February 2023 Board Meeting

Action Items

• Kerch will set up the code for electronic registration.
• Jim Lindner to organize the Facebook & Forum sub-committee.
• Barb Geschke will lead the sub-committee on Legacy Awards.
• Tom Calvert and Bill Bulpitt to chair sub-committee on TAC initiative, Dave Kellogg will be a member.
• Ron Stein and Joe McConlogue volunteered to create a list of shops currently interested in and capable of working on our vintage cars.
• Kerch will continue to manage the website content.
• Regional Reps to utilize BASH label wherever possible to promote the Club.
• Kerch to get trifolds printed.

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A Video Conference Meeting was called to order by President Jim Lindner at 1:07 pm.               

Slides presented at the meeting are here.

Approval of Minutes From Previous Meeting

The draft minutes from the last Board of Directors meeting on 30 July 2022 as posted on the Club website were approved.

Treasurer’s Report (Slides 4&5)

Rob Harter presented a 5-year summary of the Club finances, showing the year-end balance for 2022, due to the income for both SUNI from 2021 and United 39 from 2022.

Rob thanked the Board for the opportunity to be Treasurer over the past five years, and introduced the new Treasurer Steve Murphy.

Membership Report (Slides 6&7)

Joe McConlogue provided an update on Club membership data. The membership is basically the same at slightly more than 500 members. Over 60% of the members still prefer a printed copy of the Club newsletter which incurs a significant mailing cost. More than 2/3 of members pay their dues by credit card, with a significant shift towards using Stripe versus PayPal which provides a cost saving to the Club.

Rootes Review/Web Presence (Slides 8-12)

Kerch had previously suggested that we consider publishing the newsletter monthly but only printing it every other month. She presented a cost analysis showing the estimated yearly cost for this approach for a 16-page issue every month would be $10,800, versus $18,600 to publish and mail a similar sized issue every month – a significant cost savings. It was discussed later in the meeting as part of the discussions about the 3-year business plan.

Kerch presented some statistics about the Club’s Facebook presence. Although most members are within the US there is also significant participation and interest overseas in the UK and Australia. Kerch also presented some statistics about the Club’s website, and mentioned that she and Gary had started to work on some new ideas for the website format and for content.

Old Business

United 40 Update (Slides 15-17)

General – Jim Lindner provided an update on the planning for United 40 in Bowling Green, Kentucky 14-17 September 2023. Many details have already been finalized as outlined in the slides. Hotel reservations can now be made, and event registration should open in April. Two additional details were mentioned regarding the lapping session at NCM Motorsports Park on Thursday – there will be no requirement for tech inspection for a participant’s car and there will be no need for a helmet. The format will be a pace car leading a group of 3 participant’s cars, and the organizers indicate the pace will be quick enough for people to get a good feel for the track experience.

Pre-United Gathering – Joe Parlanti mentioned he was planning a small gathering in Lexington, Kentucky for the Tuesday and Wednesday before United to give people an additional opportunity to socialize and do some drives through the local countryside. There will be a separate registration process for this event – more details will follow.

Three Year Business Plan (Slides 18-31)

Full report of this committee is here

Tom Ehrhart provided an update on considerable activities to date undertaken by the 3-year business plan committee, and thanked the members of the committee for their efforts to date. Slide 20 identifies the ten members of the committee and their initial discussions over three video conference meetings. Slide 21 identifies the committee’s Mission, Objectives, and Process. An initial report of recommendations was provided by the committee outlining specific initiatives and details of the discussions held about them – this report can be found here. The remaining slides summarize these specific initiatives, recommendations to move each initiative forward, and actions to be taken to do so – complemented by the following notes.

Bylaws Amendments (Slide 24)

The committee recommends several specific amendments of the current Club by-laws to remove ‘Policy and Procedure’-type information – this type of information will be captured in a ‘Policies and Procedures Manual’ where changes can be more easily managed by the Board rather than requiring a bylaw amendment. A motion was made and unanimously approved to investigate the exact changes required to prepare for a vote by the membership to implement the bylaw changes.

