Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
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Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
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Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:04 pm. The meeting was held at Fisherman’s Cove with 13 Members present, including Morgan Massey and Becca Munch with the Links at Land’s End and Greg Cook from Edward D. Jones in Emory. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Ralph, seconded by Dana. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Tom, seconded by Ralph. All voted in favor. Danny Silcox presented Cameron Burnett a check from the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza for $800.00 --- $300 from the funds provided by Wood County Industrial Commission and $500 Gift Basket from Lake Fork Marina. Cameron weighed in the largest over the slot fish for the month of July --- 14.44 lbs! We are currently at 105 members --- 103 paid and 2 pending. The Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza is in the black –-- and while it may not be making as much money as we would like, it is certainly bringing recognition to Lake Fork which is as important to our Chamber as it being a fund raiser! The September meeting will be a “Kick off” for the upcoming Bounty Bonanza. (Please be sure to join us and learn what you can do to help raise money for us and yourself!) Ted gave a report on the
boat show in Old Business: We will be moving out of the old storage building and moving into the new one the first of September. New business: Danny suggested get volunteers for the Boat Show Committee soon. The August meeting will be at The Links at Lands End. The meeting adjourned with a
motion made by Keeley, seconded by Tom at 7:31 pm. Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:04 pm. The meeting was held at East Fork with 11 Members present.. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Tracy, seconded by Dennis. All voted in favor. Sam explained the new format for the Treasurer’s Report which is now being done in Quick Books and has far more detail. The report was approved on a motion by Ralph, seconded by Dorles. All voted in favor. Danny Silcox presented Mark McCain a check from the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza for $300. Mark weighed in the largest over the slot fish for the month of June. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 103 members. Bob Williams gave the committee reports. The Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza is at a-$736 NOT including the funds from Wood County Industrial Commission. Sam outlined the Ways & Means Committee recommendations for the new Bounty Tournament. Those recommendations were approved on a motion from Dennis, seconded by Bob Varner. All voted in favor. A separate email will be sent to the membership with the details. The Lake Fork Brochure is well underway – our contract price is $16,995 and we have $21,500 worth of ads sold. The boat show in Jackson, MS on August 6 – 8th and we now have sufficient volunteers to work the show. No old business was discussed. New business: Dennis Sheley gave a presentation on a Car Club. They will be having a large get together on September 11 at Jim Hogg park. He requested that the Chamber consider a donation of $50 which provide the Chamber with a plaque to present to one of the cars exhibited. On a motion by Ralph, seconded by Ted, the Chamber voted to go forward with this. All voted in favor. The August meeting will be at TBD!!!! The meeting adjourned with a motion made by Ted, seconded by Dorles.. Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:06 pm. The meeting was held at Oak Ridge with 12 Members present.. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Ralph Gore, seconded by Sam Scroggins. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Barbara Williams, seconded by Ralph Gore. All voted in favor. Danny Silcox presented Dean Stroman a check from the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza for $300. Dean weighed in the largest over the slot fish for the month of May. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 96 members with 2 pending. Bob Williams gave the committee reports. The Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza is at a-$750 NOT including the funds from Wood County Industrial Commission. The Lake Fork Brochure is well underway – our contract price is $16,995 and we have $19,250 worth of ads sold. We still need volunteers to work the boat show in Jackson, MS on August 6 – 8th. No old business was discussed. The Alba Economic Corporation holds their meetings on the last Monday of the Month at 6 pm. at the Alba City Hall Conference Room and the public is invited. For more information, call 903-765-2396. We are also invited to the Mineola Job Fair on July 29th at the Mineola Civic Center. Barry and Tracy Hatton, new members of the Chamber and the owners of the newly re-opened Oak Ridge Marina were introduced. The July meeting will be at TBD!!!! The meeting adjourned with a motion made by Ralph Gore, seconded by Phil Lambe at 7:21 pm.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:10 pm. The meeting was held at Circle H Barbeque with 13 Members present including new members Dorles Weeks from Specialty Advertising and Tracy Hatton from Oak Ridge Marina. Alan Pendergrass also came by to tell us about the St. John Golf Tournament coming up on Saturday, June 5, 2010. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Phil Lambe, seconded by Barbara Williams. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Keeley Roan, seconded by Phil Lambe. All voted in favor. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 101 members. Our Chamber Web Site and Hosting is up for renewal, on a motion made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Jill Russell the site and hosting will be renewed for 5 years at an expense of $544.95. All voted in favor. Bob Williams gave the committee reports. The Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza has 307 entries to date. We received good coverage during the Legends Tournament from KMOO. There is still time to get your ad in the new brochure - the deadline has been bumped out to mid-June. $15,500 ads have been sold and $2,400 more have committed. We plan to print in July. We still need volunteers to work the boat show in Jackson, MS in early August. After reconsidering our storage situation, Sam Scroggins suggested we reconsider the motion from last month’s meeting to share a storage space. We feel we will need more space than what would be available sharing a unit – especially when all the brochures arrive. No action was taken, but we will look in to the cost at other centrally located facilities. Bob Varner will fill the vacancy on our Board of Directors with all voting in favor. Keeley Roan suggested that we work together with other organizations in our area – specifically Sulphur Springs Tourism - and have a detailed map of Lake Fork produced. The Chamber is interested, but would like Joey Baker from Sulphur Springs Tourism to make a presentation and tell us what he has in mind. The June meeting will be on June 24th at the Oak Ridge Marina. The meeting adjourned with a motion made by Keeley and seconded by Jill Russell.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:10 pm. The meeting was held at Moser’s with 13 Members present and three guests, James & Gail Quisenberry and Jason Barnes. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Phil Lambe, seconded by John Morris. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Ralph Gore, seconded by Phil Lambe. All voted in favor. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 98 members. The Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza
made a check presentation to Jason Barnes from Yantis. Jason weighed a 13.23 lb
Bass and was awarded a $500 check from the Chamber and a $500 Tackle package
compliments of Lake Fork Marina. Dana gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza with 270 entries to date but expects that number to continue to increase as news spreads about the first payout! Dana updated us on the brochure --- as of today we have $13,000 confirmed ads. Danny asked for volunteers to work the boat show in Jackson, MS in early August. Bob will send out an email looking for volunteers. Mandy Biggs has a storage unit that we can rent for $35 per month or $385 per year if paid in advance. Dana made a motion that we rent this on a yearly basis. Sam seconded it. All voted in favor. Danny announced that we have a Board of Directors vacancy created when Larry Mathew took a job out of state. Bob will send out an email asking if anyone is willing to volunteer. Danny also discussed the Go Texan Wildlife Initiative. The cost to join is $25. Mandy made a motion that we join and Phil seconded it. All voted in favor. The May meeting will be on May 27, 2010 with location to be determined. The meeting adjourned with a motion made by Phil and seconded by Mandy Biggs. Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:00 pm. The meeting was held at Sopa Taco with 16 Members present and one guest, Barry Hatton, the new owner of Oak Ridge. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by Mandy Biggs, seconded by Phil Lambe. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Phil Lambe, seconded by Ralph Gore. All voted in favor. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 98 members. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza with 242 entries to date but expects that number to continue to increase as news spreads about the first payout! The polygraph will be held on March 31, 2010 for James Quisenberry, and if all goes as expected he will be awarded $10,000!!! Bob updated us on the brochure --- as of today we have $ 5,700 confirmed ads. The Committee will meet again on Monday, March 29, 2010. Mandy Biggs gave an update on the Hot Springs, Arkansas boat show she and Bob attended. The show had good attendance and in their opinion was worth keeping on our list. As with previous shows, there was a lot of interest in crappie fishing! The Jackson, Mississippi show will be held on July 6 -8th. We had a brief discussion regarding the show in October held in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Phil brought up the subject of a Map company that is canvassing for advertisements at this time. Apparently, they are using the Lake Fork Chamber as a marketing tool telling businesses that we are endorsing this map –which we are not! Mandy Biggs asked us to make other arrangements for the storage building they have very generously let us use for the past several years, they need the storage building for tenants in their RV Park. There is a possibility that we could rent the space … she will check with her tenants and if they have made other arrangements she will let us know. The April meeting will be on April 22, 2010 with location to be determined. The meeting adjourned with a motion made by Keeley Roan and seconded by Mandy Biggs
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by President, Danny Silcox at 7:00 pm. 17 Members present. The Secretary’s Report was approved on a motion by John Morris, seconded by Ralph Gore. All voted in favor. The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Ralph Gore, seconded by John Morris. All voted in favor. Danny introduced the new board members and their position on the board. Danny is the new President, Ralph Gore is the new Vice President, Sam Scroggins is the new Treasurer, Keeley Roan remains as the Secretary and Larry Mathew is the new Director. Danny also thanked Dana Donahue, Barbara and Bob Williams for their service to the Chamber. Sam Scroggins gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 97 members. La Quinta Inn in Sulphur Springs is our newest member. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza with 194 entries to date. We are a little behind where we were at this time last year, but it has also been a cold, wet year so far! Bob also suggested that we put together a committee to brain storm new or updated idea’s for our next Bounty Bonanza. We need to come up with ways to attract more fisherman to this tournament. Larry Mathew, Jill Russell, Danny Silcox, Mark Kast and Bob Williams will serve on the committee. Bob discussed the new Chamber Brochure. The Committee will have its first meeting on Monday, March 1. Sam indicated that we have made the $5000 down payment per our contract. Danny Silcox gave an update on the Claremore boat show. This was a good show although the attendance seemed to be down a bit from previous shows. An interesting note was that about 8 in 10 people who stopped by the booth wanted to discuss Crappie fishing as opposed to the norm of discussing Bass fishing. The Chamber is also working a show in Hot Springs, AR this week with Bob and Mandy Biggs handling the show. Danny discussed a Map company that is canvassing for advertisements at this time. Danny as well as others have had poor experiences with some of these companies. Danny asked that Bob send out an email to the membership as a heads up that the Chamber is not sponsoring this company if they try to sell you an advertisement. The March meeting will be on March 25th with location to be determined. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm. with a motion made by Ralph Gore and seconded by John Morris.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by President, Dana Donahue at 7:00 pm. 14 members present; including Mark Kast and Leesa Pennebaker from Lands End, and one guest – Joe Roan! The Treasurer’s Report was approved on a motion by Mandy Biggs, seconded by Ralph Gore. All voted in favor. Bob Williams gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 96 members (BUT… as we sell ads for the new magazine, we will be soliciting to recruit new members!) Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza. We are a little behind where we were at this time last year, but it has also been a cold, wet year so far! Be sure to check out the website at http://www.lakeforkbountybonanza.com/ Dana talked about the Chamber Magazine Committee – as we begin on the new edition, please read through the last magazine & check for accuracy! Danny Silcox gave an update on the boat shows for this year. So far we only have the Claremore show (February 18- 21st ) and the Hot Springs Show (February 26 – 28th). The Oklahoma City Show and the Jackson, Mississippi Spring Show have been cancelled. We still need a volunteer for the Claremore show! The Crappie Show we are participating in with Sulphur Springs Tourism and the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is coming up soon – February 27th! The website is: http://www.visitsulphurspringstx.org/ or http://www.crappieusa.com/. The Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association will be hosting the Catfish Tournament again this year, it will be held the last full weekend in July. The 2010 Board of Directors was elected. Replacing Dana Donahue, Bob and Barbara Williams are Sam Scroggins, Ralph Gore and Larry Matthews. Danny Silcox and Keeley Roan will continue their terms. The February meeting will be on February 25th at The Links at Land’s End. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm. with a motion made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Ralph Gore.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by Danny at 7:00 pm. 9 members present; no visitors. The minutes were approved with corrections to the information on boat show recommendations by the Boat Show Committee. Since we are not able to get a refund for the Indianapolis Show deposit, we will go forward with the show only if we can get firm commitments from our members to work the show. Barbara made a motion to accept; seconded by Sam. Passed unanimously. The Treasure’s report was approved by a motion made by Bob; seconded by Mandy. All voted in favor. Bob gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 99 members. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza.
