SponsorsTEDC Board Meeting Minutes
September 12, 2002, TAB Offices, Nashville, Tennessee
Members Present: Roger Sigler, Rhonda Rice, Steve Hiatt, Heidi Smith, G. C. Hixson, Bob Grimes, Mark Herbison, Frank Tamberrino, Kim Denton
Others Present: Dave Goetz and Suzie Lusk, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Leslie Cooper – Younger Associates.
1. Roger Sigler called the meeting to order.
2. Approval of Minutes: Motion by Mr. Tamberrino, second by Mr. Grimes, appropriately approved and passed.
3. Approval of Financials: There was no August activity due to a software glitch.
4. New Members approved at the August 13 meeting: Motion by Hixson, second by Herbison.
Katie Rawls - Consultant
Tammy Carroll - Bob Parks Realty
5. Legislative Update: Mr. Goetz is currently interviewing candidates through the Prosperity Project. The group discussed the overall political climates in Memphis and Jackson.
Mr. Tamberrino suggested that TAB could create a brief, one-page weekly piece for legislators about economic development issues, which could be reinforced on the local level.
6. Fall Conference: Efforts are still being made to schedule gubernatorial candidates to speak at the conference. There was some discussion concerning alternate speakers. Ms. Smith will continue to pursue Dr. Roz and Mike Mullis. Mr. Hiatt will follow-up with Tanya Reid from EDA.
7. Spring Conference: Mr. Randy Brewer will establish dates for the spring conference in time to announce at the fall conference.
8. SEDC Update: The SEDC conference is set for September 22-24 in Birmingham. Mr. Tamberrino, Mr. Grimes and Ms. Smith will attend.
9. Communications: Ms. Smith will confer with Mr. Brewer regarding conference information on the website. The next newsletter will be published after the fall conference.
10. New Business: A scholarship request for the EDI Conference ($500) was received from Don Hurst, a Tri-Cities ECD employee. TEDC has not awarded a scholarship since 1998. The by-laws permit a $250-$500 scholarship per conference per individual. Ms. Rice motioned, Mr. Tamberrino second, appropriately approved and passed.
11. Old Business
a. Sponsorships – Ms. Smith has reviewed programs in Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Florida, most of which are complicated. It was agreed to keep Tennessee’s simple. Each conference is estimated to cost $10,000-$15,000. One thought is to keep all sponsorships general unless additional monies are donated. A general sponsorship would cost $500, $1000 would include two conference registrations and $1500 would include two conference registrations and annual dues paid for one member. Sponsors would be listed on the website, in the directory and in the newsletter. Ms. Smith will formalize and distribute. This will also be discussed with Joe Brandon, who has coordinated conference sponsorships for the past several years.
b. Membership – Proposed changes are outlined in the handout provided by Mr. Grimes. Changes to the by-laws must be approved by the full board. The proposed dues increase applies only to private sector members, which would be $250. Non-profit dues remain constant at $100.
Honorary Life Membership was discussed. Details can be found in the document prepared by Mr. Grimes.
The Membership Committee will be responsible for recruiting and retention. It will consist of seven members, one board member and six members at large.
Mr. Grimes will accept any proposed changes prior to the next meeting. The proposed by-law changes will be posted in the fall conference e-mail reminder.
The membership survey being conducted by Boomerang is ready. The results should be compiled before the fall conference.
c. Awards – The Volunteer of the Year Award is recommended to include one nomination from each region. The Jim Spradley Award could possibly become the Jim Spradley Ally of the Year Award. The Fred Harris Award may become the Fred Harris Lifetime Achievement Award. Including a longevity clause was discussed. These three awards would be given at the fall conference.
The TEDC Professional of the Year Award would be based on criteria detailed in Mr. Tamberrino’s handout. It would be given at the spring conference.
12. Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting minutes by Kim Denton, 2002-2003 TEDC Secretary-Treasurer
