BQPA/PIONEERS

BARBERSHOP QUARTET PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION

Board of Directors

April 6, 2017

MEETING MINUTES

Present: President Tom Noble
IPP Jack Martin
Treasurer Jim Gallagher
Secretary Rex Touslee
West Festval Jim Milner – Bernie Esberner
East Festival Gerry Carroll
Membership Frank Flizar
Webmaster Jim Milner – Bernie Esberner
Registrar June Noble

Quorum Declared - Meeting Called to order

Recognition of departed friends : Chuck Harner - Jeff Baker –‘Doc’ Sause - Ed Beaver – Cal Revis – Dave Walker - Richard Vormelker

Reverent rendition of Old Songs sung in their honor.

Reading of previous meeting minutes – dispensed with as they are posted on website. Minutes were accepted as posted

TREASURER’S REPORT - Jim Gallagher

Handed out Income - Expense report. Current balance is $6524.61

Comments: Our balance is holding level with some ups and downs. Spent $567.50 on supply of new pins. The Embassy Suites – Tempe sent us a letter reminding us of what a wonderful facility they had for us. We moved to another location due to their continuing rising costs. – last raise was $1000.

Move to accept Treas. report – Gerry Carroll – Second – Jim Milner – passed.

ACTIONS TAKEN SINCE LAST MEETING

Accepted resignation of Ed Simons as Secretary

Appointed Rex Touslee as Secretary with revised duties

Registered Agent Stu Willcox has been informed of these changes and will make the required revisions our Articles of Incorporation in Nevada.

Appointed Ed Simons as Asst. to Membership with explanation of the duties of that new position. ( per agenda)

Discussion of sound system for Chicago Festival. President Tom will send a thank you to Jim Jaroz and his chapter for the use of their system. Will include the commitment of a nominal fee to the chapter in lieu of our renting a system. No amount determined.

President Tom announced the appointment of Bernie Esberner as Asst. Chair of the West Festival and as Asst. Webmaster.

Flyers announcing our Festivals have been posted at Harmony University, Harmony, Inc. International and Mid-Atlantic District events.

President Tom has conveyed the Board’ decision to Lance Lubin of AHSOW to cooperate with them in a limited fashion to promote each other's event. Link on our website for AHSOW has been repaired and the link from their website to ours is complete.


CHICAGO FESTIVAL CHAIRMAN REPORT - CARROLL

Gerry announced that the management of the Best Western has a different negotiation plan. We will now have two contracts- one for the singing room and another for sleeping rooms. We will continue to get the singing room for no charge. the sleeping room rate is increasing to $89 25 plus taxes. Important _ rooms must be booked by 7/28/17 or the rate becomes $101.00.

WEST FESTIVAL CHAIRMAN REPORT – MILNER

Also has two contracts – one for singing room – one for sleeping rooms $200 per day for the singing room - $100 for stage for 2 days. - this weekend will be $800 – can’t predict for 2018 but will talk to hotel contact to get a feel for that. Jim said that the annual AZ Bash would be held in this hotel, after also leaving the Embassy Suites in Tempe. Touslee mentioned that the FWD AZ Division was to be held here next April and that Platoon head man Bill Kane was to attend our event this weekend to see if he might place a Platoon Event here. Touslee suggested that bringing all of this Barbershop business to this hotel should be a good negotiating tool in dealing with the hotel.
Jim said that this subject had already come up in his discussions with his contact so that he knows that person is well aware of the amount of business that Barbershop represents. Commendations all around for the job Jim Milner has done.

TALENT for SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW – PAUL LUDWIG

After some cancellations and more searching there will be six outside quartets plus the winners
of the Friday night ' contest'.

WEBMASTERS REPORT
Tom announces that he and Jim have exchanged thumb drives to maintain the security of our data.

Milner reports that present hosting service in now charging $70 for SSL = Security Certificate
which tells visitors to our site we have security in place but the number of hits on our site goes way down if we don't have it. Plus, the present hosting charge is $95.00 plus $15.75 just to keep our domain name.
Jim has a check ready to send to Go Daddy for $190.00 to pay us up until May of 2018.

Bernie offers to host our site on his personal server for $50.00 which would provide us with all of what we have with Go Daddy. He is dubious that we need the SSL but, if we want it, that would be the same $50.00 and the domain renewal of $15.00 remains the same. Total = $115.