Bob talked about the Chamber Magazine Committee – he and Dana have offered to remain on the committee as well as Keeley and Sam. Larry and Jaquie also volunteered to be on the committee. Bob has a call into the printer, but has not heard back from him yet regarding the cost. The new website software has been purchased and is in… Bob is “learning” the new system and will have it up an running in no time! The Nomination Committee’s recommendations for the upcoming election in December as Dana (President), Barbara (Treasurer) & Bob (Director) are at the end of their current terms, are Mandy Biggs, Janie Owens, Sam Scroggins and Larry Mathew have volunteered to run for election. The election will be held at the December meeting. Mandy passed out the Angels from the Alba-Golden Angel Tree and Bob will send out an email to remind all the members. The December meeting will be on December 10th at Moser’s Restaurant. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by Dana at 7:00 pm. 14 members present; no visitors. The minutes were approved on a motion made by Mandy; seconded by Janie. Passed unanimously. The Treasure’s report was approved by a motion made by Mandy; seconded by Sam. Passed unanimously. Bob gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 100 members. We have 2 new members for which we are awaiting their checks. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza.
Danny provided the Boat Show Committee’s recommendations for the coming year as follows. The ability to do any or all of these shows will be based on people stepping up to volunteer to work each show.
A motion was made by Mandy and seconded by Ken that we accept the Boat Show committee’s recommendations. Passed unanimously. Barbara asked if we would again donate $100 to the American Cancer Society. Mandy made a motion that we make this donation. Janie seconded the motion. Passed unanimously. Dana requested that the Chamber approve the purchase of Microsoft Expression Web in order to update the web site. Bob has been using a personal copy of Front Page which is pretty much obsolete at this time. Dana believes that she can get the software for under $100. Mandy made a motion to approve up to $150 for the purchase. Janie seconded. Passed unanimously. Dana reported that our brochure count is down to about 6000. At the next meeting, we need to get a committee together to begin work on the new one. Bob will send an email to our printer to get a price so that we can determine if the ad prices will remain the same or will have to be increased. Judy and Mandy provided the Nomination Committee’s recommendations for the upcoming election in December as Dana (President), Barbara (Treasurer) & Bob (Director) are at the end of their current terms. Mandy Biggs, Janie Owens, Sam Scroggins and Larry Mathew have volunteered to run for election. Mandy reported that she should have the Angels available by the next meeting from the Alba-Golden Angel Tree. Bob Owen talked to the members about the Team Trails Bass Tournament. Dana is attempting to contact them. Bob Owens reported that Extreme Crappie will be holding a tournament at Froggy’s on December 12. This tournament will be broadcast on cable and possibly picked up by other networks. The November meeting will be on November 12 due to Thanksgiving. Meeting location: to be determined! The December meeting will be on December 10th at Moser’s Restaurant. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce The meeting was called to order by Dana at 7:00 pm. 13 members present; no visitors. The minutes were approved (with correct spelling of Janie Owen’s name) on a motion made by Mandy; seconded by Barbara. The Treasure’s report was approved by a motion made by Ralph; seconded by Mandy. Bob gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 102 members. We have 2 new members for which we are awaiting their checks. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza. · Hits are increasing on the website and as of last night there were 16 entries. · KMOO is doing a great job of promoting it and Dana will be a guest on “Double Talk” soon. · A presentation was made to Wood County Industrial Board for $3,600 in funding. · Volunteers are needed to sell tickets at the Irving Bass Tournament Registration on October 9th and at the Berkley Tournament on October 16th. Bob will be sending out a schedule/request for volunteers. Keeley offered to do the early shift on the 16th. · Dana will take care of promotions during the “Take A Soldier Fishing” and the “Sky Ranch” Tournaments this weekend.
Danny discussed the upcoming boat show opportunities. The Boat Show Committee will meet and bring suggestions to the next meeting. The Chamber approved $2,500 towards wrapping John Tanner’s boat again this year, provided he has insurance to cover the wrap in case of an accident, with a motion made by Mandy; seconded by Ralph. The vote passed 10 “for” / 2 “against”. Keeley, Judy and Mandy volunteered to be the Nominating Committee for the Board of Director Elections coming up in December. Dana (President), Barbara (Treasurer) & Bob (Director) are at the end of their current terms. Payment of $100 to Tim Walker for promoting Lake Fork at the St. Louis Show was approved with a motion made by Bob; seconded by Ralph. Keeley gave a report on the first Bud Light Trails Bass Tournament on Lake Fork with a remote weigh-in at Hooten’s Hardware on September 13, 2009. They only had 17 entries and really need to get that number up to 30 to keep the event on our lake. There are flyers and registration forms available for businesses if you would like to help. Mandy will have Angels available soon from the Alba-Golden Angel Tree. Bob Owen talked to the members about the Team Trails Bass Tournament. He has worked with them before and is very excited that they are coming to Texas soon and he would like us to welcome them to Lake Fork. For more information about this program, go to www.teamtrails.com. October meeting location: to be determined! The meeting adjourned at 8:06 pm. Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by Dana at 7:12 pm. 16 members present; 1 visitor. New member Tommy & Linda Burns. The minutes were approved with one change. LFSA Crappie Tournament – Kids fish at a reduced price, not free, on a motion made by Ralph; seconded by Barb. All in favor, none opposed. The Treasure’s report was approved by a motion made by Sam; seconded by Judy. All in favor, none opposed. Bob gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 101 members. We have 3 new members for which we are awaiting their checks. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza.
Boat Show Committee Needed. Keeley was proposed as the Chair Person & Danny Silcox agreed to help. Lake Fork Sportsmans Association Crappie Tournament will be October 3rd & 4th at the Minnow Bucket Marina. City National Bank is the major sponsor this year. All details can be found at www.lakeforksportsmansassociation.com. Old Business:
New Business:
September meeting location to be determined. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Lake Fork
Chamber of Commerce
The meeting was called to order by Dana at 7:01 pm. 12 members present; 7 visitors --- 6 from Century 21 office (plus Judy and Roger) who hosted the Mixer before the meeting (…which was great – Thank you!); and Tomi Fitzgerald from SCA Promotions. Tomi presented information from SCA and the role they play in the Bounty Bonanza. The minutes were approved on a motion made by John; seconded by Sam. The Treasure’s report was approved by a motion made by Phil; seconded by John. Bob gave the Membership Report. We are currently at 102 members. Dana encourages everyone to try and bring in one other member to get our membership up. Bob gave a report on the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza. This year the Bounty Bonanza will last for 12 month instead of 7 months. The SCA Promotions will only run for 7 months – same as last year - from October through April. KMOO has been contacted and they have agreed to offer a prize of $999.99 for the first 9.99 lb. bass caught during the competition. Bob suggested that we, the Lake Fork Chamber of Commerce, offer a $500 prize for each bass weighing in at or over 13 lbs. for the year. Lake Fork Marina is offering a $500 “tackle package” for each bass caught during the year weighing in at or over 13 lbs. Sam has offered to custom embroider a jacket to be presented by the LF Chamber to the “Angler of the Year”. Berkley has committed to participate and we will get the details when they decide what they are going to do. Dana is still trying to reach Skeeter and Keeley is still trying to reach Toyota. Phil made a motion that the Chamber pay out $500 prize money for each bass weighing in for the Lake Fork Bounty Bonanza at or over 13 lbs. for year; Keeley seconded and the motion carried. Bert and Keeley Roan will be representing the Lake Fork Chamber at the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza; Martin and Melody will not be able to attend. Volunteers are encouraged to participate!!!! The Hopkins County Chamber and Sulphur Springs Tourism are continuing to move forward on the Crappie Tournament. LF Chamber put a ½ page ad in the brochure. 12,000 brochures will be printed and passed out at five events throughout the year. The Indianapolis Show is coming up February 19-28th. To reserve our same spot, we must confirm our reservations by the end of this month. Everyone agrees that this is one of our best shows and one we need to attend. Sam gave a report on the Yantis Catfish Classic sponsored by the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association; which was a huge success! LFSA feel like it worked to everyone’s benefit to link it with the Yantis Catfish Parade and Fish Fry; and that Ken Freeman Outdoor Productions did a great job.
50% of the participants were from 70 – 80 miles of Lake Fork; 50% was from further out (and had to stay overnight!).
They also wanted to thank Wood County Electric for providing top of the line A/C units and to KMOO for doing such a good job of promoting the event! The Chamber would like to thank the LF Sportsman’s Association for a job well done!!! Dana touched on the “3/50 Project” which encourages spending $50 at three of your local shops each month. It has been adopted by many chambers. Old Business: Phil raised a question of how we could better promote the Lake Fork area before tournaments like Skeeter. It was suggested that we try to get a link on their website. New Business: The Rains County Courthouse is opening soon. 2009 Major lakeside incidents of theft will have a detrimental economic effect on our tourism if we do not do something. Visitors are questioning the safety and security around Lake Fork. Dana suggested that we ask the local sheriff department(s) to present a program on what we can do to help keep our area safe and to increase awareness… and to be sure that everyone understands how much the economy of Lake Fork depends on tourism!!! SARP – Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership will be having a presentation on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 to discuss a Watershed Project. For more information, contact Mike Smith, Project Manager – Gulf of Mexico Foundation at mike@gulfmex.org or 361-882-3939. Their website is wwwlgulfmex.org. BUD LIGHT TRAILS will be coming to Lake Fork! The first tournament of the Fall will be in September followed by one tournament each month through December. The remote weigh-in will be held at Hooten’s Hardware in Emory, Texas. The Lake Fork Crappie Tournament sponsored by the LFSA will be held on October 3 & 4th this year at the Minnow Bucket. There will be two different formats – a one day tournament and a two-day tournament. There will also be a Kid’s Division, in which kid’s can fish for free. There will also be a Women’s Competition. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Lake Fork Area
Chamber of Commerce Secretary, Keeley Roan called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. at The Lighthouse. Ten members were present and one guest – Mary Smith from the Winnsboro Gallery. The minutes were read (without a quorum) and unofficially approved with the exception of confirming the Crappie Tournament date by a motion by Mandy Biggs, seconded by Phil Lambe. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved (without a quorum) by motion made by Sam Scroggins; seconded by Ralph Gore.
