present: Christy Hopkins, Janae Talbott, Allie Kastens, Linette Miller, Taryn Taylor, Roger Hrabe, Joann Knight, Phyllis LaShell, Dan Steffen, Ron Newman, Mike O’Kane, Aaron Cannon, Randall Hrabe, Bob Dale, Kara Jecha, Jeremy Hill, Richard Boeckman, Sydney Blanton, Billy Brown, Abby Murray, Christy Preston, Katie Eisenhour, Carol Meyer, Clare Gustin, Ralph Goodnight, Nikki Pfannenstiel, Corey Mohn, Helen Dobbs, Lona Duvall, Rob Fillion, and Lea Ann Seiler
  1. Introductions & Announcements
  2. The Federal Reserve will be hosting a Shift Innovation Conference.
  3. The Built Environment Conference is scheduled for September in Wichita.
  4. The NREDA conference will be held July 23-25.
  1. Approval of Minutes
  2. Rob Fillion moved to approve the minutes of the March 6 meeting in Greensburg. Janae Talbott seconded. Motion carried.
  1. Treasurer’s Report, Approval, & Membership Report
  2. Treasurer Nikki Pfannenstiel shared her report. In addition to providing detailed financials, which included a year-to-date profit and loss, balance sheet, and fund allocation, Pfannenstiel noted that the organization’s non-profit reports for the state and federal government have been filed. She will be purchasing two copies of Quickbooks 2014 for accounting purposes.
  3. Lona Duvall moved to approve the treasurer’s report. Ralph Goodnight seconded. Motion carried.
  4. Pfannestiel also distributed a current membership list and asked those present to make any corrections or changes to their organization’s information. There are currently 86 members of wKREDA.
  1. Committee Reports
  2. Business Development: Chairwoman Katie Eisenhour reported on a recent face-to-face meeting with 14 of the 19 business development members present. A candid conversation at that meeting revealed that uncertainty exists within the organization regarding the role and function of the business development team as well as the powers, privileges, and associated benefits of those who participate in the highest level of membership. The Business Development team controls all business development funds. The wKREDA board manages the administrative funds. There may be a need to review and adapt the wKREDA By-Laws to reflect current operating procedures. The business development team is beginning work to be purposeful and deliberate in identifying new initiatives to pursue with Business Development funds. Business Development members voted 13-0 to reallocate the funds raised from Business Development membership as follows: $650 will go for Business Development purposes; $100 will go to administration, and $100 will be applied to mid-level membership funds. The next Business Development meeting will be held July 8 at 1 p.m. in Scott City.
  3. Dairy Team: Chairwoman Lona Duvall reported that that Dairy Team will be returning to Tulare for the 2015 show and that additional help is needed (5 to 6 people is the ideal number for working the booth.) June is National Dairy Month. A suggestion has been made to provide a $1,000 stipend for those who attend. Ways to collaborate to support the dairy industry were discussed on a recent Dairy Coalition call.
  4. We Have Jobs: Roger Hrabe spoke on behalf of the We Have Jobs Committee, which is seeking additional team leadership. There is a need to determine direction for the initiative and regroup to line up career fairs, etc. There have been some issues with getting jobs posted on the website. Those experiencing difficulties were encouraged to contact Roger or Steven. The “Apply Online” option was discussed, as people frequently send resumes and applications to the person posting the information, rather than following the instructions to submit an application. There are still plenty of magnets, truck magnets, and magazines available for the We Have Jobs initiative. Janae Talbott suggested doing a survey to see where individuals’ passions and energies lie in regards to wKREDA.
  5. Legislative Committee: Nikki Pfannenstiel and Clare Gustinposed a question about wKREDA’s role in legislative races and wKREDA’s ability to react quickly to measures in committee and in the legislature. Extensive discussion ensued about wKREDA’s legislative efforts and the organization’s political role and voice.
  6. Housing Task Force: There was no report from the housing task force.
  7. Public Relations: There was no report from the Public Relations team.
  8. Education Committee: Roger Hrabe reported that upcoming CD101s will include presentations from IKE and Jason Van Sickle. Other potential guests include Jeremy Hill regarding some recent research he’s conducted.
  9. Old Business
  10. There was no old business to discuss.
  11. New Business
  12. There was no new business to discuss.
  13. Other
  14. Website: The wKREDA website was discussed. The current one is extremely out-of-date. A call for volunteers to work on a new plan for the website was issued.
  15. Next Meeting
  16. The next meeting will be held September 9 & 10 in Garden City. New retail development and new housing starts will be discussed as part of CD 101.
  17. Adjournment
  18. With no further business to be discussed, the meeting was adjourned.