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SANDWICH BUSINESS GROUP MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING January 27, 2010
The third Annual Meeting of the Sandwich Business Group took place January 27, 2010 at the Corner House Inn. Those gathered enjoyed a light dinner, socializing, networking and a brief business meeting. ATTENDING CALL TO ORDER AND PRESIDENT’S REPORT In highlighting the year in review, Don noted that many of the activities and accomplishments of 2009 would become ongoing commitments for 2010. In particular in 2009, we: Continued our membership in several regional business organizations. Our memberships entitle us to share information with and through these groups and to network with them.
All three have kiosks or information centers where our brochures are displayed and distributed. We were also listed in the Lakes Region Association’s Where-To Guide, which has a circulation of 250-300,000 copies. Increased our production of the Discover Sandwich Brochure We produced and disseminated 25,000 copies. 10,000 brochures were distributed by the Best Read Guide to information centers in the north-south corridor between Route 16 and I-93. 8,000 brochures were mailed to every box holder in the surrounding towns (Ashland, Center Harbor, Holderness, Moultonborough, Sandwich and Tamworth). Sandwich Home Industries collaborated with SBG in the direct mail campaign. SBG members distributed the remaining brochures. We plan to replicate the same strategy for 2010. We are also investigating the cost effectiveness of adding four colors to the printing of the brochure in order to highlight the photography. Supported community events In addition to the involvement and support of individual members, SBG sponsored an advertisement in the Sandwich Fair brochure and committed to underwriting the horse and carriage ride during Christmas in the Village crafts fair. As it turned out, craftspeople and individuals contributed funds that enabled the carriage rides to be offered for two days. SBG was a lead sponsor of the Sled Dog Race in 2009 and will continue that support in 2010. Maintained two websites. Thanks to Don Sutton we maintained and enhanced two sites that serve businesses and residents. The www.discoversandwich.com site is designed to attract virtual and real life visitors to our community. Features include a listing of SBG members and, for those who choose, an enhanced listing that includes a picture and descriptive paragraph of their businesses. Don Sutton added a calendar of events to the home page and Diane Johnson’s regular newspaper column on activities and events in Sandwich. He also began monitoring the number of visits to the site through the use of Google Analytics. The www.sandwichbusinessgroup.com site is devoted to information that is primarily of interest to members such as the minutes of monthly meetings and other noteworthy resources. For 2010 we are looking into the possibilities of adding a blog and video clips – e.g. the horse drawn carriage used for Christmas in the Village or clips of the sled dog race. Don Brown noted that the more links we have on our site, the more the web search engines pick up on us. He encouraged each member to link their websites to SBG. For those who do not have a website, Don Sutton is willing to set up a page for your business on the SBG website. Second Cup Conversations We began a new program this year. Following the regular business meeting on the first Monday of the month, Second Cup Conversations provide a forum for sharing information on topics of interest. Conversations this year included: input for the Town Master Plan, web site design, maintenance and enhancements, social media marketing, blogging, renewable energy and conservation and credit card processing and small business marketing. Provided input to the Sandwich Master Plan committee At the March Second Cup Conversation SBG members generated recommendations that were passed along to the Master Plan Committee. While Don did not mention them specifically in his report, the minutes of that meeting contain the following priority items:
In addition to the March session, we held another Second Cup Conversation in September that was led by Roger Hawk, one of the consultants retained to facilitate the development of the Town Master Plan. MINUTES OF 2009 ANNUAL MEETING Copies of the minutes were available at the tables. Upon motion duly made and seconded the minutes of the 2009 Annual Meeting were approved. TREASURER’S REPORT Copies of the Treasurer’s report were available at each table. We had 65 members in 2009. 21 members chose the enhanced web presence option. Treasurer, Julie Deak, presented the following 2009 year-end summary.
Upon motion duly made and seconded the Treasurer’s report was approved. MEMBERSHIP FOR 2010 As was the case in 2009, the basic membership fee for 2010 is $90, which includes listings in the brochure and on the web sites. For an additional $50 members receive an enhanced web site presence that includes a photo, a paragraph description of their businesses and a link to member web sites. Forms for membership were available at tonight’s meeting. Dues are due by March 1st, if members want to be included in the brochure. Don asked for photos if any members have some. ELECTION OF OFFICERS The Nominating Committee, consisting of Don Sutton and Patsy Carega, proposed the following slate of officers for 2010.
Don Sutton noted that all proposed officers had been contacted. Bob MacArthur has indicated that this will be his last year as secretary. Don Brown also feels that new leadership is healthy. We need to provide for succession. He encouraged members to get involved and step forward to assume leadership roles in the future. Don Brown asked for nominations from the floor. There were none. Upon motion duly made and seconded the proposed officers for 2010 were approved. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 7:53, at which point we turned to dessert and resumed socializing and networking. Thanks once again to Don Brown and his team at the Corner House Inn for hosting our annual gathering. Respectfully Submitted, Bob MacArthur Bob MacArthur
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[Annual Meeting 2010] |