· MEMBERSHIP No report given. · BOUNTY BONANZA Will update after next meeting · 2009 MISSISSIPPI WILDLIFE EXTRAVAGANZA Jackson, Mississippi on July 31 – August 2nd We will be represented by Martin & Melody and Bert & Keeley Roan. · CRAPPIE TOURNAMENT Keeley Roan gave update from the meeting with Joey Baker. · YANTIS CATFISH CLASSIC Presented by the Sam Scroggins gave an update on the tournament to be held on July 18-19, 2009 at the Minnow Bucket. Meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm. The July 23rd Meeting will be at the Century 21 Lake Country office on FM 515 following a “mixer”.
Lake Fork Area
Chamber of Commerce President, Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. at Sopa Tacos. The minutes were read and approved by a motion by Bob Varner, seconded by Judy Stroman. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved by motion made by Sam Scroggins; seconded by Larry Mathew. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried.
Bob Williams reported that we currently have 106 members.
a. The Bounty Bonanza had 341 entries with $1201.04 profit.
b.
The bounty committee had a meeting May 12 to discuss ideas for our next
bounty tournament. Some of the ideas proposed are:
Sulphur Springs Tourism Board Crappie Tournament will be in March. Believe the location will be Lake Fork Marina.
Presented by the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association. The tournament will be held on July 18-19, 2009 at the Minnow Bucket.
Motion to adjourn at 8:00 pm. made by Bob Varner, seconded by Jill Russell. The June 25th Meeting will be at the Lighthouse on Hwy 17!
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday, April 23, 2009
President, Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. at The Ranch House. Seven members were present. The minutes were read and approved by a motion by Ralph Gore, seconded by Bob Varner. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved by motion made by Keeley Roan; seconded by Ralph Gore. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried.
· MEMBERSHIP Bob Williams reported that we currently have 107 members. · BOUNTY BONANZA a. The Bounty Bonanza has 329 entries! b. The committee of Bob Williams, Dana Donahue, Keeley Roan, Bob Verner and Ralph Gore will have a committee meeting before the next Chamber meeting. · 2009 MISSISSIPPI WILDLIFE EXTRAVAGANZA in Jackson, Mississippi on July 31 – August 2nd - we will be represented by Martin & Melody and Bert & Keeley Roan. · CRAPPIE TOURNAMENT Sulphur Springs Tourism Board Crappie Tournament will be February 27th. Keeley Roan will help Joey Baker and his team find a location to hold the tournament. · YANTIS CATFISH CLASSIC Presented by the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association. The tournament will be held on July 18-19, 2009 at the Minnow Bucket.
Motion to adjourn at 8:00 pm. made by Bob Varner, seconded by Ralph Gore. The May 28th Meeting will be at Sopa Taco on HWY 17, next to Froggy D’s! The June 25th Meeting will be at the Lighthouse on Hwy 17!
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Thursday, March 26, 2009
President, Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. at Oak Valley Catfish Kitchen in Yantis, Texas. Fourteen members were present including Joey Baker from the Sulphur Springs Tourism Department. The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved by motion made by Mandy Biggs; seconded by Ralph Gore. All in favor, not opposed, the motion carried.
· MEMBERSHIP Bob Williams reported that we currently have 108 members. · BOUNTY BONANZA a. The Bounty Bonanza has 347 entries and is in the black by $990.90! He also encouraged the members to look at the TEXAS OUTDOOR JOURNAL who did a full page article on the Lunker Bounty Bonanza. b. Bob Williams, Dana Donahue, Keeley Roan, Bob Verner and Ralph Gore volunteered to serve on the Bounty Bonanza Committee for next year. · BOAT SHOWS 2009 Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza will be held in Jackson, Mississippi on July 31 – August 2nd. Members agreed that this was a good show to participate in and Bob Williams will be sending out details and asking for volunteers. · CRAPPIE TOURNAMENT Joey Baker from the Sulphur Springs Tourism Department invited us to be part of a joint venture with the SS Tourism Department and the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce in a Crappie Tournament on Lake Fork. …more details to come! · WINNSOBORO CHAMBER PROPOSAL Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce proposed that the Lake Fork Chamber of Commerce and the Winnsboro Chamber offer each other’s members the opportunity to join “the other chamber” at half price. Mandy Biggs made a motion that we enter into this reciprocal agreement with the Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce, but we will not give out our mailing list. They are welcome to send information or notices through our chamber, but we will not give them “our” list.
NEXT MEETING will be April 23rd at the Ranch House (at the corner of FM 515 & 17). Motion to adjourn at 8:25 pm. made by John Morris, seconded by Bob Verner and Mandy Biggs!!!
Lake Fork Area
Chamber of Commerce
President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. at Moser’s Restaurant. A motion was made by Bob Varner and seconded by John Morris to accept the minutes of the January meeting. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. A motion was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Bob Varner to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 1/31/2009. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Guests were introduced: Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce members: Dolores McFarland, Jim Ison and Phyllis Martin-Ison and Associate Board Member Debbie Boles Committee Reports: A. Membership. Bob Williams reports that we are now at 111 members. B. Bounty Bonanza. We have 295 entries and our expenses are now covered with two more months to go. We may be able to add additional prizes next year; WCIC suggested a monthly prize for the largest over the slot limit. Another possibility is running it for twelve months beginning with the TPWD Lunker Program. We would need a committee to work on this. We will discuss this further at next month’s meeting.
C. Boat and
Trade Show Update. This year we
participated in the following shows: D. Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce. Debbie Boles gave a presentation regarding the Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce and passed around a Chamber brochure. The purpose of the presentation was to discuss a partnership between LFACofC and WCofC. Members of LFACofC could join the WCofC for half-price, which currently would be $60. Winnsboro has a population of 4K and the CofC averages 225 – 330 members, primarily for the small businessman not the chain businesses. Pittsburgh has partnered and Quitman is considering it. Our partnering members would have the opportunity to join the other Chambers at a reduced cost. The Chamber is comped. We will discuss at the next meeting. Phyllis Martin then gave a presentation on the Historic Walking Tour of Winnsboro and circulated a brochure. Dana stated Lake Fork area motels could place brochures in the rooms. New Business Bob Owen: Guide Tim Walker was at the Missouri boat show and did have Chamber information on display. His vehicle was broken into two times. He wanted to know if we could give him something to help compensate him for his losses. Dana stated that we give all guides who go to different shows $100 and she will see that he does get a check. Next meeting location TBA, with dinner at 6 P.M. and the meeting at 7 P.M. A motion to adjourn was made by Mandy and seconded by Bob Varner. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Minutes prepared by Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Vice President, Danny Silcox called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. at A J’s Fish House. New members and guests were introduced – Kimberly McMillian and Harry Santini from the Emory Creative Dance Studio and Kathy Lowe from KLowe Web Designs and her guest, Dolores McFarland. The minutes were read and approved on a motion made by Phil Lambe; seconded by Jake Gay. Passed unanimously. The treasurer’s report was reviewed and approved by motion made by Keeley Roan; seconded by Bob Varner. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. COMMITTEE REPORTS: A. Bob Williams reported that we now have 107 members (including those who joined tonight). B. The Lunker Bounty Bonanza has 245 entries as of today. OLD BUSINESS: C. Boat Shows: Danny Silcox reminded the members of the upcoming boat shows. D. Catfish Splash: Sam Scroggins gave report on Catfish Splash. The committee has been in contact with Bob Sealy but has been unable to come to any agreement on the Catfish Splash Tournament. It is the recommendation of this committee that it is NOT in the best interest of the Lake Fork Area Chamber to continue our partnership with Sealy and that we forgo this tournament until the three year “do not compete” clause is met. A motion was made by Bob Williams to formally dissolve the Lake Fork Area Chamber’s partnership with Sealy if he does not comply with the changes requested by the Lake Fork Area Chamber by February 1, 2009; Bob Varner seconded this motion; All members in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: E. Keeley Roan informed the members of the upcoming Rains County Eagle Fest and asked if any members are interested in participating in the boat tours to please contact her at 903-473-2465 x112. Next Meeting: February 26, 2009 – location to be announced later! Motion to adjourn made by Phil Lambe; seconded by Jake Gay. Adjourned at 7:56 pm.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 6:55 p.m. at Moser’s Restaurant. Ballots were passed out for the election of two Board Members; one ballot per member business. We had no new members or guests in attendance. The Secretary has been ill and there are no minutes for the November meeting to be approved. They will be available at the next meeting in January. A motion was made by Bob Varner and seconded by John Morris to approve the Treasurer’s report dated November 30, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
Basket Draw: Danny Silcox’s son drew the winning ticked for the e Christmas basket and Barbara Williams was the winner. Congratulations Barbara! Next meeting: January 22, 2009, A J’s Fish House on FM-17 just south of FM-515. Motion to adjourn: John Morris; second Bob Varner. Adjourned 7:55 p.m. Submitted by Secretary Mandy Biggs Thiss is my last time to submit the minutes. It has a been a pleasure to serve on the Board and perhaps I will again in the future. Thank you to everyone for the help you have provided at various times.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at The Minnow Bucket Restaurant. We had no new members or guests in attendance. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Barbara Williams to approve the minutes of the October meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Phil and seconded by Mandy to approve the Treasurer’s report dated October 31, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. There was a discussion of the $0.27 deposit for PayPal. It is a requirement of PayPal to verify your bank account. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS: Area CofC’s: Ken and Dana had a conversation with Winnsboro CofC. They don’t do many activities. We could reciprocate with them the way we do with Hopkins County. Elections: Next meeting we will have elections for two positions. Danny and Mandy’s terms have expired. If you are interested in running for election let Bob know prior to the meeting so your name can be on the ballot. Phil made a motion to adjourn and Bob V seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Next meeting December 11, 2008 at Moser’s Restaurant. Dinner at 6:00 p.m., meeting at 7:00 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Bob Williams called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at The Lighthouse Resort Restaurant. We had no new members or guests in attendance. A motion was made by Bob Varner and seconded by Ralph Gore to approve the minutes of the September meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by John Morris to approve the Treasurer’s report dated September 30, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. Barbara called attention to the fact that there was an error on the August Treasurer’s Report and she had not noticed it until she was preparing the September report. On the reverse side of the September report is the corrected August report. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS:
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATES FOR THE NEXT TWO MEETINGS!! Both of these meetings are on the second Thursday instead of the fourth Thursday. The November meeting will be November 13th at the Bass Lantern Restaurant at the Minnow bucket. The December meeting will be December 11th at Moser’s Restaurant at Lake Fork Marina. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Barbara will be responsible for getting the Christmas basket for the give-away at the December meeting.