Milner moves and Carroll seconds that we accept Bernie's offer, effective May , 2018


Discussion: Tom asks if we presently have the SSL. Ans: Yes
Jack M. : What's the advantage to us (of having Bernie host our website?)  Ans: Bernie: When Jim calls he gets me, not a phone bank, with an answer delayed by a couple of days. And an email link could be set up just for the Board or the general membership. Jim adds: we are now using maybe 3 gigabytes out of an available 50. Tom asks: what is your experience with this company with which you deal. Ans: Bernie: excellent, and rates are very fair. Motion passed unanimously.

MEMBERSHIP

Now have 325 members on the books + 2 new applications on hand. Tom thinks the 2 are already on the roster. Frank will confirm.
Tom comments that we need to have the new membership form on the Website. Much discussion about whether the correct membership form is on the website. Conclusion: it is not
and will be there soon. Frank will give Tom a thumb drive for the membership data.
Bernie adds that his server does multiple backups.

Tom announces the names of several members who have notified him that they will not be at this event;

REGISTRATION CHAIR REPORT
Tom passed out written report which becomes a part of these minutes. June reports that the registrations at Chicago – 2016 was 65. Average attendance in past has been 95. Ed Simons has 9 pins on hand, but the Registrar’s cache of pins was exhausted at the Fall, 2016 festival. Those who loaned their pins for presentation to new members at that time will have them replaced. Jim Gallagher has delivered 150 new pins to June. June gave a detailed inventory report.

The new Thermometer display showing event donations to date has been effective: Per-member contributions were $25.23.for the Fall 2016 Festival and $27.08 for the Spring 2016 Festival.

June asks that we all urge everyone to register for each event.

Tom comments that when we order 150 pins rather than 100, we are able to sell them for $5.00 without a loss.


COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT

Tom thanks Flizar for re-posting the Google Group's postings to Facebook

Big screen slides were shown at Harmony Inc. conventions but not at BHS.

OLD BUSINESS

Tom - Per request of the Board at the last meeting, he has contacted Keith Hopkins about the transferring the ownership of our Google Group to Tom with Keith staying on as co-manager. He has had no response. Keith has told Tom, at a time past, that he created the list at the request of Tom Neal. Discussion follows: Carroll – any advantage to us to have him remain as owner?
Milner- maybe just the connection to Tom Neal. Touslee – we have never seen him at an Event in his tenure. Taylor – Keith must perceive an advantage to his keeping that role. Touslee – he has cooperated in blocking some of the offensive emails as requested by BQPA leadership.Tom - asks if it is the desire of the Board that he continue to pursue communication with Hopkins and obtain the transfer of owner and control. Milner – maybe if it is not broken, we don't try to fix it. Martin – thinks that we need to do whatever necessary to obtain control of the email group. Touslee - what does the role of manager consist of . Would we have to find someone to take over a big job. Martin - Hopkins has done virtually nothing except block the emails we requested.

Martin – what else has he done, block memberships that we don't know about ?? Touslee – in years past I tried to find out what the membership of the group was , who was seeing our communication on the list, maybe people that we don't want to do so. Like Big Brother using that to watch our activities. Martin moves – Milner seconds : We (Tom ) continue to make the effort to gain control of the management of the Google Group – BQPA email . Discussion – Touslee – he has failed to respond to a request by our President to communicate is not in his favor. Tom agrees. Clarification of and addition to the motion: Tom is to continue to try to communicate with Hopkins and ask him to relinquish the managerial role of the Google Group email. Agreement to that modification. Further clarification - Tom explains that only Hopkins can make changes to management of the list and that he and Jack, were subsidiary to Hopkins.
Motion re-read -passed unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS

Jack Martin - some concern over the transportation to this hotel from air port. He took SuperShuttle for $16pp.

Bernie explained Uber and Lyft and recommended this. Was sure you could bring a car full of people for less than $20. Be cautious about SuperShuttle - if their bus is not full when you get on, they may drive around the airport picking up people and then begin delivering. If you are the last one , it could turn out to be 2-3 hours.

Jack- is there a steak house close enough to be an alternative to the Brew Pub for Saturday night dinner ? Much discussion – no recommendation. Concern is getting there.

Jack: we need to find a better way to stimulate attendance at our events.
Discussion: Carroll – has personally made visits to local chapters in Chicago promoting BQPA. Ray Schwarzkopf does a lot of promotion of BQPA as a result of his travels around BHS and coaching.

