January 2024 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

Phil Peterson – President

• Significant interest and response to 2VP and Secretary call for candidates.  Interview teams established and Zoom calls to start next week

Membership System – Nancy Kennedy-Hackney

• Table sales count up significantly this week, email blast underway

Office Manager – Marie Van Schoonhoven

• Membership list sent out to printer for next mailing – 5082 issues, 212 expiration reminders
• Member/Chapter Affiliation project underway

Website – Eric Aitala

• Currently working on assembling the web team - we have a number of folks who are interested in helping out in a number of ways. For the moment we are working on setting up roles and strategy going forward. I have set up an IPMS Slack space to assist in organizing things.

Executive Board Meeting

President - Phil Peterson

• Vote on recommended DSM nominee Eugenie Taylor Ray – unanimously approved. DLC to notify all candidates of the outcome, and offer Forum Moderator positions to the other two candidates
• Per Dick Engar: Phil Perry has indicated willingness and ability to take the Chief Judge position with assistance from Dick E.
• Reviewed proposed candidates for Category Head Judges.  Discussion around prior recommendation to open nominations up to the general membership (for qualified candidates).  Suggestion was motioned and approved.  Dick E. to get process started with assistance from Mike O.

1st VP – John Noack

• Facebook posting of several recent reviews has resulted in several new Reviewers joining the Corps, and two new review posting personnel
• Backlog of late reviews significantly reduced
• Several new suppliers have agreed to provide review product
• Revised and deployed Master Review Template

2nd VP – Open

Treasurer – Mike Oberholtzer

• My preliminary year-end financial reports show that we had net revenues for 2023 of $3,650, essentially breaking even. Revenues and expenses were significantly higher in 2023 vs. 2022. Most of this can be attributed to the San Marcos convention, which was the most expensive convention on record by a margin of $30,000. Net convention revenues were third highest at $44,500. 
• We have not yet paid out the host chapter share of the 2023 convention because the required after action report has not yet been submitted. I have asked Rob Booth to work with the San Marcos team to complete the report. Our net income for the year would have been a loss of $18,000 had the report been completed on time and the funds paid to the host chapters. Still close to breakeven in either case.  We will have to keep in mind that if and when we pay out the 2023 convention, we will be starting the year with a $18,000 expense we had not anticipated for 2024.
• In the next month or so I will be asking each of you to review the 990 and 990T federal income tax returns, provide some information to be used in those returns, and complete the Conflict-of-Interest forms required to be on file by the IRS. I would appreciate your help getting these items turned around quickly when the time comes. I will also be preparing the 2023 financial reports for publication in the Journal as early in the year as possible. I should have those ready for the next issue of the Journal.
• On the membership side, membership grew by 90 last year to 4,978 as of 12/31/23. 
• The 2024 convention is coming along well. We plan to start online registration in February, and they are making a push to get vendor table payments collected this month. They should soon have revenue to cover all of the prepaid expenses and we can return the $31,000 we advanced for the venue deposit back to the national account.
• Update provided on status of responses for 2nd VP and Secretary candidates

Director of Local Chapters – John Figueroa

• IPMS/USA Director of Social Media Search – After candidate interviews, Eugenie Ray Taylor has been selected as our new DSM.
• 2024 Rechartering: As of January 8, 2024, 178 of 217 Chapters (82%) rechartered.

Chapters visited by DLC:

• Mid-Michigan Model Makers, Saginaw, MI
• IPMS Kalamazoo, MI
• IPMS Willow Run Bomber Plant, Ypsilanti, MI
• IPMS Chattanooga, TN
• IPMS Livonia, MI
• IPMS West Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI

• Proposal for Madison Socials reviewed and addressed:
  • Meet with E-Board (Wednesday night)
  • Chapter leadership (Thursday night)
  • New members (Friday night)

Request for budget for chapter leadership social submitted and approved unanimously

• Upcoming 60th Anniversary of IPMS/USA – team (Ro, Eugenie, John N.) chartered to recommend and implement approach. Ro to initiate a logo design.

Secretary – John Noack (acting)

• Action Item list established and updated.  John N. to monitor for AI closures and send out weekly updates to Board and Staff.

Publications/Historian – Ro Annis

1. IUJ (IPMS/USA Journal) still behind schedule, the Nov/Dec issue is at the printers.
2. All the ad invoices are up to date, minus Alpha Precision Abrasives and Xuron, I am sorting out things with them.
3. I have spoken both with John Heck and Chris Bucholtz about the want ad for the new Production Artists and Editors to build the new teams to make the IUJ. These ads will be ready in a handful of days and go out to the membership as a mass email. Once responses are received, we will then begin the selection process to build up the teams.
4. I reviewed Chris Bucholtz's upcoming editorial.  Agreed that a review by the Pubs Director would continue for Editorial and President’s Message.
5. Created an IPMS Google Drive account and migrated almost everything over to it from my personal account. This will be the basis of the new IUJ teams to collaborate in order to build the magazine.
6. Updated the IUJ info on the IPMS website.
7. Proposed approach to a digital presence for the Journal submitted and approved. To consist of one article from an upcoming Journal, one “classic” Journal article to be posted regularly, starting with January issue.

Recruitment/Retention Secretary - David Knights

• DK will take over the 25- and 50-year anniversary pin recognition project.  Phil to mail pins to DK.

President – Phil Peterson

• Closing comments

The next meeting of the IPMS/USA Executive Board is scheduled for 18 Feb 24 at 6PM CST

Submitted by:

John Noack

IPMS/USA First Vice President/Acting Secretary