Gateway NAMA Board

Gateway NAMA
2005-2006 Board of Directors

President:
Becky Rasmussen
Communications Specialist
Drake & Co./Natl. Christmas Tree Assn.
rasmussen@drakeco.com
Office: 636/449-5040
Cell: 314/560-4869
16020 Swingley Ridge Rd, Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO 63017

VP/Mid-State Representative:
Jeff Moore
Sales Account Executive
Learfield Communications
jmoore@learfield.com
Office: 573/893-7200
Cell: 573/999-5747
505 Hobbs Road
Jefferson City, MO 65109

Past President:
Sue Derscheid
Director of Membership/Marketing
American Soybean Association
sderscheid@soy.org
St. Louis office: 314/754-1312
Cell: 314/303-7366
12125 Woodcrest Executive Dr., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63141

Secretary:
Carolyn Caesar
Senior Account Specialist
Monsanto Company
carolyn.m.caesar@monsanto.com
Office: 314/694-5673
800 North Lindbergh Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63167

Treasurer:
Marie Findley
Business Analyst
Rabo AgriFinance
marie.findley@raboag.com
Office: 314/687-4020
One CityPlace Dr., Suite 200
St. Louis, MO 63141

Communications Co-Chair:
Rhett Hawkins
Senior Account Supervisor
Osborn & Barr Communications
hawkinsr@osborn-barr.com
Office: 314/746-1971
One North Brentwood, 8th Floor
St. Louis, MO 63105

Communications Co-Chair:
Chuck Zimmerman
Owner
ZimmComm Marketing & Communications
chuck@zimmcomm.biz
Office: 573/896-5842
Cell: 573/230-3024
1600 Skyview Dr.
Holts Summit, MO 65043

Membership Co-Chair:
Joyce Koranda
Senior Media Manager
Brighton Agency
joyce.koranda@brightonusa.com
Office: 314/919-3188
349 Marshall Ave., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63119

Membership Co-Chair:
Chris Luelf
Senior Account Executive
Brighton Agency
chris.luelf@brightonusa.com
Office: 314/919-3119
349 Marshall Ave., Suite 100
St. Louis, MO 63119

Minutes From NAMA Board Planning Meeting

I don't know how well this will work but I'm going to post the full minutes from the meeting today. We'd love to have your feedback.

Gateway NAMA
Board Planning Meeting
May 25, 2005
11:30-1:30

In attendance: Becky Rasmussen, Sue Derscheid, Rhett Hawkins, Marie Findley, Joyce Koranda, Chris Luelf, Chuck Zimmerman (via phone)

-Introductions/Materials distributed regarding positions

-Financial Report
-current checking account balance: $12,221.45 (additional $1,000 or so in CD)
-big expenses for 2004-2005: Ag Day 2004 (ball game); Ag Day 2005 (media materials); donation to student chapter

-Membership Report
-current membership at about 84 – remained relatively consistent throughout the year
-Chris and Joyce are going to work on putting together a more formal membership plan for the coming year
-need to add possible prospects to the database
- please send any suggestions as far as members/companies to Joyce or Chris in the next couple of weeks
-possibly provide NAMA informational materials to local HR managers (O&B, Brighton, Monsanto, associations)
-more follow-up with expired members
-more recognition of new members – feature on Web site, follow-up calls from board members, greeting at meetings, possible gift, information packet with
Gateway schedule upon registration

-Thoughts on 2004-2005 Program Year
-all present (and surveys) agreed that meeting with Ag Club was a positive move; need to take a more active role in planning and implementation of next year’s programs – plan on taking control at least every other month; possibility for outside meetings and events when the topic warrants it
-need to talk to Ag Club about switching meeting day to Tuesday for a change to draw in members who may not have been able to attend in the past
-all agreed that the Sheraton is a good meeting location
-keep the sponsorship idea – but do away w/ the alcohol at the reception
-need to get final numbers from Ag Club as far as the costs involved with the Sheraton
-may want our communications chairs to work with Ag Club to get consistent signage (joint sign or banner)

-Program Ideas for 2005-2006
-Blogging 101 w/ Chuck Zimmerman (blogging, RSS, podcasting)
-Agency Panel – possibly with creative directors at local ag agencies, including Anheuser-Busch’s agency if possible; discussion of what makes for good creative, how ag creative differs from mainstream, etc.
-A Second Look at the Rural Lifestyle Market – research from Susan Spaulding at Market Directions; representative of Small Farm Today. Need to pin down exact format but agreed that this is still a hot topic.
-Media Research – MRI or Forrester were suggested as speakers
-St. Louis as the Bio-Belt – bring in RCGA/Coalition for Plant & Life Sciences to discuss the development and marketing of the St. Louis region as a center for these activities.
-Cardinals marketing/PR and/or St. Louis Blues marketing/corporate sponsors – could be an off-site activity
-Global agribusiness – research specialist from Rabo Agrifinance – hot topics in Brazil, China and elsewhere

-Web site
-Chuck has put together the start of a blogging Web site; Becky has the sign-in info to post; want to sign up other members to allow access
-Need to get the word out to our members about this for feedback; Becky will send e-mail this week or next
-Chuck will be taping meetings throughout the year and posting audio on site
-Everyone needs to remember to either post or pass content ideas along

-Other programs
-Definitely need to continue programming with student chapter – help with fundraising
-Possibly host a 5K run/walk in Columbia in fall or spring to raise money
-Consider holding a Columbia/Jeff City meeting for students/local professionals
-Still offer critique of student marketing presentation – but not necessarily as monthly meeting topic
-Try to work on increased communication throughout the year with the chapter
-Host a beginning of the year happy hour for networking – may help draw some of the younger members
-Tentative location – Schlafly’s brewery


Next board meeting will take place in August. Joint planning meeting with Ag Club on June 7. Also, Leader Training set for Kansas City on June 15th.

Looks Like a Great Board for 2005-2006

The Gateway NAMA board had its first planning meeting for the 2005-2006 year - and we've got a great group of leaders with lots of enthusiasm and ideas. I'm looking forward to working with all of them and the rest of our members in the coming year. By creating this blog (thanks to Chuck Zimmerman!!), we're hoping to increase communication between the board, members and students -- and give everyone an opportunity to participate in the planning and organization of the chapter. If you ever have any questions about Gateway NAMA or suggestions for improvement, we want to hear them!

And since we're all just getting the hang of this new site, feel free to share any suggestions you have on its content or format.

The Board Will Be Seeking Your Input

The board met and came up with a list of program topics for the coming year, which gets kicked off in September. As soon as I get it, I'll post them and seek your feedback. Feel free to contact any board member with your ideas in the meantime.

I'll also post a board list with contact information as soon as I get the new one.

Gateway NAMA Board Planning Meeting Today

The Gateway NAMA Board is scheduled to meet for lunch today at Becky Rasmussen's office (Drake & Co.).

The agenda includes:

Overview of positions
Membership/Financial Reports
Review of 2004 programs
2005 programming ideas
Planning for working with St. Louis AgriBusiness Club
Other topics such as Student Chapter, Ad Day, Special Events, National NAMA
New web site

We'll provide a report from the meeting here as soon as possible. Please send in your ideas for the development of our blog!

The Beginning of Gateway Blogging

This is our first post on the Gateway NAMA blog! It's just a baby blog for now. The board will all be able to post information soon. This is a starting point for future design and functionality.

Hope to see you at a NAMA meeting this fall.