Jack: only about 20 % of our membership attend a Festival. Not good enough.

Jim M. : His quartet – Anything Goes – is here this weekend because he invited them to be on the show and to judge the Friday night contest. They are a comedy quartet....don't do a lot of traditional style Barbershop, but intend to entertain. But... one way to get quartet singing in front of the public. Some of his quartet may decide to attend again on their own.

Tom: He continues to post notices on the Harmonet about BQPA.

Gerry: For a lot of people the cost is either a factor or prohibitive.

Jim M. : his belief is that some quartet singers come just to ring chords and like the camaraderie.

Jack: We have some 240 quartet singers around AZ. Why are they not here ?? Asks about advertising – promotion.

Paul: What do you mean ?? Flyers ?? Emails to Chapter President ??

Touslee: Many on our membership role are wives...like mine...that came once and took a membership but is not a quartet singer and likely will not be here again. So – our numbers are a little distorted.

Milner: How many of us would be here only to listen to quartets ??

Tom: Again - we can and are using our Google Group email and the Harmonet , advertising that we have some good quartets singing on Sat.

Jim : Would it be an advantage to reverse the evenings for the shows ??

Carroll: Think about the people working....they would have to leave early and that's a problem.
Friday night traffic is always horrendous.

Toulsee: Maybe some of the show quartets that cannot come for us on Sat. would be able to Friday.

Lots of very general and overriding discussion. No recommendations or decisions made.

Jack: Tom – what kind of distribution do you make of the writeup of this weekend and can it be increased. ?

Tom: It goes onto the website, goes out to Google Group, on the Harmonet and an email blast to all of our membership.

Jack: What can be done to increase that ??

Milner: That about covers it all.

Tom: One of the problems is that many of our membership list have dropped out so we no longer have a valid email address.

Comment: We need to adjourn.

Lee: What about the balance of the agenda ?

Tom: Jack – are you willing to relinquish the rest of the discussion and the AHSOW question??

Jack : Yes....nothing to report anyway.

Tom: Only what is reported on the agenda.

Tom: What about Tom Neal ??

Jack:; Tom Neal has, once again, sent a letter to new BHS President continuing his same old story about the past of Barbershop. I've sent Tom Noble a message suggesting that some time be given to Tom Neal to say his piece but do it outside of our regular activities. Let anyone who wants to sit and hear it , do so.

Lee: Are you suggesting that the BHS associates the BQPA with Tom Neal.

Jack: Yes...and I don't know what to do about that. But, if Tom shows up at our event, we give him a chance to say what he wants to say – only to those that want to hear it.

Jim M: Comments about the letter he has seen from Jim Henry to Tom Neal. Comments from others – that was many years ago.

Jack: He will be here again so be prepared.

Tom: In response to comments about where Tom would address everyone – He will not be on the Agenda for the General Meeting and will tell him, if he so requests it, that he can have time after the meeting.

Lee questions status of the Keith Eckhardt's proposal for a one day Quartet Boot Camp.

Tom: He has had a slightly revised proposal from Keith, stated in it's entirety in the Agenda.. This is more that we have the resources nor the people to implement.

Discussion of Keith's proposal – mentoring – helping form quartet.

Lee : This is not within our skill set to do as he suggests.

Motion to adjourn is still on the table.

Lee: I can make a motion to dismiss/ decline Keith's proposal. Or we can table it.

Tom : Raymond was given the task to contact Keith and clarify details of his proposal and I have not had a report back. We need to draw this to a close.

Lee: I'm inclined to table this and so move. Keep it on life support but no action.

Jack : second the motion.

Tom: Adding further to this discussion, Keith has followed up on his revised proposal, asking me what action our Board has taken.

Touslee: My comment on this is: We can see that no further investigation is going to be forthcoming and suggest that we politely respond to Keith that his proposal to beyond the our abilities and outside of the scope of our mission.

Jack: Agree with Rex's comments.

Lee: Withdraws his original motion. Makes a new motion to : Respectfully decline Keith's suggestion to implement a Barbershop Boot Camp but withhold sending that letter until it's confirmed that Raymond does not have anything in motion regarding it with Keith. Don't want any hurt feelings.

Jack: seconds the motion.

Clarification of the motion via general discussion.

Motion passes unanimously.

Martin moves for adjournment – Milner seconds; Passes unanimously


Respectfully submitted,

Rex Touslee
Secretary