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BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
General Membership Meeting
Thursday, September 9, 2010 Convention Center
8:30am – 11:00am Orlando, FL
MINUTES
Attending
Jim Emmons At Large
Matt Hickman Bonnier/World Pub
Gordy Holmes Connelly Skis/CWB
Greg Meloon for Bill Yeargin Correct Craft, Inc.
Roy Turner DMG World Media
Les Clarke Fineline/Centurion
Paul Hatton for CJ Vlahovich HO Sports
Shannon Starling IDrive
John Archer Kent Sporting Goods
Aaron Kramer Kwik Tek
Tony Finn Liquid Force
Lani Farmer & Jack Springer Malibu
David Witty Marinemax (Dealer)
Scott Crutchfield MasterCraft
Randy Casper MP Products (Dealer)
Jeff Bannister Obrien
Dan Miller Skier’s Choice
Brian Gardner Square One
Non Voting Attending
Rick Stocks INT League
Bob Crowley/Steve Upp USAWS
Larry/Jan Meddock WSIA
Shawn Perry/Jimmy Redmon WWA
Absent
Glenn Sandridge At Large (Past President)
Guests
Bill McCaffray Alliance Multi Media
Brian Hartman Boating World
Gavin OHare CED Technologies
Pete McCawley CED Technologies
Jim Stanley Global Marine Insurance
Tom Plante Rave Sports
Bill Luczo Wakescout
James Krawczyk WSIA/Fuel TV
Ryan Davis Yolo Parasail/Afrayed Knot
President, Jim Emmons called the meeting to order at approximately 8:40am.on Thursday, September 9, 2010 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.
I. Introductions
Board members introduced themselves and a sign in sheet was passed for attendance, and meeting booklets were distributed. Newly appointed to USAWS, Bob Crowley was introduced. It was determined that a quorum was present with 18 of the 18 voting members present (and 21 of the 22 Board Members present). Board minutes from 5-20-10 were reviewed, voted on, and approved with one correction on page two, last paragraph, should read…In the last 10 years they (Kent) have manufactured 1-2 million vests per year, while the PFDMA/UL has manufactured 11-12 million as previously written.
The General Membership meeting was held first with a motion on the floor to retain the current officers of WSIA. This was voted on and passed. Another motion was on the floor to move the General Membership meeting to the February Summit dates as most general members are present then. This was voted on and approved. No amendment needed to Bylaws for this change.
Bob Crowley gave a brief report on the status of USAWS. He comes from the sport of speed skating and is excited to help encourage more participation in USAWS and move watersports forward while working with WSIA objectives.
II. Executive Directors Report
- Larry reviewed the report that was included in all folders referring to the USCG Strategic Plan and WSIA’s participation. A unified message is needed to change folk’s behavior on the water to insure safer boating.
- Grant possibilities are available through WSIA’s educational and safety arm WSF (WaterSports Foundation 501c3). Jim Emmons, Larry, Matt Hickman of Bonnier, and the USCG have convened to direct WSIA/WSF to write a grant. Jim Emmons to be in charge of the writing and submitting of this grant. Submissions open in October, close in January, and are graded and assigned values. Any grant approvals will be received in June, 2011. A PSA video was shown on screen relating to drinking and driving boats. Bonnier can run this PSA through its social networking for distribution. USCG is not so much concerned with circulation as it is the ability to track a change of behavior toward safer boating. Timeline on this project is that WSIA should have a plan laid out by January, 2011, with a grant submitted.
- Wakesurf – John Adey with ABYC of the USCG, stated he has been testing CO levels with wake surfing. He feels more testing and standardization needs to be done for any conclusions to be drawn. Captain Richard Moore, of the USCG, is helping produce a safety video which is still in progress. Numerous WSIA companies have pledged their support to this project. It should be wrapped up within 60-90 days.
III. Financial Report
Larry briefly reviewed our current finances through August, 2010. Actuals are in everyone’s folder. It appears we will meet our expectations in revenue this year, however, new revenue sources are still needed going forward. A proposed 2011 budget was reviewed early this year, as Board members need to figure out what avenues would be the best resources for infusing more money to meet our projections for 2011. Since Larry plans to retire from his current job in January, his time will be freed up to travel more to sell memberships. Also, more money is allocated for technology, insurance, etc.
