Executive Committee Teleconference

Draft Minutes SSA Executive Committee Teleconference
August 30rd, 2012, 7:00 p.m. EDT
712-451-6000, pin 490031#

Called to order 1901 EDT
Attending: Chair Al Tyler, 1st Vice Chair David Pixton, Vice Chair Ken Sorenson, Vice Chair Frank Whiteley, SSF Chair Richard Carlson, Chief Adminitrative Officer Denise Layton, M-ASA member Glenn Collins.
Vice Chair Dianne Black-Nixon joined 1923 EDT during review of Open Action Items.
Agenda item 9 covered first to accommodate Glenn Collins participation.
Agenda item 1 - WGC PR follow up (McKittrick)

Not requested. Possible follow-up next meeting.

Agenda item 2 - Open action item review (Whiteley/Layton)
Agenda item 3 - Approval of July 5th, 2012 EXCOM minutes. (Whiteley)

Director Sorenson moved, Director Pixton seconded with typographical corrections. Carried.

Agenda item 4 - Status of draft Winter 2012 BOD meeting minutes (Whiteley)

Still being edited, will be available for next EXCOM, so they can be on the consent agenda.

Agenda item 5 - Treasurer’s report (Pixton)

Sent June statements, expect send July statements tomorrow and will update.
Big change for June, suggested how to handle excess sanction fees. They are set up on the Balance Sheet. The audit partner says the liability is between SSA and SSA, it’s not a liability of the SSA and a third party. Happy to do it for display purposes, but rather than do a bunch of back office accounting work, SSA will continue to show this off the balance sheet. What this does mean that any expenses we incur will show up on the P/L, so we’ll have to do a budget projection for 2013. This will show in 2012 as $9K change coming off the balance sheet. The effect will bring us to break even on a forecast basis. Chair Tyler commented that it seems to be a common sense approach. Director Sorenson wanted to be sure a number was visible. Director Sorenson said 2012 will be calculated at the end of the contest season. Need to be aware that it’s a substantial portion of office on-hand cash. The expense line item will be ongoing and we’ll develop something to show what’s available. Director Sorenson would like a transparent to be understood by the membership and the contest guys. Director Pixton said it would net to $0, thus it wouldn’t appear. Will work with Accounting Manager Pope to develop a set of notes on a quarterly basis to describe such things.
No membership numbers for July, still an increase for June. CAO Layton affirmed cash-on-hand okay.
2013 Budget

Written justification for the $75K for marketing. Growth and Development Committee report and subsequent breakout of costs.

Written justification for and an estimate to rewrite the SSA/SSF web site, $20K. Web site enhancements, design, and SPOT initiative. Director Whiteley discussed his conversation his recent conversation with Doug Easton about the design. Who’s looked at craigslist? What makes it popular is the content. Chair Tyler mentioned he’s not after a re-design and wouldn’t want to do anything without Doug Easton oversight. Director Pixton mentioned wanting better integration with SSF to find topics when looking for them. That’s why a number $20K was thrown out, maybe $10K from SSA and $10K from SSF. Chair Carlson said that’s mentioned, but doesn’t want full integration. Director Sorenson discussed keeping the web site fresh, alluding to the job that SoaringCafe is doing. Director Whiteley asked why should we compete and suggested that’s a different target market. Director Sorenson said we want people going to the SSA web site. Director Pixton said that’s where soaring pilot go, to SoaringCafe. Director Black-Nixon said she hadn’t seen anything new since returning from Uvalde. Director Whiteley suggested they probably had to return to work. The SSA web site can be a lot more vibrant. In some ways it a member education problem. SoaringCafe is a different audience and the daily digest is a push. The USENET group rec.aviation.soaring has been around since the early 1990’s and is also a push to subscribers. Pilots have been discussing soaring there for years and years. I was one that watched the WGC from a distance. It did take finding several resources to get the full picture. The hiccups on the official web site were also noticed, but these things happen. One things about technical problems and projects, such things were prone to failure about 65 percent of the time, usually due to lack of planning. We need to complete a storyboard and get it done. Director Pixton agreed and providing some money for some sort of web enhancements is the $20K line item.

Proposal for outsourcing merchandise

Director Banks working on proposal.

By-law change for CAP membership.

Director Pixton went to observe the signing of the MOA amendment and an action item for the amendment. Director Whiteley thought that exclusive arrangement restrictive and that to open it up to all youth would give someone like Director Molidor a tool to use at KidsVenture to sign up youth and promote soaring and the SSA. I did sent a copy of the AMA Newsletter comment about their free youth membership with 23,000 youth now signed up. Those members don’t get the magazine but an electronic newsletter. In discussion with Bill Daniels, I know he thought some of the $75K budget would be used to send Soaring magazine to the CAP Cadet members. I don’t think that’s an appropriate use of the marketing money. Director Pixton asked if Director Whiteley would take a whack at developing a proposal, to include the financial impact. Chair Tyler would ask that we craft the proposal for the board meeting to gain approval for amending the by-laws. Director Whiteley for action and suggested that we modify our current youth membership into two ranges. If that’s rejected, then we adopt the CAP membership.

Director Pixton 2011 discussed the audit report review, approval and signing of the Representation letter. Sent out to Chair Tyler and SSAF Chair Smith for review.

