Good Afternoon Executive Association of Savannah,
I hope that you all are doing well. We last met on March 10th, and a lot has happened since then. Both our Spring and Annual Meetings had to be canceled, and your Board of Directors has meet twice by conference call and once at Barnes Restaurant. I look forward to us meeting again and hearing how everyone is getting along.
To my surprise, Kenny Lawton from the Savannah Golf Club called me last week to let me know that we will be allowed to resume our Tuesday morning breakfast meetings on June 16th. The EAS Board met just the week before on May 20th and had decided to look for a larger location to hold our Tuesday meetings until the SGC could host us again. Kenny also explained to me that the SGC has never asked for an increase in price. They have kept the price the same over all the years that we have met there. Having to pay current SGC banquet prices would have been a big hit to our budget. Kenny was very understanding of this situation and we were able to agree on an increase that both the Board and I thought was very fair. I really appreciate the manner in which Kenny handled this, and I want to express my thanks to him publicly at our June 16th meeting. There will be a few changes to how the meeting is conducted:
- Absences will not be counted. We cannot ask a member to attend if they are uncomfortable doing so.
- There will be no microphone or bowl passed when giving leads. We will have to speak up and listen closely. Leads will not be written down and collected, instead they will be emailed to Tim Cooper. We will not charge a dollar for not having a lead.
- Additional tables will be available and there will be no seating assignment. Members should sit where they feel the most comfortable.
- Food from the buffet will be served cafeteria style by SGC servers. It will not be self-serve. This change will increase the time that it takes to for us to get our food. Please plan to arrive a little earlier so that our meetings can begin and end on time.
At our May 20th meeting, the Board of Directors voted to not charge third quarter dues. Our reasoning was that we had not had a breakfast meeting since March 10th, both our Spring and Annual Meetings had been canceled, and we all assumed that we would not have another breakfast meeting for at least several more weeks. We wanted to be very fair with the membership and we agreed that we could forgo third quarter dues and still be fiscally responsible. A couple of things have changed since we made that decision. First, the Board did not know that the SGC would allow us to resume meeting so quickly. I had recently been in contact with Kenny and he had no idea when we would be allowed back. Secondly, we did not know that the SGC would require an increase in price. Considering the impact those changes will have on our budget, the Board voted this past Tuesday to bill the membership for one-half of third quarter dues. The Board still wanted to reduce dues, but ultimately did not believe that forgoing all of third quarter dues was a fiscally responsible decision. I apologize for any confusion created by this issue.
If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to discuss, please feel free to email me at inmanhodges@me.com or call me at (912)657-4452. I look forward to seeing many of
you on June 16th. Instead of bringing a lead, please come prepared to give a brief update on how your business has fared since we last met on March 10th and any changes that you have made to adjust to the new environment.
Thanks for your time,
Inman