USA Fencing BOARD OF DIRECTORS Teleconference Special Meeting Tuesday - November 27, 2012 MINUTES CALL TO ORDER Don Anthony, Jr., President of the Board, called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm EST. ATTENDANCE PRESENT (VOTING MEMBERS) Board of Directors Don Anthony, Jr. President of the Board Bradley Baker Volunteer Staff Director/Secretary Jerry Benson At-Large Director David Blake At-Large Director Sam Cheris Treasurer Kirsten Crouse Age Group Parent Director Wes Glon Elite Coach Director Cody Mattern Athlete Director Jeff Salmon Club Director Laurie Schiller At-Large Director Daria Schneider Athlete Director Soren Thompson Athlete Director Steve Trevor Independent Director ABSENT (VOTING MEMBERS) David Arias At-Large Director Terry Kwan Independent Director PRESENT (GUESTS) Guests Donald Alperstein, Nancy Anderson, Val Belmonte, Dan Berke, Mary Griffith, Melissa Jones, Andrew Lambdin- Abraham, Mary Mahon, Tim Morehouse, Kalle Weeks APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Motion by Mr. Cheris to approve the minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting from September 30, 2012 with one correction: David Herr is to be added to the Absent Voting Members; seconded by Mr. Benson. Minutes passed. CHAIRMAN REPORT: A written report from Mr. Anthony is included as Appendix A. CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT: A written report from Mr. Belmonte is included as Appendix B.
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USA Fencing BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Teleconference Special Meeting
Tuesday - November 27, 2012 MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER Don Anthony, Jr., President of the Board, called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm EST.
ATTENDANCE PRESENT (VOTING MEMBERS) Board of Directors Don Anthony, Jr. President of the Board Bradley Baker Volunteer Staff Director/Secretary Jerry Benson At-Large Director David Blake At-Large Director Sam Cheris Treasurer Kirsten Crouse Age Group Parent Director Wes Glon Elite Coach Director Cody Mattern Athlete Director Jeff Salmon Club Director Laurie Schiller At-Large Director Daria Schneider Athlete Director Soren Thompson Athlete Director Steve Trevor Independent Director ABSENT (VOTING MEMBERS) David Arias At-Large Director Terry Kwan Independent Director PRESENT (GUESTS) Guests Donald Alperstein, Nancy Anderson, Val Belmonte, Dan Berke, Mary Griffith, Melissa Jones, Andrew Lambdin-Abraham, Mary Mahon, Tim Morehouse, Kalle Weeks
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Motion by Mr. Cheris to approve the minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting from September 30, 2012 with one correction: David Herr is to be added to the Absent Voting Members; seconded by Mr. Benson. Minutes passed.
CHAIRMAN REPORT:
A written report from Mr. Anthony is included as Appendix A.
CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT:
A written report from Mr. Belmonte is included as Appendix B.
2012 USA FENCING MEETING Board of Directors Meeting MinutesPage 2 of 5
FINANCE AND BUDGET REPORT - Sam Cheris
Sam Cheris submitted a written report. Finance reports can be found in Appendix C. Motion made by Ms. Schneider to receive the financial report; seconded by Mr. Schiller. Motion passed. Sam Cheris presented a revised budget. The revised budget can be found in Appendix D. Motion made by Mr. Benson to accept the revised budget; seconded by Mr. Schiller; Motion passed.
STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE
Mr. Anthony provided a brief update concerning the strategic plan. The operational plan will be added and the plan will be presented at the next board meeting.
FIE UPDATE
Mr. Anthony provided an update about the FIE Congress, which will be held in Moscow December 7-9, 2012.
WEBSITE REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE
Mr. Belmonte presented information on the website redevelopment that is taking place. The new site is scheduled to go live by December 21, 2012.
NATIONAL OFFICE REORGANIZATION
Mr. Belmonte provided an overview of how the national office is being reorganized. The departments will be Executive Office, Member Services and Membership Development, Finance and Business Services, Sports Performance and Development, and Marketing and Communications. Phase two will be determining who will be in each department and what their role will be.