Jake made a motion to adjourn and Bob V seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at The Ranch House Steak and Seafood Restaurant. We had no new members or guests in attendance. A motion was made by Jake Gay and seconded by Phil Lambe to approve the minutes of the August meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Jake to approve the Treasurer’s report dated September 30, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS: Before getting into the Old/New Business, Dana told John Morris “Thank You” for his help during the McDonald’s Tournament. He helped in whatever area he was needed at any given time. E. Yantis Senior Party: Usually Teresa Weeks chairs this event but she isn’t here tonight. Mandy Biggs made a motion and Barbara Williams seconded it to again assign this project to her. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. We did agree that Teresa will have the right of refusal since she was absent tonight. F. Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association Crappie Tournament: October 4, 2008 at Minnow Bucket Marina. 6:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. G. Flu Shot Clinic: Saturday, October 11, 2008 at Lakeside Cove RV Park, 5210 N FM-17, 4/10 mile south of FM-515. We will be located in the north side of the Red Building next door to Froggy D’s. Time: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Please contact Mandy at 903.765.2614 if you want to add your name to the list. NEW BUSINESS: H. Chamber Christmas Party: Thursday, December 11, 2008 at Moser’s Restaurant. Mandy made a motion and Phil seconded it authorizing reimbursing Teresa for the cost of supplies for the give-away-basket that she is always in charge of fixing up. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. Again, Teresa will have the right of refusal and Barbara has agreed to be her back-up. I. Take a Soldier Fishing at Lake Fork Marina, Saturday September 27th. More boats are needed. If you or someone you know has a boat or two you or they can spare, get in touch with Ken or Dana at LF Marina at 903-765-2764. The next meeting will be October 23rd at the Little Mustang Restaurant (Lighthouse Resort), 2825 N. FM-17. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Bob W made a motion to adjourn and John seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of
Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 6:55 p.m. at the Lake Fork Marina Lodge. Guests were members of Boy Scout Troop 5377 that participated in the Catfish Splash in July. John Morris presented a check to the Troop from the Chamber to thank them for their assistance during the tournament. Since we had such a large group, we began with President Donahue and her husband Ken and went around the room and each member introduced themselves. A motion was made by Bob Varner and seconded by Bob Biggs to approve the minutes of the July meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Jake and seconded by Teresa Weeks to approve the Treasurer’s report dated July 31, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. On the back of the Treasurer’s report was a summary of the Chamber’s 2007 Income Tax Return. The forms were received and have been filed. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: G. Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association Crappie Tournament: October 4, 2008 at Minnow Bucket Marina. Please display these flyers at your place of business. If you need more, see Sam.
The next meeting will be September 25th at the Ranch House Steak and Seafood Restaurant (formerly The Place) on the corner of FM-515 and FM-17. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Jake made a motion to adjourn and Bob Varner seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of
Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. at the Texas Grill. New member Devon Smith of State Farm Insurance was introduced. A motion was made by Martin Edwards and seconded by Dennis Sheley to approve the minutes of the June meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Martin and seconded by Bob Biggs to approve the Treasurer’s report dated June 30, 2008. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. Barbara Williams requested reimbursement for expenses related to the Catfish Splash that she had incurred on her personal credit card. A discussion followed regarding giving a “blanket” approval for reimbursement of these type of expenses without having to wait for a general meeting and the member incurring finance charges due to timing. Bob Biggs made a motion and Martin seconded it that general bills can be paid and reimbursed without waiting to bring each one to the next general membership meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. COMMITTEE REPORTS:
OLD BUSINESS: None. NEW BUSINESS:
The next meeting will be August 28th at the Lake Fork Marina Lodge. Dennis made a motion to adjourn and Bob Biggs seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake
Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 15 Acres Retreat. A motion was made by Ken Bull and seconded by Sam Scroggins to approve the minutes of the May meeting. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Sam Scroggins to approve the Treasurer’s report dated May 31, 2008. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Membership: Donahue reported that memberships are still at the previous level and suggested that we could easily grow our membership if each active member would recruit one new member. New Brochure Update: Donahue reported that the new brochures were at the printers and would be ready for the Big Catfish Splash if the Chamber could locate a driver to pick them up. Sam Scroggins said he might be available if needed. Toyota Texas Bass Classic Thank You Letters: Letters were signed by Chamber members who were present at the meeting. Big Catfish Splash: Members present discussed preparations for the Big Catfish Splash. Donahue thanked members for the large volunteer turnout to stuff bags for the Skeeter Tournament. Donahue gave an update on the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza slated for August 1-3 in Jackson, MS. Ken and Dana Donahue, Casey Henson and Bob Williams will work the event. Danny Silcox said he would be available as a back-up worker. Members discussed the idea of a Lake Fork Chamber Business Expo. Phil Lambe has prepared a survey for the membership that will be e-mailed to membership for feedback to determine if there is enough interest in an expo to proceed. The location for the next meeting will The Texas Grill. Sam Scroggins made a motion to adjourn, Ken Bull seconded. All in favor, none opposed, the motion carried. The Board of Directors would like to thank all of those that helped at the Catfish Tournament as well as those that donated prizes for our raffle.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. at The Oak Valley Catfish Kitchen. New member Terry Burns and guest Jean Gore, wife of member Ralph Gore (Burning Stump Lodge) were introduced. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by John Morris to accept the minutes of the April 2008 meeting. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Jake and seconded by Greg to accept the Treasurer’s report dated April 30, 2008. Approximately $20K has been set aside for prize money and some is brochure money. Actually, available funds to the Chamber are apx. $17K. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. Committee Reports: 5-A. Membership. Bob Williams reports that we are now at 105 paid members plus two new ones that we are waiting on to pay their membership fee. 5-B. New brochure update. The new brochure has 32 pages and contains more information than any prior edition. It is not just geared to tourism but also to those who want to move here. There are three ads unpaid but they are covered according to Barbara. The committee started working on it in January and thought it might go to 20 pages. It will take about two weeks for printing. There are apx. seven cases of the old brochures left and we need to use them first. 5-C. Big Catfish Splash. (1) Brochures: Ron Jones has been working distributing brochures as has Jake. If you have a motel, put them in each room, keep them in the vehicle you drive most and take them in places you visit such as the sporting goods department at Wal-Mart. (2) Hats: Jake said the hats should arrive June 12th at the latest. 5-D. Skeeter. The Skeeter Tournament is June 20 – 22 at Lake Fork Marina. We can put our brochures in the bags the registered fishermen will receive. We will have to check and see if we can also put a Catfish Splash brochure in each bag. 6. Boat Show. Dana said that the two months after the Indianapolis show, our web site had the highest number of hits ever. She also said we should perhaps discuss and decide what boat shows we are going to attend earlier than we did last year due in part to the continually rising cost of gas. John Morris gave his opinion of the following shows: Arlington and Shreveport – not good; Claremore and Indianapolis – good; Dallas would be better than Arlington; Chicago has a waiting list; St. Louis is a nice show – they have a new convention center. 7. Letters. Forgot to bring them to tonight’s meeting, will bring them to June’s meeting. 8. Shirts. Sam Scroggins has order forms with him tonight for the new Chamber shirts. There will also be an order form emailed by Bob to the Chamber members. If you want them by the Catfish Splash in July, you need to get them ordered ASAP. The next meeting will be at 15 Acres Retreat, 1554 CR3235, Quitman on June 26th with dinner at 6 PM – BRING A DISH TO SHARE. The meeting will follow at 7 PM. A motion to adjourn was made by Martin Edwards and seconded by Jake Gay. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Directions From Quitman, TX: PLEASE NOTE: Neither Barbara nor I will be at the June meeting (Barb = Las Vegas, me = Phoenix). I really need someone to take notes or tape it. If you can/will, please call my cell, 903.638.1970. If you tape it, everyone HAS to talk one at a time! Thanks.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at The Links at Lands End Restaurant. The Secretary was late for the meeting so the review and request for approval of the March minutes was not conducted in the usual sequence but is being reported in the usual sequence. A motion was made by Keeley Roan and seconded by Phil Lambe to accept the minutes of the March 2008 meeting. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Bob Varner to accept the Treasurer’s report dated March 31, 2008. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. Committee Reports: A. Membership. Bob Williams reports that we are now at 102 paid members plus one new one that we are waiting on to pay their membership fee. B. New brochure update. Barbara Williams reported that almost all of the ads have been paid; as of today about five or six remain unpaid. Although the brochure was scheduled to go to print around the end of April, it will probably be closer to the end of May before it actually is ready for the printer. C. Toyota Texas Bass Classic. The booth shared by the Chamber and the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association was in an excellent location. Barbara reported that she has approximately 8,000 plastic bags with the words “Thank You” on them that we could use next year to put printed material in to give to people. Dana said it would be nice to have a rack to display informational material rather than stacking it all over the table. Dana also said there will be thank you letters at the May meeting that will be sent to the Toyota staff, SRA, sponsors, etc. Once again, we won’t know for several months if Toyota is coming back to Lake Fork in 2009 or going elsewhere. As was the case last year, there were ‘murmurings’ immediately following the tournament regarding the parking, overcrowding, etc. We’ll just have to wait and see. D. Big Catfish Splash. (1) Brochures: The brochures are in and everyone needs to get some for display/distribution at their business. (2) Plaques: Bob Williams and Martin Edwards are working on the plaques. (3) Raffle: Barbara has been pricing televisions for the raffle at Wal-Mart and found the average price for a digital flat screen is $135 - $150. A discussion followed on the necessity of providing a television. Sam Scroggins made a motion that was seconded by Keeley Roan to set a cap of $1,000 for Barbara to spend for raffle prizes, which could include other electronics or something totally unrelated to electronics. All in favor none opposed, motion carried. If Barbara does decide to purchase a television, it is critical to purchase a digital rather than an analog model due to FCC rule changes that become effective in February 2009. (4) Hats: Jake stated that in 2007 the cost of the hats was $2.09 each including shipping from China, which was $.08 per hat. The cost this year will be $2.19 plus freight. He ordered 864 hats and the anticipated arrival date is between the end of May and mid June. E. Legends of Lake Fork Bass Tournament. Bob W has a sign-up sheet for volunteers to work at the Chamber booth, Friday – Sunday May 16th – May 18th. It is broken up into three hour shifts so please volunteer to work at least one shift during the weekend. F. Awning: Bob W requested the Chamber authorize the purchase of a portable, fold-up gazebo-like cover and a couple of camp chairs for use at outdoor Chamber events such as the various tournaments. A motion was made by Keeley Roan and seconded by Ralph Gore to authorize the requested purchase. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. G. Donation: Barbara read a letter from the local chapter of the American Cancer Society requesting a donation from the Chamber. We have donated $100 a year to them for the past two years. A motion was made by Mandy and seconded by Jake approving the donation of $100 for 2008. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. OLD Business H. Shirts. (This information is reprinted from the March minutes.) Sam will do shirts for the Chamber members at special prices; minimum order is one. Sam will furnish an order form to Bob Williams so he can email to members (Sam was reminded after the meeting to be sure and get the order form to Bob so the shirts can be ordered). The prices and styles are:
