Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau
November 16, 2022
Board of Directors Meeting
The Board of Directors of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB met Wednesday, November 16, 2022. Chairman Joe Loth called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Mike Patrick provided the opening prayer.
Review of Minutes – Cynthia Carson made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 26, 2022, as presented. Pam Yancey seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Financial Report – Treasurer Pam Yancey reviewed the current financial report for the organization. Phil Cox made a motion to approve the financials as presented. Wendy White seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
2023 Budget Presentation – Treasurer Yancey reported the budget has been reviewed by the Finance Oversight Committee (FOC) and the Executive Committee. She noted staff made a couple of changes based on feedback from FOC. President/CEO Jason Outman provided a brief overview of the proposed budget. There was brief discussion about the increased tax numbers we’re seeing this fall. Steve Critchfield moved to approve the 2023 budget as presented. Steve Scherer seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
Ex-Officio Reports – City of Branson – Alex Girard, Assistant to the City Administrator, introduced himself and provided a bit on his background. Administrator Stepp was unable to attend this meeting. Alex reported the city is working to break down barriers and red tape for developers, etc. They are still looking to fill the chief legal and finance director positions.
Tourism Community Enhancement District – Chair Derek Smith reported he is waiting on numbers. Not much to share this time.
City of Hollister – City Administrator Rick Ziegenfuss reported on their sales tax and use tax numbers. The Yacht Club is still in the resident relocation phase. Renters are 100% relocated. The target is to relocate the remaining mobile homes by the end of this year.
Trails Update – Director of Sports Sales Terra Alphonso and Ty Lewis provided an overview of how the Trails Task Force came to be. Ty co-chairs the task force. He talked about the community benefits of having trails. They discussed the Roark Valley Heritage Trail, which will be 7.9 miles when complete. The task force plans to take a small group to Northwest Arkansas to learn more about their trails system, and they’re in discussion of holding a trails summit in 2023.
Membership Update – Janet Minor reviewed the report included in the packet. Membership stands at 879. Steve Scherer moved to approve the membership report, including the member drop list as presented. Phil Cox seconded the motion. All approved. Motion carried.
President/CEO Report – Jason Outman thanked the membership team, as it is great to see the number of members approaching 900.
Black Tie tickets are currently available online.
The first Annual Ozark Mountain Shootout was held last week. A lot of industry partners, from across the country, made up 16 teams. Each team played nine holes at Top of the Rock and had two hours of shooting clays, along with lunch and dinner.
Christmas for Kids – This supports essential items for underprivileged children in the community. There is a collection box in our lobby, and you can donate online, too.
The Branson Convention Center will begin collecting items for “Warm the Ozarks” right after Thanksgiving. Sam Voisin will email a flier to board members.
The Christmas Campaign started in late October. The digital campaign is nationwide. Traditional TV is regional. Per the City of Branson’s request, Ozark Mountain Christmas dates have been added to the campaign.
Recent organization recognition includes:
- Adrian Award for best website (over 600 entries), recognizes excellence in travel marketing
- Northstar Meetings Group’s 2022 Stella Awards – Gold for Best Midwest CVB/DMO
- ConventionSouth 2022 Readers’ Choice Award
- Meetings Today 2022 Best of MidAmerica CVBs/DMOs
Last but certainly not least, we are very excited to be presented with the Chamber of the Year award by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Springfield tomorrow.
Meeting adjourned at 9:35 a.m.
Present: Randy Brashers, Cynthia Carson, Mike Combs, Bryan Cossiboom, Phil Cox, Steve Critchfield, Cassie Cunningham, Jon Davidson, Robert Griffith, Tom Healey, Joe Loth, Raj Patel, Mike Patrick, Steve Scherer, Sam Voisin, Wendy White, Lynne Yaggy and Pam Yancey
Absent: Scott Bailes, Clay Cooper, Tammy Johnson, Mary Kellogg and Craig Wescott