Electronic Newsletter Subscribers (Slide 24)

The committee recommends offering a $5 discount for the membership fee for a new member’s first year if they have been solicited directly by a regional representative and if they choose the electronic newsletter subscription. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. Action – Regional reps to action as required. Kerch will set up the electronic registration as required.

Facebook and Club Forum (Slide 25)

The committee recommended a standing sub-committee of club members be created to maintain a club presence on Facebook. A motion was made to do so, and was amended to include having a moderator for the Club-managed forums on our web page; the motion was unanimously approved. Action – Jim Lindner to organize the Facebook & Forum sub-committee.

Technical Videos (Slide 25)

The committee recommended a series of videos be created to assist members in maintaining their cars. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. A preliminary list of topics is included in the recommendations report.

Legacy Awards (Slide 25)

The committee proposes a separate sub-committee to study and make recommendations regarding the Wally Swift and Keith Porter Awards. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. Action – Barb Geschke will lead this sub-committee.

TAC (Slide 25)

The committee recommended a series of videos be created to assist members in maintaining their cars. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. A preliminary list of topics is included in the recommendations report.

There are several issues with administering the program that need to be resolved, including:

• Scheduling – There are currently a limited number of TAC inspections being regularly scheduled.
• Senior Inspectors – Tom Calvert and Bill Bulpitt are the only two senior TAC inspectors east of the Mississippi. Their availability significantly affects the number of inspections that can be performed.
• Tiger owners in the are geographically dispersed up and down the coast, requiring inspectors to travel long distances at no small cost. Last year’s TAC event in New Hampshire was the first time car owners were charged a fee to cover the inspector’s expenses – this should be a model for the future.

Regalia Plan (Slide 25)

The committee proposes a regalia plan be created.  A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so.

501 Tax Status (Slide 25)

The committee proposes investigating qualifications required for the Club to have a 501(c)3 tax status. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so.

Club Name and Logo (Slide 25)

In support of embracing and welcoming all Rootes vehicle owners to the Club, the committee proposes investigating options to altering the Club’s name and logo. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so.

Expansion of Membership (Slide 26)

The committee also recommended expanding the membership of the Club throughout North America. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so.

Shop List Coordinator (Slide 28)

Ron Stein and Joe McConlogue volunteered to create a list of shops currently interested in and capable of working on our vintage cars.

Website Technical Content and Access

Kerch McConlogue volunteered to work on this.

BASH Concept (Slide 29)

The committee recommends that the concept of a Bring A Sunbeam Here (BASH) event evolve from being one event in a specific location to any regional event where a group of Rootes owners can be encouraged to bring their cars. It could even be part of a larger multi-marque event. A motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. Action – Regional Reps to utilize BASH label wherever possible to promote the Club.

Leadership Initiatives (Slide 30)

The committee recommends expanding the Board of Directors as required, and pursuing western membership. Holding future United events in the west or mid-west could be part of this initiative. This initiative will require further investigation to provide recommendations for consideration by the Board.

Bylaw Amendments

Any bylaw amendments required to implement any of the above initiatives should be researched and proposed to the Board at the earliest possible convenience.

Donation to Rootes Archive Centre

A motion was made and unanimously approved to donate $500 to the Rootes Archive Centre.

New Business

Locations For Future United’s

Robert Jaarsma suggested West Lebanon, New Hampshire as a potential location for United 41 in 2024 and has done some preliminary investigations into a site. He will continue his planning with the intent to provide an update at the next Board meeting. Tom Ehrhart wondered if we should try for a mid-west location in 2024; Joe McConlogue thought we do not have enough members in the mid-west to support a large event and that east coast members may not want to make the trip.

Other Business

Tiger 60^th Anniversary Commemoration – Ron Stein reminded everyone that 2024 would be the 60^th anniversary of the Sunbeam Tiger and so should be commemorated in some fashion.

Club Pamphlet – Barb Skirmants stated she would be attending car shows at Amelia Island and the Gilmour Car Museum and wondered if the Club had any promotional materials. Kerch stated we have a trifold pamphlet that could be printed – a motion was made and unanimously approved to do so. Action – Kerch to get pamphlets printed.

The meeting was adjourned at 3:07 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Gary Corbett
Secretary