The next meeting will be at The Oak Valley Catfish Kitchen on May 22nd with dinner at 6 PM and the meeting at 7 PM. A motion to adjourn was made by Jake Gay and seconded by Ralph Gore. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Director Bob Williams called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at PeeWee’s Pit Stop Café. President Dana Donahue was unable to attend due to an emergency dental appointment. The minutes for the January and the February meetings were distributed. A motion was made by Jake Gay and seconded by Bob Varner to accept the minutes of both meetings. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Karey Atkinson to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 2/29/2008. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Treasurer Barbara Williams noted the travel expenses for the boat shows are on the reverse of the Treasurer’s Report. Committee Reports: A. Membership. Bob Williams reports that we are now at 101 paid members plus two new ones that we are waiting on them to pay their membership fees. B. Ad for Quitman Heritage Foundation Program. The QHC prints a brochure each year for their Annual Spring Swing Festival. The Chamber purchased the back page last year for $250 and the price remains the same this year but will be in color. A motion was made by Bob Williams and seconded by Keeley Roan that we again purchase the back page of the brochure. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. C. New brochure update. Bob Williams reported that we now have $20,550 in confirmed ads for the new brochure. It will be thirty two pages which is twice the size of the last one. Although it was decided at the last meeting to have the front & back cover at 100 lb paper, due to the size of the brochure and additional cost of approximately $1,400, we have decided to make the whole brochure with 80 lb paper. The cost for 40K brochures is $19,100 plus shipping. The brochure will go to print on or about the end of April. D. Toyota Texas Bass Classic. We are partnering with the Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association (LFSA) to have a booth at the tournament. Friday morning, Saturday and Sunday are covered; we still need someone for Friday afternoon. With our current number of volunteers, we will need to do six to seven hour shifts. If we get more volunteers, the shift length could be reduced to four hours. LFSA has six volunteers. TTBC staff will assign booth space when you get there to set up on Monday the week of the tourney. We were approached by the printer of a fishing book to sell the book at our booth. The book is apx. 5 ½” x 8 ½” and is of the “coffee table” style. The printer and his wife will do all the selling, give us ½ of the proceeds and we will split our ½ with LFSA. A motion was made by Jake Gay and seconded by Bruce Allen. All in favor none opposed, the motion carried. E. Catfish Splash. Need people for the committee, possibly some that haven’t been involved in the past – “new blood”. The following people volunteered at the meeting: Jake Gay, Karey Atkinson, John Morris and Sam Scroggins. Bob Williams will call Martin Edwards tomorrow to see if he will be available to assist this year. Bob also said that although in the past he had made the plaques for the sponsors, he will not have the time to do that this year and he would like to outsource it. Mandy Biggs made a motion and Jake Gay seconded it to outsource the sponsor plaques, approximately five or six. All in favor none opposed, motion carried. Hats are on order; the leftovers we have will be given to ‘latecomers’ if we run out of the new ones. Bag stuffing will be done at PeeWee’s following the normal schedule. F. Shirts. Sam Scroggins has about 70 of the small logo patches but none of the large logo patches (Jake said he has some he will get to Sam). Sam will do shirts for the Chamber members at special prices; minimum order is one. Sam will furnish an order form to Bob Williams so he can email to members. The prices and styles are:
OLD Business Three pictures that had been submitted by members were passed around for us to select the one we felt was the best one for the front cover of the new brochure. After the votes were counted, picture number 9 was selected. The next meeting will be at The Links at Lands End on April 24th with dinner at 6 PM and the meeting at 7 PM. They have both a menu and a “theme” buffet. The theme that night will be Italian. A motion to adjourn was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Jake Gay. The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Minutes prepared by Secretary Mandy Biggs.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Dana Donahue called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at Moser’s Restaurant. The minutes for the January meeting were not available for review however, they were emailed to all members and posted on the Chamber web site. A motion was made by Jake Gay and seconded by Dennis Sheley to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 1/31/2008. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Treasurer Barbara Williams indicated that we are now down to one bank account. Committee Reports: A. Membership. Bob Williams reports that we are now at 100 members.
B.
Ad for
Quitman Heritage Foundation Program.
The QHC prints a brochure
each year for their 3rd Annual Spring Swing Festival. The Chamber
purchased the back page last year for $250 and the price remains the same this
year but will be in color. C. New brochure update. Bob Williams reported that we now have over $13000 in confirmed ads for the new brochure and we are continuing to contact our membership. We will be increasing the size of the brochure by at least 4 pages and perhaps more.
D.
Toyota Texas
Bass Classic.
Ken
from the Minnow Bucket brought brochures and posters for this event for our
members to have at their businesses. E. Catfish Splash. Bob Williams reported that the brochures are completed and have been distributed at the boat shows. The brochures are also available for our members at the end of the meeting. F. Tyler Chamber of Commerce “Chamber Days” at Tyler Pounds Field. We participated in this last year, taking a Ranger Bass Boat to the show compliments of Diamond Sports Marine. This event will be held March 27th this year. If we do the show this year, we need to gather printed material from our members for distribution and determine if we have volunteers to work the event.
G.
Boat and Trade Show Update.
This year we participated in
the following shows: H. Legend Tournament. Don Hampton has again offered us booth space at no charge. We have had booth at the tournament before and we should consider doing it again. New Business Dana Donahue suggested that we get a suitcase and at each meeting, members should bring their business cards and other printed material so that we will have it available for future shows. The next meeting will be at Pee Wee’s Café on March 27th with dinner at 6 PM and the meeting at 7 PM. A motion to adjourn was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by all. Minutes prepared by Bob and Barbara Williams
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at AJ’s Fish House. Martin introduced the following new members: - Ken Goule, new owner of the Minnow Bucket - Charles Strebeck, City Limit Boat & Mini Storage - Paul & Nance Duvall, Secret Haven RV Resort - Bobby & Paula Henderson, new owner of the Lighthouse Resort A motion was made by Paul Tibbets and seconded by Bob Varner to accept the minutes of the December 2007 meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Ken Player and seconded by Keeley Roan to accept the Treasurer’s report dated December 31, 2007. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Officers & Director for 2008 as follows: - Dana Donahue, President - Danny Silcox, Vice President - Mandy Biggs, Secretary - Barbara Williams, Treasurer - Bob Williams, Director Membership: We are now at 97 members. Publication Committee: The Catfish Tournament brochures are printed and at the bindery. They are scheduled to be picked up Friday morning and we should have them no later than Monday. The committee had a meeting last week to discuss the new Chamber brochure. We have decided to print 40,000 brochures which is the same as the last printing. An email was sent out last Friday to members that had an advertisement in the present brochure so that they have an option to maintain their ad placement. As of today, we have advertisements confirmed for $4650. In February, we will begin to contact members who did not have an advertisement in the present brochure. Boat and Trade Shows: We need 4 people for the Indianapolis Show. We will send out an email to all members on Friday to try to find additional people. New Business: Toyota Texas Bass Classic has requested that we distribute posters and brochures. We will contact them tomorrow to discuss the quantity and where to ship them. It was also asked if we would have a booth at the Bass Classic this year. We will investigate. Next meeting: Thursday February 28, 2008 at Moser’s Restaurant, dinner at 6:00 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by Ralph Gore and seconded by Keeley Roan. Meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Minutes recorded by Bob & Barbara Williams
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Moser’s
Restaurant.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Minnow Bucket Restaurant. Martin introduced new members Arthur and Evelyn Mills, CPA’s, of A. Mills Tax Relief and Eric Austin of Farmers Electric Cooperative of Greenville. We also have Wilson-Bartley Funeral Home in Alba, City Limit Storage in Alba and Emory Economic Corporation as new members. A motion was made by Ken Donahue and seconded by Keeley Roan to accept the minutes of the October 2007 meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Keeley Roan to accept the Treasurer’s report dated October 31, 2007. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. We have received the Texas YES! grant which is $2,971.74 but it has not been deposited. Nominating Committee: Danny Silcox reported they have three candidates for the three positions that are open. Anyone interested in running for a position on the Board of Directors please contact Danny prior to December 12th. Boat and Trade Shows: All positions for all shows have been filled but Bob would like to have alternates available so if anyone is interested in being an alternate, please email Bob Williams: bigbass@peoplescom.net. Hotel reservations have been made for Birmingham and Claremore and will book Indianapolis by our next meeting December 13th. The reservations were put on Bob’s credit card so he would like to be reimbursed for the $1, 298.88 he has spent plus the Indianapolis rooms. Mandy made a motion to reimburse Bob and Dana Donahue seconded it. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Phil Lambe asked Bob about the monitor that was discussed at the October meeting. Bob reported the cost would be $170 plus tax and shipping. Mandy made a motion that Bob go ahead and purchase the monitor and Keeley seconded it. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Bob reported the bass replica has been purchased at a cost of $300 and is waiting for a shipping box for storage. The replica is in the 14 pound range. Dennis Sheley said he would donate a crappie replica. TTBC Update: Not a lot of info available yet. Reportedly there will be a bigger name in entertainment than last year and also reportedly there will be a charge of $25/person to attend. The media meeting was held a couple of weeks ago. Big Catfish Splash: Martin is continuing his efforts to reach and sign up sponsors for the tournament. Jill Russell has joined a national real estate firm and is required to travel a lot so she has to resign from her position on the WCIC. We do have Ken Donahue of Lake Fork Marina on the WCIC to help represent this area but more representation is needed for the Alba area. Membership Recruitment: Bob reported the bulk mailing to Yantis has been done and we have gained one new member as a result. Social Events: Teresa Weeks has the Senior Angels for members to pick up tonight. Be sure and record which Angel number(s) you have. Angel purchases can be turned in at PeeWee’s Pit Stop Café by December 12th or brought to the meeting on December 13th. The Senior party will be Friday, December 14th from 12 noon until 2 p.m. PeeWee’s private Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 15th. Next meeting: Thursday December 13th at Moser’s Restaurant; dinner at 6:00 p.m. and meeting at 7:00 p.m. NOTE: Meeting moved up 2 weeks due to Christmas. Adjourn: Motion to adjourn made by Phil and seconded by Bob. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. at Pee Wee’s BBQ. Martin introduced new member Karey Atkinson with United American Insurance. We also have Wilson-Bartley Funeral Home in Alba, City Limit Storage in Alba and Emory Economic Corporation as new members. A motion was made by Bob Williams and seconded by Barbara Williams to accept the minutes of the September 2007 meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Dana Donahue to accept the Treasurer’s report dated September 31, 2007. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. We have approval of the Texas YES! grant which is $2,971.74. Barbara also reported that Texas Yes will be available for the next 2 years although budgets have not yet been released. Barbara Williams reported that we now have a new CPA. Also, the Chamber general checking account and the Chamber Catfish account will be combined into one account by the end of the year.
