Board Meeting Minutes
Board Meeting Minutes
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Oakdale Business Association Board Meeting
April 19, 2012
Members present: Frank Orsello, Jack Burke, Marc Cove, Emily Siebold, Staci Penn, Dan Rude, Jack Buckley, Tony Schwartz, Rick Timm, Nicole Anderson, Ben Smetana, Caleb Bruns, Bill Burns, Kim Duitsman, John Larson, Larry Eberhardt, Craig Waldron, Angie Propp, Holly Koep and Amy Brown
The minutes from the March meeting were reviewed. A motion was made by Marc Cove to accept the minutes as presented and was seconded by Bill Burns. The motion passed unanimously.
Jack Burke presented the board with the Treasurers Report. We currently have $7,211 in the checking account, $14,815 in the savings account and $116 in Accounts Receivable which represents a recently billed new member. A motion was made by Bill Burns to accept the Treasurers report as presented and was seconded by Tony Schwartz. The motion passed unanimously.
Bill Burns presented a membership update with one new member this month. He indicated that we should allow some extra time after the meeting for members to network. The board felt this was an excellent idea.
May is education month and Marc Cove has been in contact with the President of the University of Minnesota about speaking at the May meeting. However, because the legislative session in progress during that time, he will not be able to attend, but has committed to have another high level speaker to replace him. Marc will update the board on the name once he has it.
Staci Penn indicated that 5 scholarship winners have been named. Two of these students have confirmed their attendance at May’s meeting and they will speak shortly about their future. Staci asked that the board members greet the families at the May meeting and sit with them if possible.
The June meeting is the annual picnic and will be held on June 14th. Marc Cove indicated that Tartan High School will be providing cookies at the event. A discussion was held and it was decided to offer businesses a table at this event for a cost of $50. This will allow the business a chance to promote their services. Dan will make an announcement at the May general meeting where the businesses will be asked to place a card in a hat and the names will be drawn on a random basis. A motion was made by Tony Schwartz to approve the $50 cost and a second was made by Caleb Bruns. The motion passed unanimously.
The July meeting is marked for State of the City and will be held at the Discovery Center. Food will be catered by the Lake Elmo Inn.
A speaker has not been confirmed for the September meeting and Dan suggested that we have Google for Business speak at that meeting. The board agreed. Dan will ask Google to do a short presentation and give members the option to stay for the full presentation after the normal meeting which will last about two and a half hours. Dan will check with the Wildwood to make sure this extended time would work for them.
Jack Buckley indicated that he has two opening for In Sixty Seconds for the July meeting.
Marc Cove indicated that Ted Lilly is moving to Woodbury because of redistricting. Bill Pulkrabek’s district has also changed and he will have to move to continue to serve. Nora Slawik will not be running for her Senate seat at the next election; however Pam Cunningham has decided to run.
The October meeting was discussed and it was decided to bring in various local candidates to introduce to the members. Each candidate would be allowed five minutes to introduce and talk about themselves. Rick Timm will make a list of who he would like to include and bring it to the next board meeting.
Craig Waldron gave the city update.
Marc Cove updated the board on Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. Oakdale was declared a Yellow Ribbon City at the end of March. Marc Cove and Kim Duitsman will attend next Tuesday’s City Council meeting to make the presentation to the city. Marc also indicated that banners will be placed along Hadley displaying the Yellow Ribbon. These flags will also display a business name and he encourages businesses to purchase a flag with their business name. The next Beyond the Yellow Ribbon meeting is scheduled for April 30th at 5:30 p.m. at Platinum Bank.
John Larson updated the board on the 350 project. This program has not been received very well and he feels that Business Owners are not making an effort to support. A discussion was held about how a business gets involved and John indicated that the business needs to go to the website and register. Many board members were not aware of this and feel that we need to give this project more exposure. Dan will discuss at in his May article in the Lake Elmo Oakdale Review. Holly suggested that we have 1-2 computers at meetings to give business owners an opportunity to sign up at a meeting. Dan will coordinate this.
Nicole Anderson reported to the Board that the Gold Plate Dinner raised $4,910. A discussion was held on ideas for an event next year as the current Gold Plate seems to be fading. Marc Cove and Tony Schwartz are willing to work together to come up with new ideas and asked for volunteers and/or ideas to work on this. Please email Tony Schwartz if you are interested or have ideas. Marc and Tony will bring a proposal with them to the next meeting.
Eggs ‘N Issues was discussed and a decision was made to have two State Democrat candidates and two State Republican candidates one year and switch to local candidates the next years. This would be a continued rotation between the two. Members will be asked to submit questions for the June event at the May meeting.
Angie Propp updated the board on the June 8th golf tournament. There are currently 5 ½ teams signed up and 3 Gold sponsorships.
Summerfest will be held June 21st - June 24th. The OBPA is sponsoring the float for royalty and Amy Brown indicated that need volunteers to help with the parade about 4 pm. Let Amy know if you are interested. OBPA will also sponsor a Root Beer stand along with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon.
The Board workshop was held and was well received. Many questions were asked and Networking was a topic of discussion. Attendees also asked if there clearly defined Mission Statement and how are we selling the organization to potential members. It was decided that we need to redefine the mission and the benefits to the members. Staci suggested a Strategic Planning meeting with the board so that the organization can better align its works with its values and desired outcomes. It was further suggested that each board member prepare for that meeting by thinking through values and their perception of where the OBPA is today and what their perception is of where we should be going and just who we should be serving (business vs. community).
A motion was made by Larry Eberhardt to adjourn the meeting at 1:02 p.m. and was seconded by Caleb Bruns.