Agenda item 6 - Chief Administrative Officer's report (Layton)

CAO Layton reported Johnson Miller in office day before yesterday doing final journal entries. All of WGC expenses for July done. Given to Accounting Manager Pope to get the July financials done. Received a stack of bills from Linda Murray that were found in a folder. Chair Tyler asked if those other than what Director Sorenson and he had seen. CAO Layton said yes, nothing substantial, all small. Director Pixton requested to book them in August and close July.
Director Sorenson asked how WGC finances will work out? CAO Layton WGC numbers are not available yet and will discuss next week. SSA merchandise sales are separate from the WGC financials and sales were good. We still have funds at Harris Bank, $2000 remaining and still expecting two wire transfers into that account. Once taken care of, Linda Murray will write a check to close that account. Director Pixton asked if wire transfer received? CAO Layton said checked Monday and one transfer received. Account is checked daily. Director Pixton asked CAO Layton to follow-up with Linda Murray.

Agenda item 7 - Eagle Fund Theme for 2013 (Layton)

Proposed article by CAO Layton received approval as covered in action items.

Agenda item 8 – Proposal for outsourcing merchandise (Pixton)

Director Banks and Rennie Rozzoni working on the formal presentation.
Director Pixton will follow-up with Director Banks and will review so it will be done in advance of the October meeting.

Agenda item 9 – Safety (Pixton)

Update on discussions between SSF Chair Carlson and Glenn Collins (Carlson)
Charter of new Safety Committee. (Pixton)

Director Pixton asked if all were able to open the presentation and invited Glenn to be present to answer any questions directly.

Director Sorenson asked how with this work with SSF? How do we package this so it all works? Glenn Collins commented that anything identified would be presented to the SSF and would work with the SFF to give recommendations or tweak this. View that the team is a “listening post”; looking at new and old ideas and addressing new ways; making recommendations, but not to implement anything on their own. SSF Chair Carlson added that he’d talked with Glenn about this and agrees that finding out how we can get our message across is an essential component getting an effective program. Thus he thinks we are on the same message, but will also have to see how this works as we go along. Director Pixton commented that from his perspective it represents a change in the way we look at ourselves; SSA through the SSF pushing to clubs and chapters and working its way through the instructor cadre as they are doing now. He suggested that the missing link is SSA to clubs/chapters with a safety culture orientation.
Chair Tyler asked about the charter. Director Pixton is happy with the charter as Glenn proposed. While Glenn would like this group to remain off book, Director Pixton suggested that it be named the Safety Advisory Committee. Communicating through the SSA e-News, and the magazine. SSF Chair Carlson said that the SSF is already outreaching to SSA groupings through trustees, to include clubs and chapters (Whiteley), business members (Compton), competition (Ridenour and Cochrane), and the auxiliary-powered, power sailplane groups. Glenn added that the desire was to remain low key while collecting information and data and then to feed out recommendations through the SSF and SSA and not to muddy the waters with another group and getting out of synch. We don’t want interfere with SSF ability to collect information. We don’t want to compete, but rather want to quietly collect some data and formulate some options and recommendations and then the SSA can choose which to move on, and it may not be each one.
Chair Tyler asked if any other comments. Director Sorenson said what might be a focal point is the fatal accidents and see if there are some things we could develop if not already developed. SSF Chair Carlson needs to update what was done last year. We are starting to get more information from data loggers. Director Pixton observed that digging out from 300 feet is included in the cruise statistics. Conversation on launch and landing statistics. Chair Tyler commented on John Cochrane’s analysis of the accident at Uvalde last year and the way it was presented was peer relevant. Director Sorenson suggested one of the goals might be a template, perhaps for clubs, maybe a “don’t do” list, that might have an effect on reducing accidents. Glenn Collins offered that given a don’t, add the alternative as a positive. Director Sorenson agreed, but need to emphasize the half dozen killer scenarios. Chair Carlson approached Editor Coyne about a series where a pilot made a good decision, rather than an escape. We need about a year’s worth in the can, like the good decision made by Director Sorenson at Uvalde. Director Pixton offered a potential article.
Director Pixton moved to approve the charter and action items in the presentation for this Safety Advisory Committee. Director Whiteley seconded. Carried.

Glenn Collins exited meeting at 1920 EDT.

Agenda item 10 – Contest waiver and assumption of liability update (Layton)

Chair Tyler asked if CAO Layton had followed up with Paul Searles partner. CAO Layton e-mailed Paul Searles and he responded that he was checking on it and would follow-up. Nothing received. Chair Tyler said we’d probably end up with the waiver used at the WGC, but would want to make sure there was no change before going final.

Agenda item 11 – SSA web site (Tyler, Whiteley)

Suggested enhancements, spot tracking, weather, task planning, safety videos.
Web enhancement task force or Digital Media Working Group
Director Whiteley will start working this through the DMWG and commented that the only issue is that Pedja’s spot tracking is not compatible with Internet Explorer, so that needs to be clarified. Director Black-Nixon asked about the DMWG members. Director Whiteley advised it’s open to volunteers, thus far himself, will add Lane Bush. Bruno Vassel. Chair Tyler would like basics fixed before going forward and to get Doug Easton compliance on changes. Director Whiteley advised that Doug Easton said that the front side is based on 1990’s technology and he would be looking for improvement. The server side is remains critical.

Agenda item 12 - Other Business

Director Sorenson asked when board reports due. CAO Layton said between September 10-15 would be good.

Next EXCOM teleconference, September 27th, 1900 EDT
Motion to Adjourn, Director Black-Nixon moved to adjourn, Director Sorenson seconded. Adjourned 2011 EDT