MEETING MINUTES
Friday, March 27, 2009
Volume 16; Issue 12

Acknowledgements & Announcements
New! Visit MABE on LinkedIn

Dave Lathrop would like to thank Jim Bache for helping him with a business opportunity which will greatly increase his volume.  Jim went above and beyond. 

Roman Okonowski has offered to take on the role of "communicator" for the group.  He will stay in touch with members we haven't seen in a while and keep them in the loop.  "The important thing for all of us is to reach out to other members.  If we miss a familiar face, pick up the phone and just say hi and let them know we miss them and care about them.  This is especially important during times like this."

Dave Lathrop added additional information to his bio on the MABE website (6-pages of information!).  Members wishing to do the same should email Melissa Matthews their write up in Word doc or pdf format so she can link your bio to it.  Sandro Menasci mentioned a free program that can convert documents to pdf for you.  The link to this download is http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/CuteWriter-Download-12692.html.

Andy Jensen resigned from Smith Barney this morning.  He took a position with Raymond James Financial.  If you are a client of his, your accounts will transfer without fees.  He will be in contact with everybody regarding the transfer.  Andy can be reached at his office line at 480-377-2005 or on his cell phone at 602-770-6995.  His new office is at 60 E Rio Salado Parkway, Suite 710 in Tempe.  He is excited about the change.  It is better for his clients and him. 

Jana Greene has a topic that she would like to take on...How do you take care of yourself as a business person and an individual?  The group will discuss this topic at a future meeting.  But feel free to contact Jana beforehand if you would like to talk one-on-one.  

Sandro Menasci brought in a video to show the group.  It was from a recent ski tip to Sunrise. 

Board Meeting Recap
Membership - This topic frequently comes up.  If someone is currently a member and they recommend something.  I (Dave Lathrop) am compelled to trust that recommendation and don't get caught up in the details.  We don't need to grow

Budget - We reduced the dues and the at the same time are expenses are the same.   We also are looking into ideas to promote MABE that cost money.  We need to evaluate our budget to see how we can accommodate everything. 

Marketing - Erin La Grassa and Melissa Matthews have spent a great deal of time researching different opportunities.  One of them was LinkedIn.  An account was set up for MABE and an email sent to members inviting them to join. 

Brochures - There have been some questions about the costs of the brochure.  Is important to note that several parties were involved in the process (photographer, design-Lin, and production-Stu) and contributed to the expense.  Stuart Schindler added that with the new format and using digital technology we can now do smaller runs.  The expense in the long run is much lower.

Conflict Resolution - Dave Crissman added that it is important to address and resolve concerns immediately.  If something is important enough to complain about, take it to the member or board so you get all the facts so the situation or concern can be remedied.  We have a lot of members that provide a valuable service to the group and we don't want to lose that resource because of minor concerns that could have easily been resolved.

We would like members to consider bringing in their financial information for the group to evaluate and "consult" on.  It should make for an interesting, compelling, scary, fantastic meeting.  The combined knowledge in this group is really a treasure.   Hopefully the focus member will leave with a new way to approach their business or fix a problem area.  Especially in these changing economic times, redefining your approach to business may be a very important step to take.  Let MABE help.

Outside speakers may need an incentive to come in.  Obviously we would want to encourage them to become a member, but if they are not interested, do we want to pay them? 

The board has a lot of work to do.  We need people to participate on committees.

Dave's Cornerstones
Commitment - Everybody in this group has MABE in their life.  Has this been a good investment?  Members need to take responsibility for their investment.  What do you put into the group?  If you don't consider it a good investment, what can MABE do to change that?

Thank you to the members that offered their views on the question.   They all found value in MABE beyond the financial benefit.  The shared experiences, sound business advice and friendships are invaluable.  Members admit to not knowing everything even after being in business for so many years.  They can come and share and be honest about their situations and know that someone has been their and can offer helpful advice.  Participation is key!