Membership Recruitment Bob
Williams reported that the bulk mailing to all Alba businesses is complete. We
have already signed up 2 new members as a result and this payed for the
mailing. A big THANK YOU to Dana Donahue for printing the 500 flyers. Publicity: We have approximately 9800 Chamber brochures remaining of the 40,000 that we printed. At the time of printing, we felt that would be sufficient for 2 years based on prior experience. Since then, our distribution has been excellent including local member businesses, all Texas entry points and boat shows. It is suggested that we begin the process to put together a new brochure starting no later than January with a proposed printing in the April time frame. All in attendance agreed that we should move forward on this. Bob Williams will get with the publication committee to start the process. TTBC Update: The tourney is returning to Lake Fork April 18-20, 2008. The tourney is scaled back a little in that there will be 100 anglers in 2008, there were 160 in 2007. The Toyota web site is now up and anyone wishing up to date information should visit the site at www.toyotatexasbassclassic.com. Big Catfish Splash: Martin is continuing to work on getting sponsors for 2008. Martin also reported that the contract for next year’s Big Catfish Splash has been signed and returned to Bob Sealey. Boat
and Trade Shows:
Bob Williams is taking over the show scheduling for John Morris. Bob reports
that we have enough volunteers for Birmingham. We still need volunteers for
Claremore and Indianapolis. Bob will be sending out an email to recruit more
volunteers. We had a slide show for this year’s boat shows and Bob asked if we should continue to have one for the upcoming shows? All agreed that we should continue to do the slide show. Bob Williams suggested that if we are to continue to do the slide show, the Chamber needs to purchase a 19” monitor. It was agreed that Bob will research the cost of the monitor and report back on it at the next meeting. Nomination Committee: Danny Silcox will chair this committee for the upcoming Board elections. Dana Donahue, Barbara Williams, Phil Lambe and Martin Edwards will also be on this committee. Social Events: Teresa Weeks reminded everyone that she will have Senior Angels ready for the next meeting and asked that everyone pick at least one angel. Teresa will provide the information to Bob and an email will be sent out to remind everyone with full details of time and place for party and gifts to be turned in. Teresa will also be putting together the Christmas basket for the Chamber’s Christmas Party and Meeting. Next meeting: Thursday November 15 at The Minnow Bucket; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. NOTE: Meeting moved up 1 week due to Thanksgiving. Adjourn: Motion made by Phil and seconded by Bob. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. at Texas Grill. Martin introduced new member Ralph Gore, new owner of Burning Stump Lodge. A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Bob Williams to accept the minutes of the August 2007 meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Jake Gay to accept the Treasurer’s report dated August 31, 2007. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. We are still waiting for approval of the Texas YES! grant which is apx. $2,900. With that we would have a total of apx. $48K in the bank. Membership Recruitment (Agenda Item 5-b): Bob Williams suggested doing a bulk mailing to all Alba businesses to recruit new members. A copy of the letter that would be sent was attached to the August minutes and distributed to all in attendance. Depending on the results of this mailing, we may do mailings to surrounding areas, i.e.: Yantis, Quitman, etc. Publicity (Agenda Item 5-c): ) We were too late for the current edition of Images of East Texas which comes out in Jan. 2008. But we could consider having an ad in the Jan. 2009 edition. The cost of an ad is: $8K for a full page and apx. $1,500 for a right hand column. Gary McKinley, Executive Director of the Wood County Industrial Commission, spoke with Martin about running a two-page ad in 2009 and we could partner with them. ) Martin gave an overview of the history of our involvement with Bass Master. ) WCIC has no money in their reserve account. The options are to increase the hotel tax in unincorporated areas (currently $.04, could go up another $.03 maximum) or to discontinue paying for some the activities they have been supporting. Martin said the most logical is to discontinue advertising in Bass Master which cost apx. $42K a year. Gary has been looking at other advertising options such as Southern Outdoors or Bass Inc. Judy Stroman asked about the possibility of running a smaller ad in Bass Master instead of dropping it altogether. Martin said that our current ad is small and a smaller ad would still be too expensive. We could also consider establishing a tax district for the Lake Fork area. It would be necessary to hire a consultant to establish the precise boundaries for the district. ) Catfish Gold update: A ½ page ad in the May and June 2008 issues would cost $820 per month. We could do member ads on the other ½ page. Bob Williams will continue to talk with Richard. Ad information would have to be to Richard by April 2008. Two other possibilities are Southern Sports and Lake Caster. TTBC Update (Agenda Item 6-a): The tourney will be returning to Lake Fork April 18-20, 2008. The tourney is scaled back a little in that there will be 100 anglers in 2008 and there were 160 in 2007. Toyota has a meeting scheduled with SRA and TPWD in November where the plans will be finalized. Big
Catfish Splash (Agenda item 6-b):
Martin is working on
getting sponsors for 2008. Wood County Industrial Commission donated $5K and
Bank Texas $2,500. Ferris Brothers in Hattiesburg, MS burned down but should be
back in full operation January 1st. Some stats from the 2007
tourney: 758 participants representing 15 states, among them: Boat and Trade Shows (Agenda item 6-c): <1> John Morris distributed a list of shows that he was recommending we attend next year: Birmingham, AL (01/30 – 02/03/08), Claremore OK (02/07 – 02/10/08) and Indianapolis, IN (02/15 -02/24/08). Claremore was previously approved so reservations have been made and paid for already. Barbara Williams expressed concern about the closeness of the ending of the Birmingham show and the beginning of the Claremore show. The show dates actually start one day earlier and end one day later because of set-up and tear-down, i.e.: for the workers, Birmingham’s dates are 01/29 – 02/04/08, etc. Bob Varner made a motion to accept John’s recommendation and Bob Williams seconded the motion. All in favor, none opposed – motion carried. John passed around a sign-up sheet. Dana Donahue asked how many people are needed to work at the shows and John suggested four. Martin said there should be at least two on site at a time and it’s not a bad thing to have at least one extra person available in case something happens to one of the people scheduled, i.e.: one becomes ill, one has to leave for some reason, etc. John also stated we could really use a bass replica to display at the shows. Mandy made a motion that John research cost and bring the info to the October meeting. The motion was seconded by Dana. All in favor, none opposed – motion carried. <2> Martin said we need to get people to come to Lake Fork for more than just a weekend. We won’t get that at the small shows. We get a lot of people from Indiana. <3> Bob Williams suggested we establish a meal per diem for the people who work at the boat and trade shows. Based on his experience, daily meal expenses can vary substantially from city to city. Martin said we could discuss it further and perhaps consider a meal allowance around $25. Social Events (Agenda item 6-d): <1> Some months ago Jill Russell suggested we (CoC members) have a fish fry. Unfortunately, Mandy, Social Events Chairperson, forgot to follow up with Jill but promised she will contact Jill before the October meeting and have something arranged. <2> Mandy reminded everyone about the Christmas Angel Tree project for the Alba-Golden School. There will be an Angel Tree located at Lakeside Cove RV Park and she asked that everyone come by and pick an angel – or two or three if they wish – from the tree. <3> Barbara asked if we were going to have a Seniors Christmas Party this year and if Teresa Weeks was willing to head up the project as she has the past two Christmases. Teresa responded that yes she would organize it. Barbara made a motion to sponsor the Senior Christmas Party and John Morris seconded it. All in favor, none opposed – motion carried. Next meeting: Thursday October 25th at PeeWee’s Pit Stop Café, 3589 Highway 154; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. NOTE: This is a change from the list that was distributed. According to the list, the October meeting was to be held at the Bass Lantern. Due to construction, it needed to be moved so we have swapped the October and November locations. Adjourn: Motion made by Martin and seconded by Jake Gay. Meeting adjourned at 8:07 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
Acting President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at The Place on the Lake. Martin introduced guest Gary McKinley, Executive Director of the Wood County Industrial Commission. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Keeley Roan to accept the minutes of the July meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Bob Varner and seconded by Keeley Roan to accept the Treasurer’s report dated July 31, 2007. Barbara Williams maintains the Big Catfish Splash bank account now and provided a report for that account as well. Barbara stated that the report for the Catfish account is pretty accurate. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Big Catfish Splash (Agenda item 5): There is still one bill out. Not sure if we will receive any grant money from the Texas YES! Program. We should be receiving an additional $4K (approximately) so the Catfish account would have $36K and the General Fund account would have $13K for a total of $49K. Catfish Gold (Agenda item 6): The Publication Committee, chaired by Keeley Roan, met with Richard Chrisman of Catfish Gold as requested at the July meeting. Richard gave the committee a price of $2,500 a month for a fold-out map in the center of the magazine with business card size ads all around the map and $1,900 a month for a full page ad with the business card ads. There would also be an article on Lake Fork each month. If we use the Texas YES! logo in the Chamber ad, we could possibly get back part of our expense if they have the funds available (1/2 of 1 page ad). For us to commit to the fold-out ad, members interested in advertising would have to commit to and pay for a full year of advertising up front. We also discussed just advertising for two or three months instead of for the full year. During the July meeting, Mr. Chrisman had stated the regular cost for the fold-out pages ad is $1,430 per month and he offered it to us for $1,000 per month. Due to the considerable discrepancy in pricing, Mandy Biggs made a motion that the committee meet with Mr. Chrisman and get a written proposal for a one page, two page fold-out and a three page fold-out ad and present the proposal to the membership at the September meeting. The motion was seconded by Phil Lambe. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Note: Richard distributes the magazine nation wide, we would distribute it at boat shows we attend and it would also be distributed at shows we don’t attend. Richard wants to promote the Big Catfish Splash and both of us make money. General Information (Agenda item 7): (A): TTBC: Lenny Francouer will be meeting with SRA next week. Part of the discussion will be regarding charging admission for all concerts in 2008. The tourney is tentatively set for April 10th – 13th. Ron Lewis spoke with the Lake Fork Rotary Club and SRA and suggested hosting a luncheon at Lake Fork Baptist Church for Lake Fork Rotary Club, SRA and TPWD. LFACofC would also be represented. (B): 2008 Big Catfish Splash: The Board of Directors voted to approve contributing $9,600 for prize money for the additional hourly prize winner. The BoD also voted to set aside $20K as a reserve in the event a problem does arise. Phil asked if it wouldn’t be better to purchase tournament insurance instead of “freezing” funds. Kathy stated that you can purchase ‘weather insurance’ that would provide coverage if the event had to be cancelled due to inclement weather; however, you can’t get insurance, for example, to protect you from not having enough participants (registration fees) to cover expenses. (C): Boat and Trade Shows: John Morris was to have presented information tonight but due to a family illness had to go out of town. His recommendations to Martin was to drop Arlington, Austin, Little Rock and Shreveport and attend Birmingham (01/30 – 02/03/08), Claremore OK (02/07 – 02/10/08) and Indianapolis (02/15 – 02/24/08). Barbara stated that Claremore is already paid for and confirmed. Sam Scroggins asked what was the rationale for dropping Arlington and Martin responded that the rationale for going was the availability of guides to attend where they could also book trips. Since the show has moved from Mesquite, the quality has declined as has attendance. The show in Kansas City was also considered, but the booth rental has increased, it is very difficult to get materials in and out and parking is bad. Because of these problems, Kansas City lost a lot of business to Claremore. (D): Meeting date change: Due to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we need to change the scheduled meeting date for those two months. Mandy made a motion to reschedule November’s meeting from Thursday November 22nd to Thursday November 15th and December’s meeting from Thursday December 27th to Thursday December 13th. The motion was seconded by Andrea Lambe. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. The December meeting is the Chamber’s annual Christmas party/meeting. Web Hosting: Bob Williams explained that the company that was hosting our website went out of business but he located a new host. However, Barbara had to pay the fee from personal funds (had to be cash) so she would like to be reimbursed the $150 she spent. Mandy made a motion and Keeley seconded it to reimburse Barbara as requested. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Texas Old Fiddlers: Appearing February 2nd in Quitman. Tourist Centers: Keeley stated that Joey Baker of the Sulphur Springs Department of Tourism has gotten us into Texarkana effective September 1st. There is a ‘main’ map in the Tourist Center that features specific areas for a period of time. To qualify as the featured area, the organization has to be part of multi-city or county group. We participated along with SS Department of Tourism and Emory Economic Development Commission. Next meeting: Thursday September 27th at Texas Grill (5353 N FM-17, just south of AJ’s Fish House); dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Adjourn: Motion made by Bob Varner and seconded by Keeley Roan. Meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
Vice President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. at Little Mustang Restaurant. Martin introduced guest Richard Chrisman, owner and publisher of Catfish Gold Magazine (formerly Catfish Now). A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Jake Gay to accept the minutes of the June meeting. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. A motion was made by Mandy Biggs and seconded by Bob Biggs to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 06/30/07. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. Big Catfish Splash (Agenda item 5): Bob Williams stated there were 758 entries this year. The complete financial information will be reported as soon as it is available. Barbara does not maintain the Big Catfish Splash account at this time. Total entry fees collected were $71,940 and this still has to be reconciled with Bob Sealy. A couple of sponsors have not been billed yet, Ferris Brothers are being invoiced for $1K for ’07 and ’08 and the raffle brought in $2,239 which is not as much as last year but the top ticket sellers weren’t available to help this year. Jake Gay made a motion and Bob Biggs seconded it to reimburse Martin $500 to assist in covering some of his expenses as host of the tournament, i.e.: comped rooms and meals, etc. Martin has hosted the Big Catfish Splash all four years and has never requested any reimbursement from the Chamber. President Jones sent an email via Jake thanking Martin for the time and energy that he has expended to ensure the Big Catfish Splash is always a success with each year being an improvement over the prior year. John Morris said the Boy Scouts did a great job and he would like to see them compensated again. This was approved in a prior meeting so the Troop Leader will be presented with a check at a future meeting. Bob Williams suggested sending a donation to Lake Fork Sportsman’s Association, the provider of the release boat. Jake Gay made a motion that was seconded by Bob Williams to give them $100. All in favor, none opposed – motion carried. Finance Committee (Agenda item 6): As previously stated, Barbara only handles the General Fund account and records at this time. Helen Heavey, CPA, takes care of the Big Catfish Account, financial reporting and income tax filing for the Chamber. The final report on the Big Catfish Splash should be available by the August 23rd meeting and will be furnished to the membership. Martin stated we will probably be consolidating the Big Catfish Account and the General Fund Account soon. He estimated that we made an approximate profit of $16,000. TP&WD Expo (Agenda item 7): Martin does not recommend this show for LFACofC. It was quite successful last year; however, it is geared more toward wildlife than toward fishing. There are a lot of “family type” activities available but it does not promote Lake Fork. He would not spend Minnow Bucket funds on this event. John Morris agreed with Martin’s opinion. The general consensus was to skip the Expo and utilize the money on other events that will promote Lake Fork. Texas Approach Travel Show (Agenda item 8): Martin prefers to have a Lake Fork representative at the various shows instead of a paid promoter with limited knowledge of the area. Overall it would probably be less expensive but the ability to accurately answer questions is more important. Also, we all insure that brochures are available for the attendees at the shows. Would the paid promoter share the interest in distributing our brochure and how would we evaluate whether their services were beneficial? Dana Donahue made a motion that was seconded by Bob Williams not to participate. All in favor none opposed – motion carried. General Membership (Agenda item 9): Bob Sealy wants to add a sixth place at the tournament in 2008. Martin requested a vote from the membership to allow the Board of Directors to determine the level of payout for the 2008 Big Catfish Splash. Jake made the motion to allow the BOD to decide the level of payout that would be paid by the LFACofC but also asked why an increase is needed. Martin gave a brief overview of how the tournament started in 2004 with 385 participants and how it has developed and grown in four years to 758 participants. Several suggestions were made regarding getting Bob Sealy to fund more of the tournament expenses. John suggested increasing the registration fee by five dollars a day would probably cover the increased payout. The motion was seconded by Bob Williams. Favor: 16; Oppose: 1 – motion carried. Richard Chrisman – Catfish Gold Magazine: Richard gave a presentation to the Chamber members regarding advertising in his magazine. He suggested a double page ad with a map surrounded by ads from the various LFACofC businesses, much like the center of our brochure. In the past, he has only done single pages ads – no double pages. Another idea was a back cover ad for the Chamber. The regular cost for the fold-out pages is $1,430 per month; he offered it to us for $1,000 per month. A general discussion followed and it was decided to have the publications committee contact Richard and get more information. Next meeting: Thursday August 23rd at The Place on the Lake (corner of FM-515 and FM-17; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. A list of meeting places for 2007 was distributed. Adjourn: Motion made by Dennis Sheley and seconded by Bob Biggs. Meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Ron Jones called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at Tameraria’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina.
Ron introduced guests John
and Sunny Milligan and member Jona Vacek.
As of June 28th, we have 96
members. A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Bob Biggs to accept the minutes of the May meeting. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried.
A motion was made by Jill
Russell and seconded by Ken Player to accept the Treasurer’s report dated
05/31/07. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Storage of CofC Materials: Brochures and other materials have been moved to the storage unit and each member of the board has been given a key. Catfish Splash: (A) Bob Williams reported that most things are done except he needs additional volunteers: one for Saturday 10–2 and three for Sunday 6–close. Mandy volunteered for Saturday and Ken Player and Mary Morris volunteered for Sunday – still need one more! Contact Bob W if you can help. Bob mentioned that coolers are needed at the tables for water and soda; Jill offered to lend some (bring to the Minnow Bucket Friday evening). NOTE: everyone who will be working at the event needs to wear their chamber shirt and/or hat. You will also need to bring folding chairs Banners have been ordered and we will have them before the tourney. Ken has t-posts for hanging the banners and he will donate them to the chamber. The banners will be put up the weekend before the tourney. The hats have arrived and Ron found apx. 200 left over from last year. Since they don’t have a date on them, they can be used this year if needed. (B) The Boy Scout troop is lined up and waiting for notification of what time to be at the Minnow Bucket. John will contact the leader to let him know 6 a.m. (C) Friday July 20th at 1:30 p.m: bag stuffing at PeeWee’s Pit Stop – apx. 1 1/2 hours; 3 p.m.–10-ish: registration and raffle ticket sales at Minnow Bucket; shifts of apx. four hours each on Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 6 a.m. each morning. KMOO: Ron will call them to be sure they have the necessary information; they will be broadcasting live at the tourney. (D) Bob found a magazine called Catfish Now and in it was a full page ad for the Catfish Splash. We didn’t place the ad nor should we pay for it. (E) Martin will call Ferris Brothers tomorrow. They usually donate about a dozen Catfish Rods and some really nice shirts. He will also contact Bishop’s and Dorothy Gibson at Eagle Claw. Barbara purchased a TV and DVD player for the raffle. She had been authorized to spend up to $200 and, being such a super shopper, only spent $167! Good job Barbara!!!! Most anything you can get donated for the raffle will be appreciated. Bulk Mail Permit: For those that were not familiar with the permit and the process, Ron and Ken reviewed the requirements and emphasized the savings. Ken said there have already been two or three businesses that have done a mass mailing. Boat Shows: Texas Expo in Austin in October: no decision yet. Jake said we need to wait until after the Catfish Splash so we will know what our budget is for boat shows in 2008 and then decide and make the reservations. A lot of calls have been coming from people in the Great Lake region so Ron suggested we consider dropping some of the less attended shows and replace them with new ones. More discussion will follow. Next meeting: Thursday July 26th at the Little Mustang Café at the Lighthouse Resort on FM-17; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. A list of meeting places for 2007 was distributed. Adjourn: Motion made by Martin Edwards and seconded by Bob Biggs. Meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce Vice President Martin Edwards called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at Oak Valley Catfish Kitchen. He thanked The Bevill’s for opening up to allow us to have our meeting here. New members, owners of Big Mouth Lodge, Wendy Schaffer and Ronda Kluver were introduced .