NGB BANNED LIST Mr. Belmonte provided a report on how other NGB's handle banned members of their organization. The report can be found in Appendix E.
EQUIPMENT/UNIFORM INSURANCE POLICY PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
Mr. Cheris provided an update to the equipment and uniform requirements for the USA Fencing insurance policy. Motion by Mr. Cheris on behalf of the Fencing Officials Commission to adopt the FIE standard for lessons, seconded by Mr. Benson. Motion passed.
2012 USA FENCING MEETING Board of Directors Meeting MinutesPage 3 of 5
A motion by Mr. Cheris (on behalf of the Fencing Officials Commission) and seconded by Mr. Benson to adopt the following rule change was tabled at the Board meeting on September 30, 2012:
t.15.2 (the current t.15.2 becoming t.15.3) It is obligatory for any fencer who warms up or trains with another fencer on site at an official USA Fencing competition (including in the training halls linked to the competition) to wear fencing clothing and equipment which conforms with the USA Fencing regulations. Any person giving a lesson must wear at least a fencing master's plastron, as well as a fencing glove and a mask conforming to the regulations.
Any fencer taking a lesson must wear at least a mask and a glove.
The motion was taken from the table and passed.
EQUIPMENT SAFETY CERTIFICATION POLICY AND INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
This discussion was tabled in September until the February 2013 meeting.
REFUND POLICY
Mr. Belmonte presented about the event refund policy. Discussion concerning no longer providing refunds took place. Mr. Belmonte will work with staff to refine a new policy and get feedback from membership on the policy.
711 N. TEJON BUILDING UPDATE Mr. Alperstein provided an update as to whether there are any penalties if the building is sold. There are no penalties, as long as the organization maintains their headquarters in El Paso county Colorado. Mr. Belmonte noted that the brokers contract had expired and was working on an RFP for new brokers.
DIVISION BEST PRACTICES
Mr. Benson noted that there are some procedural items that can be handled by the national office. Mr. Belmonte will forward the task force report to the board.
OLD BUSINESS FUNDRAISING Mr. Cheris noted that it is imperative that all members of the Board of Directors donate to USA Fencing. This shows members and potential sponsors that the board supports the organization.
2012 USA FENCING MEETING Board of Directors Meeting MinutesPage 4 of 5
BYLAWS Proposed Bylaws revisions #6 and #7 were left on the table. COMMITTEE NOTE Mr. Alperstein noted that the resignation of Ms. Kwan leaves the board liaison position on the Nominating Committee vacant. Kirsten Crouse was appointed as the board liaison to the Nominating Committee.
The meeting was moved to Executive Session at 9:14 pm EST. The Board resolved to accept the report and recommendation of the Athlete Protection Officer to approve the professional membership of a coach who appealed a “red light” finding in the background check. The Membership Department and the subject coach will be advised accordingly.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 EST.
MEMBERSHIP LETTER #2 To: All USA Fencing members I want to thank all of our members for their support and assistance in increasing membership, participation numbers, and passion for our sport. My goal is to continue to keep all USA Fencing members informed of our challenges and successes at every level, from recreational beginner to elite athlete, in this quadrennial leading up to Rio 2016. We can meet the challenges we face if we work together, understanding our current situation, to attend to the needs of all the constituencies of USA Fencing.
