Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of commerce and CVB
Board of Directors
July 26, 2023
The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau Board of Directors met Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Chairperson Cynthia Carson called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Steve Critchfield provided the opening prayer.
Branson/Hollister Library Subdistrict Property Tax – LaDella Thomas, campaign chairperson, addressed the board about the initiative on the August ballot. Raeanne Presley spoke in favor of the initiative and asked the board to consider supporting it. (Vote taken under new business.)
Review of Minutes – Steve Scherer moved to approve the minutes of the June 28, 2023, meeting as presented. Steve Critchfield seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Financial Report – Treasurer Phil Cox reported the chamber and CVB financials have been separated, returning to the functionality and readability of past statements. Kudos to staff for all their hard work on this. Craig Wescott moved to approve the financial report as presented. Brad Thomas seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Ex-Officio Reports – Tourism Community Enhancement District – Executive Director Kirk Elmquist reported they are working on the contract with the BLACC/CVB. A meeting was recently held to discuss the renewal of the tax. Elmquist is developing educational talking points. He attended Destinations International’s (DI) annual conference recently and was blown away by our team.
City of Hollister – Rick Ziegenfuss stated their annual audit brief will be shared early next month. Hollister saved a lot of money by paying off the land purchased from OTC three years early. Ziegenfuss reported on wastewater plant improvements and Highway 86 road improvements.
Membership Update – Janet Minor reviewed the report included in the meeting packet. We currently have 875 members. Wendy White moved to approve the drop list as presented. Craig Wescott seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Chairperson’s Report – Executive Committee – Lynne Yaggy was serving on the executive committee prior to her retirement. Chairperson Carson asked the board to approve Rob Griffith’s appointment to that vice chair seat. Pam Yancey moved to approve appointing Rob Griffith to serve as a vice chair on the Executive Committee. Wendy White seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Search Committee – Pam Yancey asked to step off the committee due to other responsibilities. Chairperson Carson would like to appoint Phil Cox to serve on the Search Committee. Wendy White moved to approve adding Phil Cox to the Search Committee. Steve Critchfield seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
The president/CEO position has been posted for about a week. In that time, 68 applicants have shown interest in the position. Additional advertising is coming soon. The committee meets regularly and has developed a timeline. They hope to hold first-round interviews in September and have solid candidates to present in October.
Nominating Committee Appointment – Each year a nominating committee is appointed to review nominations and determine the slate for the board of directors’ election. Chairperson Carson asks for the approval to appoint the following to this year’s nominating committee: Cynthia Carson, Pam Yancey, Rob Johns, Meghan Connell, Tammy Panter, Nikki Kinney and Laurie Hayes. Wendy White moved to approve the nominating committee as presented. Joe Loth seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried. An MSA asking for nominations will go out in early August. The board election will be conducted online in October.
Cynthia thanked Evan Bradley, Tracey Field and Bay Mourer for attending the meeting and their willingness to serve on this board.
President/CEO’s Report – Jonas Arjes is on vacation. Chair Carson shared the following on his behalf. Jonas is grateful for the regular meetings with City Administrator Stepp. We are working on the TCED contract. Hope to have it executed in early August.
Grant Sloan provided a brief update on the recreational marijuana tax campaign, Back the Blue, Tax the Green.
New Business – Library Tax – Steve Critchfield made a motion that the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau support approval of the Branson/Hollister Subdistrict Library Property Tax on the August 8 ballot. Brad Thomas seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
This meeting of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB Board of Directors adjourned at 9:45 a.m.
Present: Evan Bradley, Cynthia Carson, Mike Combs, Bryan Cossiboom, Phil Cox, Steve Critchfield, Cassie Cunningham, Jon Davidson, Tracey Field, Robert Griffith, Katie Hodges, Joe Loth, Bay Mourer, Raj Patel, Mike Patrick, Steve Scherer, Scott Skoglund, Brad Thomas, Craig Wescott, Wendy White and Pam Yancey
Absent: Clay Cooper and Tom Healey
Ex-Officio Members Present: Kirk Elmquist, TCED and Rick Ziegenfuss, City of Hollister