This 2011 budget will need review in February.
IV. Trade Show
- EXPO – Roy Turner reported that he is very confident that WSIA will meet its projected amount of $65k from Expo this year. There are 720 new store fronts overall this year and he anticipates a strong show. A guest speaker, Peter Rietz, will be on hand on Saturday a.m. to speak about product liability for retailers.
- Wake Awards – Matt Hickman anticipated 600-700 attendees this year at these awards. Nick Wineker will be the MC and host our Leadership Awards. Peavey supplied all the audio for this event and Sesitec participated as well. There will be 16 VIP tables and the event will be shown on Fuel TV. Leadership allotted about 30-45 minutes, and the Wake Awards about 1 ½ hours.
V. Warnings
All warnings have been updated or changed, and will take effect September 2011. PDF files of the warnings are also available for members to download, in addition to the Operators Manuals for each product.
VI. Committee Reports
- Government Affairs(CPSIA) – WSIA has spent all of the $10k allocated for CPSIA legislation on this project. Gary Wolensky continues to send updates at no charge. Tubes were determined to NOT be childrens products.
- Parasailing – Ryan Davis (Yolo Parasail/Afrayed Knot) gave a brief summary of the parasail concerns. He is very safety conscious and feels that the Best Practices was needed to manage customers expectations as well as educate all operators. WSIA is thinking that parasail is better suited for the January Expo show as it is their off season. Seminars can be scheduled then. Custom Chutes has pledged their support as well as Centurion to display their parasail boat. WSIA to have profit share in this show as well!
- WSR – Water Sports Retailer – Since June, there have been 2 electronic versions sent out. WSIA has now taken this in-house and James Krawczyk is publishing this electronically, while Jim Emmons to be in charge of content. Send press releases or news to wsreditor@wsia.net. We have 500 subscribers to date, hoping for a smooth transition from print to e-version to gain more.
VII. Summit 2011 – Dates have been changed to February 28, March 1, & 2 of 2011 and still planned for Park City, Utah. Save the date and spread the word! SPEAKER CANDIDATES NEEDED! Please submit suggestions to WSIA!
VIII. WSIA Grants
Grant applications can presently be submitted, although WSIA is currently in a financial crunch until membership and Expo involvement picks up.
IX. Old Business
The non voting members and general members were excused for this portion of the meeting discussing the 2011 budget needs. Larry feels that WSIA needs to be proactive in setting up a committee to establish new revenue streams and he proposed a strategic plan to get this done. How can we get our association to grow? Assessing a fee of $25 per boat sold has been discussed. Selling our warning labels for $.0X per item was discussed, possibly charging more for non members and also tapping suppliers for potential membership. Going outside the industry for revenue was also discussed. Jim Stanley from Global Marine suggested that his company has a ‘Refer a Friend’ program that perhaps could net WSIA $20 per referral of boat owners without any necessity for them to write a contract. This has a ton of potential for a revenue stream. A committee was formed to include Jim Emmons as chair; Jim Stanley, Scott Crutchfield, Les Clark, Tony Finn, David Witty, Lani Farmer, John Archer, Greg Meloon, Dan Miller, & Brian Gardner.
X. New Business
- CED Technologies Gavin OHare was introduced and gave a brief powerpoint presentation on his company. He is a new member to WSIA. Eight percent of their work is for lawyers, occasionally first responders, works with USCG projects, provides engineering experts and a trained eye for reconstructing accidents. He deals with premise liability and ABYC projects, such as propeller strikes. His company provides expert witnesses for liability cases.
- Shawn Perry is no longer working for WWA and will be replaced by Jimmy Redmon.
XI. Next Meeting
The next BOD meeting will be Monday, February 28, 2011 from 7:30am to 10:00am, Park City, Utah just prior to Summit events.
Please make plane reservations accordingly as your attendance is very important.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:15am