1. Paralympics London 2012 At the Paralympic Games in London our athletes had to overcome significant financial and logistical challenges which impeded our team’s performance, leading to results which were disappointing for our athletes. Hopefully, the next Games this will be different. We will work to provide significantly more consideration and support while being mindful of the financial limitations we currently face. 2. Veterans World Championships, Krems, Austria I had the honor and privilege to attend the Veterans World Championships as a competitor and representative of USA Fencing. The results of Team USA were stellar. This is a segment of our fencing population that represents a major potential growth area for our sport and we will look at ways to provide them with the appropriate level of support. A snapshot of our veterans’ results is below:
• Team USA: 62 athletes, 6 weapons, 3 age categories • Total medals count: #1 USA (15); #2 ITA (10); #3 GER (9) • USA Veterans World Champions: Ellen O’Leary WS +70 and William Milne MS 50-59
By continuing and improving on these results we will increase the number of members who will feel motivated to fence at a competitive level. 3. Summer Nationals in Columbus, OH The move to Columbus signifies a change in the relationship between USA Fencing and the host city. The press conference with the Mayor of Columbus, Michael Coleman, introducing the largest fencing event in the world, is a first step in conducting our business differently. We will work together with Ohio State University, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, local fencing clubs and local businesses to make this a fantastic Summer Nationals. Our primary goal is not only to produce a first class fencing experience for our members but also to interact with and offer the local community opportunities to be part of the event. We are pursuing sponsorship and cultural events with the local community to promote our sport. Columbus will know about fencing and fencing will know about Columbus. Other sports federations have shown how they depend upon and nurture mutual interests between major sport events and local communities, we will do the same. 4. Financial snapshot
Everything we can achieve in terms of competitive results, supporting our membership or the promotion of our sport is predicated on a sound financial condition starting with adequate cash and accounts receivable to meet our financial requirements.
(a) Cash flow Currently, we are in the cash flow positive portion of our business cycle; however, we will face significant difficulty early next calendar year. This is not unexpected. Please remember that the best way to help is to renew your membership and bring in new members. New membership income is net income with little additional cost and it helps promote fencing in your community. Our tournament revenues, while positive, require us to provide significant services at significant expense to our organization.
(b) Debt retirement We must climb out of a deep hole. Our first months have been spent to get a reading of what the actual depth of the hole is and how to tackle the most urgent situations. Cash in the bank plus current receivables (Aug 13, 2012): $197,451 Cash in the bank plus current receivables (Oct 31, 2012): $484,381 Outstanding accounts payable (Aug 13, 2012): $875.050 Outstanding accounts payable (Oct 31, 2012): $430,605
In conclusion, the success of our Junior and Cadet teams internationally is almost unprecedented and we look forward to a successful Senior World Cup season as well. I would like to thank all of the Athletes, Coaches, Referees, Volunteers, Families, Club Owners, National Office Staff, and Board Members who without your help overcoming our current and past challenges would be impossible.
I wish you a wonderful Holidays, and success on and off the strip.
Respectfully, DKA
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USA Fencing Board of Directors Conference Call
Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director Report November 27, 2012
INTRODUCTION The first couple of months have been extremely busy but energizing in my transition phase: attended my first NAC in St. Louis; made two tournament site visits to Chicago and Milwaukee; attended a best practices seminar hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee; attended business meeting with sports industry leaders regarding sponsor acquisition and activation; attended our press conference in Columbus, Ohio; completed the budget revision initiative; established a restructuring of the national office; and finishing phase two of the strategic and operation plans.
REPORT Executive Department The strategic and operation plans were updated and presented to the Board which included:
1. Editing the strategic plan’s: mission, vision, core values, priorities and goals 2. Developing an organization plan to include:
• National office department restructuring • Principles of operation for the national office • Nation office department functions • National office department strategies • Operation master objectives and initiatives plan for FY12-13
Recently, USA Fencing and NYU Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Division entered into a partnership agreement for the quad which will provide our elite level athletes training and living in New York City with medical support and services. These support services would include: facilitation of medical care; medical consultations; discounted fees for arthroscopic and surgical procedures; use of rehabilitation services; access to the strength and conditioning facility; coordination of sport sciences integration for training purposes; availability of fitness base line testing; and coordinated support services between the U. S. Olympic Committee athlete support services and NYU Sports Medicine Division. Turning our attention to operational efficiency in the national office, we restructured the national office departments and realigned our staff to better position the organization for a professional and well-organized operations, and future opportunities. This restructuring is designed to help us leverage efficiency, improve strategic use of personnel, improve member services, grow the sport, assist in generating new sources of revenue and put into practice an improved business model. The following is an outline of the departments: Executive Office; Department of Finance and Business Services; Department of Member Services and Membership Development; Department of Sports Performance and Development; and the Department of Marketing, Communication and Events.
