Natural Stone Council
Annual Board Meeting at StonExpo
January 24, 2011
Las Vegas, NV
Attendance
Board Members: Duke Pointer, Ex. Dir. (NSC); Jim Owens, Chairman (ILI); Chuck Monson (NBGQA); Will Bybee (ILI); Jane Bennett, Secretary (BSI); Brenda Edwards, Treasurer (BSI); Eddie Greene (PA Bluestone); Harry Triebe, Sr. (NY State Bluestone); Jonathan Zanger (MIA); Dennis Buechel (ASI); Mo Bohrer (NBGQA); Alex Bachrach (NSA); Gary Distelhorst (MIA).
By Proxy: Bill Hood (EGA) for Doy Johnson.
Guests: Joe Dellacroce (Connecticut Stone Supply), Jim Hobart (Hobart Stone), Terrence Meck (Rolling Rock Building Stone), Bernard Buster (Lyons Sandstone), Butch Coleman (Endless Mountain Stone), Russell Heath (Lilac Quarries), Rob Broekhuizen (K2 Stone), John Mattke (Cold Spring Granite), Stephanie Vierra (Vierra Consulting), Jack Geibig (Ecoform).
Absent: Brad Poynter, Vice Chairman (ASI); David Large, National Slate Association, Doy Johnson (EGA), Rusty Adams (EGA), Thomas Schlough, (NSA).
Welcome
2010 Chairman Jim Owens welcomed and thanked everyone for attending.
Past Meeting Minutes
Jane Bennett requested comments on the last board meeting minutes from Atlanta January 18, 2010. No comments or revisions were noted. Brenda Edwards motioned to accept the Jan. 18 minutes as written. Chuck Monson second. Minutes approved.
Financials
Duke Pointer and Brenda Edwards addressed the year end financials from 2010. Questions were raised on expenses for services provided by ad agency McKee Wallwork Cleveland (MWC), Legal fees defending Ebel Quarries Genuine Stone trademark infringement and fees to Ecoform, which are budgeted per contract. Jonathan Zanger motioned to approve the 2010 Financials as submitted. Brenda Edwards second. Financials approved.
A lengthy discussion followed on whether NSC should continue utilizing MWC due to high expenses, decreased need and no measurable return on Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaign investment, although if the reports are studied we were able to see a significant increase in clicks to our website. All advertising expenses were for PPC through Google, Yahoo, and Bing Microsoft – no print ads. Jonathan Zanger voiced that this is a poor investment and should be discontinued, and many others agreed, adding that ads placed on Google are not generally the source of follow through clicks for searches. An overwhelming voice urged the Board to discontinue this investment for 2011, as well as utilizing MWC to prepare and distribute our quarterly newsletter. Jane and Duke could instead draft a newsletter from reports supplied by Jack Geibig on the ANSI standard progress, and from Stephanie Vierra on general stone and sustainability updates to send to the Board each quarter. This message MUST then be distributed throughout the affiliate organization memberships. Some still fear our newsletter is not being shared with the industry members. These items all affect the proposed 2011 budget.
It was also asked whether all affiliate organizations are promoting NSC and Genuine Stone logos on their respective website. Not all were, nor were there direct links to the NSC from these sites. We must do a better job promoting the NSC within the member organizations but also the member organizations need to convey the NSC information within their respective memberships.
2011 Budget
Again, MWC was heavily discussed and proposal eventually made to discontinue the PPC ad campaign, publicity services to the NSC and web maintenance services. Jane pointed out that our past two newsletters were not up on the NSC website and asked who gives direction to add these? Duke replied that he directs MWC with any updates, but like most of the Board, assumed that posting of the current newsletter would be automatic. This, along with a recent estimate totaling $17,000 to add a long-ago planned for “Dealer Locator” on the NSC site prompted review of their fees and services. The Dealer Locator was resisted by member organizations reluctant to share membership lists. Jane researched an alternate Zip Code based quote for same upgrade to the NSC website at a cost of $1,395. It was felt that web hosting and maintenance fees paid to MWC were high as well, compared to what other associations and businesses pay. NSC can no longer afford to employ this level of service for the work and publicity we require at this time. Under Branding, a Trademark line item was left in to cover renewal fees, etc associated with our Genuine Stone brand.
Moe Bohrer motioned to terminate the relationship with McKee Wallwork Cleveland and to leave in the budget $10,000 for website redevelopment. Jane Bennett second. All agreed.
Due to the number of deletions and revisions being requested to this proposed budget, Brenda Edwards motioned to table budget approval until the end of the meeting. Jonathan Zanger second. All agreed.
Elections
Jim Owens reported that four board members’ terms expired in 2010. Since we switched annual board meetings from October to January, to follow StonExpo event schedule, we must extend all terms for three months, meaning these four expire in 2011. Jane Bennett, Jonathan Zanger, and Chuck Monson each were renewed for another 3 year term. Doy Johnson of the Elberton Granite Association, who filled the remaining term of retired director Tom Robinson, was also elected to another three year term. Rusty Adams, the second EGA representative has asked to resign from his duties on the NSC board. Bill Hood attended today’s meeting by proxy in Doy’s absence, but noted that the EGA will not name its replacement for Rusty Adams until after the StonExpo event. (Note: As of March 7, 2011 the EGA has not named a replacement)
Adam Diaz was replaced as the PA Bluestone Association representative to the NSC by Eddie Greene of PA Wholesale Stone, Susquehanna, PA. Welcome and Thank You to Eddie for his service and commitment. No other new board members were installed.
Jane Bennett nominated Brenda Edwards to be 2011 Chairperson. A second was made by Chuck Monson. Motion carried.