As of May 24th, we
have 93 members. Storage of CofC Materials: This has been tabled until the next meeting. Jake Gay & Bob Williams will try to move the materials Jake has into the storage unit provided by Lake Side Cove and RV Park. Additional Display Kit: Bob Williams reported that the display kit appears to be in good shape. However, there was no instructions on the assembly. John Morris and Bob Williams will get together to determine how easy or difficult it is to assemble the kit. Based on the results, we will decide to purchase or not.
Catfish Splash:
(A)
Bob reported that he
has not yet got prices on the new banners. This will be done within the next
week. Brochure Distribution: Payment has been received for all ads except Tameraria’s and Good Time Hobby Shop. Boat Shows : John Morris and Jake Gay will provide suggestions shortly, .said guides are already booking for January and February of 2008. Do we know yet what shows we will be attending? Bass Master Leads: We received 6 leads this past month and information was sent out. This listing was to be a one time thing but has continued for over three years and hopefully with changes at BassMasters it will be able to continue. Next meeting: Thursday June 28th at Tameraria’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Adjourn: Motion made by Bob Williams and second by John Morris.
Lake Fork Area Chamber of Commerce
President Ron Jones called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at 15 Acres Retreat. Ron thanked Phil and Andrea for their hospitality and cooking the burgers and brats. This was our first “potluck” meeting and there was definitely enough absolutely WONDERFUL food! We have some really good cooks in our Chamber! Ron introduced new member Ken Player, Postmaster of the Alba Post Office, who will be speaking later and guest Eileen Griffin. As of April 25th we have 90 members. This is an increase of three from last month. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by John Morris to accept the minutes of the March meeting. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. A motion was made by Phil Lambe and seconded by Martin Edwards to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 03/31/07. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Treasurer Barbara Williams has the Annual Financial Statement for 2006 completed and brought copies for the Board members. Other members expressed an interest in getting a copy so she will email a copy to members. Bulk Mailing Permit: Ken gave a presentation regarding the Chamber getting a bulk mailing permit. The postage rate is substantially less and we can get a mailing list and send out Lake Fork info in mass. Ken provided a sample letter we could give to new businesses when they join. Chamber members could also use it to do mass mailings for their individual businesses. It was agreed that only Chamber members be allowed to use the permit. All bulk mailings done MUST be mailed at the post office where the permit is issued, i.e.: Alba. If mailed elsewhere, we could lose our permit. The initial cost of $320 has been funded by the Alba USPO so there will be no cost to the Chamber up front. There will be an annual renewal fee for which the amount is established by the USPO. Bob Williams made a motion and Bob Biggs seconded it to go forward with the application for the permit. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. ACS Sponsorship: Ron read a letter form Sylvia Petty regarding the Wood County Relay for Life in which a sponsorship donation was requested. The suggested donation is $100. A motion was made by Mandy and seconded by John to approve the expenditure. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Ron gave the information to Barbara so she could send them a check. Toyota Classic: Gary stated that the Comptroller’s tax report will show the economic impact of the TTBC. The preliminary estimate is apx. $10.4M. Lake Fork averages about $25M annually so this tournament represents almost 1/2 of the annual average! Phil suggested we form two groups: one to review the event and a second one to come up with suggestions for improvements for next year. (No action was taken on Phil’s suggestion.) Toyota wants feedback from area businesses. Lenny Francouer left a business card with Martin who gave the card to Bob to send out to members. Martin also spoke to Ron about a sending a Thank You letter to SRA from the Chamber. After a discussion, it was decided to send a letter to the PAA, Phil Durocher @ TPWD and Toyota as well as SRA. Ron will create a draft and send it out via email for comments. SRA apparently requested that within thirty days Toyota let them know if they are coming back to Lake Fork next year for sure. The CofC in Jasper would love to have them come there and they have the funds available to pursue it. The estimated overall attendance was apx. 27K. Had the weather been better, it is estimated that attendance could have been as high as 40K. Legend Tournament: Barbara suggested an email be sent to members to furnish materials to be distributed such as business cards, brochures, etc. The items can be delivered to PeeWee’s Pit Stop on Highway 154. We will set up a canopy and tables but need people to help. Send an email to Bob Williams if you can help man the booth and he will send out the schedule before he leaves for vacation next week. There were apx. 600 people last year and we expect more this year. Storage of CofC Materials: Currently Chamber brochures, tournament flyers, etc., are stored at the Minnow Bucket. This is taking up a lot of their store space. The Chamber needs to find a place to store materials that will not interfere with business space. Mandy stated they have a 10’ x 10’ storage unit available and will let the Chamber use it at no cost to the Chamber. A motion was made by Bob Williams and seconded by John Morris to use this storage unit. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. A key will be given to each Board member. Additional Display Kit: Mandy told the group that the Antiques and More store has a display booth for shows for sale. It appears to be in very good condition and is in two containers with wheels. She has not seen it assembled but from the available information appears to be the back wall and table w/table cover. This would allow the Chamber to have a booth at two boat shows simultaneously. The owner is asking $500 but that is negotiable. Ken said he would take a look at it next week and if he likes it, he will purchase it for Post Office use and the Chamber can use when needed. If he doesn’t want it, he will pass on the info to the Chamber. Phil made a motion and Martin seconded it to have a couple of the Board members take a look at if Ken doesn’t get it. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Catfish Splash: (A) Barbara suggested we have banners made that could be put on a pole and moved to different sites as needed. Ron said that for Texas Yes Program to pay for half of them, they would have to have the “Texas YES!” logo on them. Southern Sign in Sulphur Springs, Sign Mart in Mineola were two of the suggested vendors to make them. The cost at Sign Mart is $143 for text only, no pictures. Assignment: The Catfish Committee (Bob Williams – Chairperson) to get prices and present the information at the next meeting. At that time, we will decide whether to buy them and how many. We will also need suggestions for locations for the banners (all members). (B) Bob Williams has a “To Do” list: on Friday July 20th at 1:30 p.m. will be the bag stuffing at PeeWee’s Pit Stop – there is a sign-up sheet on the table; John Morris will contact the Boy Scouts for their help; boat inspectors are already signed up; set up and tear down: Bob and Barbara Williams; there is also a sign up sheet on the table for other help: need five people to help with recording fish weight, help under the canopy to update the board, assist Jan, etc,; this does not include boat inspectors or our booth crew. The raffle made $3K+ last year, would like to do even better this year. Barbara will coordinate the raffle. Bob Williams made a motion and Bob Biggs seconded it to give Barbara $200 to purchase a television for the raffle. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Phil then made a motion which was seconded by Ken Player that if all the money was not needed for the television then the balance can be used to purchase a DVD player also. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Phil suggested going outside the immediate community to get donations so the same businesses are not inundated continuously. We need to survey our own members for donations. We have 800 hats for the fishermen coming in; Bob Williams will email Jake to find out when to expect them. We are advertising in the Southern Sporting Magazine. James Hester will be present at the Catfish Splash. (C) Member question: can CofC members participate in the raffle? No one was aware of any rule stating either way but the discussion did mention the sense of impropriety and how it could be construed as “fixed” if a Chamber member won a major prize. Teresa Weeks made a motion and Bob Williams made a motion that no Chamber member or any immediate family member residing in the same household can participate in the raffle. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. Brochure Distribution: Payment has been received for all ads except SRA. Their invoice was missed so they were just billed. Some members may not have received a copy of the brochure. Assignment: The Membership Committee (Mandy Biggs – Chairperson) to send an email to all members (call those who do not have email) and see they have a copy of the brochure. If they don’t, we will get a copy to them. Report back at the next meeting about the status of this. Martin suggested that all of us have a box of brochures in our vehicle and when we go somewhere see if we can leave some. Boat Shows: John Morris said guides are already booking for January and February of 2008. Do we know yet what shows we will be attending? Assignment: John and Martin need to contact Jake, Trade Show Committee Chairperson, so he can report at the May meeting on the 2008 shows. John also asked Phil about the Tyler expo this fall. He will need to know immediately if a new boat is needed. Phil will check into the show and follow up with John. Local Event Support: Quitman Heritage Foundation Spring Swing May 4-May 6. Kathy McKinley said the brochures are not ready yet but she does have posters available tonight for everyone to take. Bass Master Leads: We received twenty-five leads this past month. Barbara said the info is still going to Helen who forwards it to her sporadically. We need to contact Wintercom ESPN Bass Master and have the info sent to Barbara or Mandy. Next meeting: Thursday May 24th at Oak Valley Catfish Kitchen; dinner at 6:00 p.m and meeting at 7:00 p.m. Mandy assured everyone she will follow up to ensure everything is okay this time. She also reminded everyone that Oak Valley is not normally open on Thursday so we need a really good turnout to make it worth their time. Adjourn: Motion by Teresa and seconded by Bob Williams to adjourn. All in favor none opposed so the motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
Lake Fork Chamber of Commerce Thursday March 22, 2007
President Ron Jones called
the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. at AJ’s Fish House. Due to a
miscommunication, a last minute Ron introduced new members Trish Knox of Lake Fork Golf Course and Randa Kluever of Big Bass Lodge. We now have 87 members. A motion was made by Bob Williams and seconded by Jill Russell to accept the minutes of the February meeting. A motion was made by John Morris and seconded by Bob Biggs to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 02/28/07. Ron reminded members that only one meeting should be going on. If a personal conversation cannot wait until after our meeting, please step outside or at least away from the meeting area until the conversation is finished. Also, please stand up and speak clearly when addressing the group so the secretary can record accurate information.
Next Meeting: April 26 at the 15 Acres Retreat in Quitman at 1554 County Road. Phil and Andrea will furnish brats, burgers and chips. Members need to bring a side dish and it is BYOB. A motion to adjourn was made by Jill and seconded by Paul and the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
Lake Fork Chamber of Commerce
Thursday February 22, 2007 President Ron Jones called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at East Fork Restaurant. Ron introduced guest Dorles Weeks of Newton Manufacturing Co. and new member Sam Scroggins of S & A Sportswear. A motion was made by Jill Russell and seconded by John Morris to accept the minutes of the January meeting. A motion was made by Jake Gay and seconded by John Morris to accept the Treasurer’s report dated 01/31/07.
A motion to adjourn was made by Martin and seconded by Dennis and the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m. |