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Department of Finance and Business Services In our ongoing efforts to facilitate the administration, processing and management of all USA Fencing budgets and finances, the national office has adopted policies and procedures for travel approval, purchase requisition and credit card usage. In addition, the department has also been working on:
• Budget revisions for FY12-13 • Transitioning day to day banking operations from Chase Bank to Great Western Bank • Reducing accounts payable while maintaining a cash reserve. The accounts payable total
was $1,005,093.41 on July 31, 2012. As of November 15, 2012 the payables total $374,430.13.
• Stockman, Kast and Ryan auditors have been in the office to work on the audit. • Updates are being made to the Financial Policies and Procedures manual. The updates are
necessary to keep in compliance with USOC requirements. Department of Member Services and Membership Development The Department of Member Services and Membership Development have been very busy from October 1- November 15, 2012:
• Email blasts sent to expired individual members in early October to assist with membership retention.
• Implemented procedure for club owners to upload non-competitive members electronically, improving efficiency for clubs and National Office.
• Conducted Professional (Pending) members to ensure screening requirement is met, increasing number of complete screens from 75% to 90% of professional members.
• Improved communication with divisions through quarterly email update. • Offered opportunity for club owners to share successful marketing strategies
with others, giving USA Fencing t-shirts for club promotional use to those who responded.
• Quarterly club newsletter was distributed with marketing suggestions and other updates from National Office.
• Completed discussion with insurance company to identify potential gaps in coverage, with plan put in place to reduce risk and liability for organization.
Department of Sports Performance and Development The department has been working on a variety of initiatives and projects: completed and published the 2012-2013 Athlete Handbook; working with the Points Task Force in reviewing point structure and strength factor calculations; assisting the Youth Development Committee on providing data for potential proposals; coordinating a patches program for the Youth NAC Gold, Silver, Bronze winners; acted as the department liaison between USA Fencing and the FIE for the 2012 Congress submitting candidature, delegation forms, including making hotel, flight and transportation arrangements; automated ROC Regional Points system; assisting the Wheelchair Squad Manager, on a proposal for a camp during the December NAC; and assisting the Squad Managers on the implementation of new policies to monitor expenditures.
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Department of Marketing, Communications and Events The tournament season is upon us and the department is working hard with the normal preparation process including reviewing, assessing and developing different component such as:
• Collaborating on safety testing and certification for fencing gear and equipment • Researching policies for athlete welfare • Created USA Fencing Tournament demographics and venue requirements summary • Reviewing refunding history • Drafting 2013-2014 tournament deadlines • Drafting Manual on Tournament Operations • Continued support of RYC, SYC, ROC, Division JO qualifiers, International events,
October NAC, November NAC and December NAC • Instituted tournament officials credentialing procedure • Continued projected management and prioritization of Rail Station development
Communications have successfully been working on several projects:
• The post-Olympic issue of American Fencing magazine has been published and is in-house for all members as well as available on-line. The winter issue is being finalized currently and will be in boxes in time for the new year.
• Interviews were conducted with potential candidates to be the new hosts of the USA Fencing Web site. The top candidate, TST Media, was selected to redesign the current Web site and plans are underway for a late December launch.
• A press conference and fencing demonstration were held in Columbus to announce the city’s hosting of the 2013 USA Fencing National Championships.
• Articles and photos have been posted on the Web site and in social media regarding the accomplishments of our athletes at the first two NACs of the season as well as nearly a dozen international events, including the cadet and junior cup tournaments as well as the Veteran World Championships.
• Promotional video was shot at the last two domestic tournaments of several of our top athletes as well as board president and chairman Don Anthony Jr.
Respectfully submitted, Val Belmonte, Chief Executive Officer, USA Fencing