Jonathan Zanger motioned to appoint Jane Bennett Vice Chairperson, which was seconded by Chuck Monson. However, Jane declined and agreed to stay on as Secretary if so desired by the board.
Brenda Edwards motioned to appoint Harry Triebe, Sr. as Vice Chairperson; Jim Owens as Treasurer and Jane Bennett as Secretary. Alex Bachrach second. The motion for the 2011 slate of NSC officers carried.
Website Sidebar
Further discussion followed on how to improve our message in the market place. The website is the key portal and must be improved. If MWC does not provide this service to the NSC, an alternate web designer/maintenance plan must be developed prior to establishing the scope of redevelopment for the website. Jonathan Zanger suggested that the Dealer Locator is not necessary if we can direct viewers to various organizations’ sites for member directories. However, not all affiliated organizations have this directory available so this discussion will need to continue.
The NSC still needs to “tell its story” on the website. We fail to promote the reason for our work; to fully explain our “cause” because everyone does not read the information available. Jane urged the board to fully review the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) website to understand how their standard works in order to fully understand how our standard development may work. On their site they completely explain their mission and cause and the reason why they want to create the standard that goes beyond the benefit to their industry. Their standard protects the source. The NSC must begin to promote our work as our means to affect a better result – it must provide that connection to established higher standards for life. The message on our website hasn’t communicated this yet. We have much to learn from FSC and their success with establishing and promoting the foresting standard.
It was decided to create a Publicity Committee to address immediate and future press releases and newsletter composition, and to develop the plan for our web updates/redevelopment. This committee currently consists of the following but more are always welcome to participate.
Jane Bennett
Jim Owens
Alex Bachrach
Jonathan Zanger
Rob Broekhuizen
Sustainability Initiative
Stephanie Vierra spoke about her latest efforts on raising awareness for stone and sustainability. She mentioned that she and Jack Geibig have partnered and will be speaking jointly at the Coverings event in March to address what makes stone sustainable, LEED and stone as a preferred material, and the process and progress of the stone standard.
Stephanie reported that the meeting in Verona was a positive step in gaining global support for the NSC work on the stone standard and offered an opportunity to explain the stone certification process and get feedback from several key countries. Iran was the only country noticeably absent from the meeting. She further felt like we were poised to go after funding from certain countries.
John Mattke added that NSC/domestic industry must stay connected globally. It is now best to approach certain individuals representing these global communities to gain results. John and Alex offered to share contacts and Alex mentioned he was headed to Brazil in the next few weeks and could make contacts then.
Marmomacc is interested in joining the NSC effort on the standard. During StonExpo Stephanie is aiding Marmomacc through weeklong meetings talking to quarries, fabricators and designers, but she is most geared to address architects. She is pushing them to the NSC website, and promoting American LEED projects for review. She also spoke at the MIA executive meeting where she was asked what more can the industry do? What is coming down the pike? We need to be aware of the latest International Green Construction Code and how stone can play a role.
Stephanie helped create a CES program for Verona that she can repackage for the US audience usable by interior designers, architects and the industry. It is more of a “Train the Trainer” approach. And has created slides for the MIA that focus on the sustainability of stone, all of which can be shared with the NSC.
MIA also is showing increased commitment to sustainable design and seeing momentum with their addition of sustainability criteria in their Pinnacle awards. They are seeking out jurors with sustainability knowledge to add credibility to the awards.
Another of her focus is on how quarries can reduce waste in extraction of stone – promote that to show positive efforts in quarrying.
Stephanie strongly advocates the NSC use our website to focus on sustainability. Share news. Give updates from related industry efforts (USGBC, federal mandates, etc). Include case studies on LEED projects. Share criteria about projects.
The existing LEED 2.0 program sold stone short. We need to stress the durability, life cycle, high performance tracking and monetary performance of natural stone.
Dennis Buechel asked for the NSC to establish goals for the standard development process that can be reported to and become a measure for our efforts. Without this we aren’t serving the membership of the NSC affiliates. This will aid in efforts to better explain and gain more support.
A request was made for a copy of Stephanie’s power point presentation and will be distributed to the board.
ANSI Stone Standard update.
Jack Geibig of Ecoform began by asking how we can generate more industry involvement in the standard process. We answered that our website will become our communication tool to the industry and the “end user”. He knows that our memberships want to know more about the standard. How will it affect me? Will it make things harder for me? We want to allow members to be part of the process.
Jack gave a brief recap of his company, NSF and their experience with creating standards. He stressed the great participation in the first face-to-face meeting of the stakeholders, which was held in December at NSF headquarters in Ann Arbor, MI. This information including minutes was previously emailed to the NSC Board.
Work done so far includes determining topics for criteria consideration and establishing some common terms for quarrying and transportation to insure no miscommunications. These are included in Jack’s summary of the Ann Arbor meeting published in the latest NSC newsletter.
Of greatest priority were these scoping decisions made in Ann Arbor that will be further debated in the Thursday morning ANSI meeting 1/27/11:
- The Stone Standard will be global in nature.
- Criteria will meet market demand of North America, not international market.
- Lumber standards can give us the best guidelines as we create our standard. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is good example.
- Our standard will not include aggregates - for now. It may turn out that our standard could easily be used to certify the aggregate industry, but we won’t include it in our research now.
- The Standard will certify the stone itself, not the finished product and at the quarry (point of origin) or importer/distributor level.
- Chain of Custody: What happens to the stone from quarry to end use will have an impact in the standard process. This may be become part of a points system for quarries or other certifying entities to earn certification points, without qualifying to all the standard criteria. This may be how some international quarries participate.
Observation shared - If the scope of the criteria turns out to involve just large scale dimensional stone producers, it is very probable that a check off type funding mechanism could be put into place to fund the process. This would not involve the entire stone industry.