Category: Board Minutes

TEAE Emergency Board Meeting Minutes

June 15, 2025
7:00 p.m. EDT

Slides for the meeting can be found here (at the bottom of this page)

Slide 2

Welcome, Roll Call, Agenda

A Video Conference was called to order by President Kerch McConlogue at 7:00 p.m.

Elected Officers Present:  President Kerch McConlogue and Secretary Barb Blue

Board Members Present:  Tom Calvert, Tom Ehrhart, Barb Geschke, Eric Gibeaut, Joe   McConlogue, Jim Lindner, and Gordon Foss

Regional Representatives Present:  David Kellogg, Bill Bulpitt, Joe Montecalvo, Alan Geschke

Others:  David Hall

It was noted that we had a quorum.

Kerch turned to meeting over to Jim Lindner who went over the issue and the options for all:

The Issue:

United 42 host hotel, Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord has advised that its parent company has decided to commence renovations in September, 2025. 

  • The TEAE room block of 55 rooms/night will be reduced by 25 rooms.
  • Currently, all 55 rooms are booked, so about half of the attendees will have their room  canceled

Embassy Suites floor plan: Slide 3

  • -Four floors of rooms will be out of service
  • -The main entrance will be closed
  • -The Atrium where all could gather will be closed
  • -The reception desk will be moved to the east entrance
  • -Our Parts/meeting room, our Banquet rooms, and Hospitality are not affected

Option 1: Slide 4

Stay at the Embassy Suites, but move the date of the United to August 17 to 21—prior to Renovations

Impact of Option 1

  • -All United Activities will need to be rescheduled and rebooked (if possible)
  •             Concours site
  •             Friday and Saturday lunches
  •             Sunday attraction visits
  • -Logo revised, new dash plaques purchased
  • -Weather:  North Carolina in August
  • -Attendance impact:  Some might not want to/be able to reschedule
  • -Notification to membership

Option 2: Slide 5

Keep the September date, but move 25 rooms to another hotel

-Another hotel has been identified about 8 miles/15 minutes south

Tried 3 other closer hotels without success

 Hilton Charlotte University Place

  •       Closer to downtown
  •       Rate is the same
  •       Vouchers will be given for breakfast
  •       Additional rooms can be added

The impact of Option 2:

  • -About half of our attendees will be affected and inconvenienced
  • -Entire United experience and socialization compromised. . . access to parts room, meeting  room, hospitality suite and banquet affected
  • -How do we decide who is inconvenienced?  Last in? First out?
  • -Attendance impact:  Likely will cause many to be unhappy
  • -There will still be construction at the Embassy Suites that could still cause interference/ nuisance

Slide 6: Map showing location of Embassy Suites and Hilton Charlotte University Place

Option 3: Slide 7

Keep Dates, but move entire event to another host hotel in the area

-Tried five different hotels and only one can accommodate us

  • -The Hilton Charlotte Airport can accommodate our entire group
  •       -Located SW of Charlotte, near Airport
  •             More congested area
  •             Somewhat isolated.  Not many restaurants or points of interest locally
  •             NC Transport Museum, Lake Norman, Five Points Pub (where we planned activities) are all at least one hour.  Concours site is 45 minutes away
  •      -Has similar facilities
  •      -Will honor all our contractual arrangements
  •      -Can add five additional rooms per night (maybe more) to accommodate those who were  unable to get a reservation at Embassy Suites
  •      -Need to physically inspect the hotel and meet with management to make sure they can   accommodate our needs
  •             There could be issues with trailer parking
  •      -Redo banquet choices for those already registered and change on registration
  •      -Driving tour will need to be adjusted
  •      -Impact on attendance will be unknown
  •      -Membership notification
  •      -We will lose $1000 grant from Cabarrus County where Embassy Suites is located

Slide 8:Floor plan for Hilton Charlotte Airport

Slide 9

  • Map showing location of Hilton Charlotte Airport and Embassy Suites Charlotte-Concord
  • Overhead photo of Hilton Charlotte Airport showing potential trailer parking issue
  •       -That issue could be resolved by getting nearby businesses to let us park trailers in their lots

Option 4: Slide 10

Cancel United 42

      -No need to say anything more if we opt to cancel

United 42 Expenses to date: Slide 11

Hotel Deposit              $1000  Refunded/transferred

Giveaway Travel Bag $658    TEAE Log Only—good anytime

Logo/Dash Plaques    $151    Money lost/Buy new ones (Option 1)

Trophies                      $75      About $40 lost, bases used again

Concours site              $60      Lost unless we can reschedule

Credit Card Fees        $???    Loss on refunds         

Discussion: Slide 12

It was decided to vote first on Option 4—should United 42 be cancelled?

  • -Cost to cancel was mentioned
  • -Five of seven board members present voted against canceling United 42

      See table below showing the votes

Because we are not cancelling, the next discussion was about changing the date to August 17 to 21.

  • -Some of the impact points were again discussed.
  • -Formal vote was not taken, but consensus was against changing the dates
  • -Two board members said there would be no impact for them if the date was moved.

Discussion turned to Option 3—to move the hotel location.

-Again, more discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of moving the venue

  • -No vote was taken but the discussion shifted away from changing the location

Discussion turned to using Option 2—using two hotels, the Embassy Suites of Charlotte/Concord and Hilton Charlotte University Place.

After discussing pros and cons, vote was taken and this is the option that will be used.

Discussion continued about how to decide who is inconvenienced

  • -It was decided that organizers of the events will stay at Embassy Suites,
  • -Decision about others who would not be moved will be decided on a who registered first    basis.
  • -Jim will contact hotel to get dates and times of registrants and decide who will need to move
  • -He will learn about how the move will be made—if all are moved en masse or if each who  loses their room will have to re-register at University Place
  • -Jim will confirm that all moved will receive the same rate that they were getting at Embassy Suites
  • -Jim will also confirm that any extras who have been unable to get a room for United can get a room at the same rate as those who have already booked at the University Place
  • -Regarding the inconvenience of participants being at two locations
    •      –it will be suggested that people with tow vehicles could park trailers and cars at the Embassy Suites and use tow vehicle to move between the two locations
    •      –Inquiries about the possibility of shuttle bus service will be made
  • -Kerch and Jim will draft and send a communication to all club members about the hotel   situation and the solution that the Board decided to take
  • -Kerch will update the registration system to reflect the new hotel arrangement
  • -Follow-up phone calls will be made to members who haven’t responded to the hotel change notification

It was also noted that there are other hotels in the area where participants can get rooms—some hotels cost more and some even cost less.

Table of summary of votes on options taken:

Board MemberOption 1: Change the DateOption 2:  Two hotelsOption 3: Move the hotel locationOption 4:  Cancel the United
Tom Calvert No No
Tom Ehrhart Yes No
Barb GeschkeOK       Yes No
Eric Gibeaut Yes  
Joe McConlogueOK       Yes No
Jim Lindner    
Gordon Foss Yes No
  • -Jim confirmed that he will not plan the next United. 
  • -Kerch suggested considering Camelback in the Poconos as a potential venue for next year’s  event noting its amenities and proximity to the racetrack.
  • -Eric and others expressed appreciation for Jim’s efforts in helping to organize our United 42  and for all of his efforts in managing this current situation.
  • -David volunteered to help with phone calls to members as needed.

Motion to Adjourn made and seconded and adjourned at 8:11 p.m. EDT.

TEAE BOD Emergency Meeting June 2025Download

Board Meeting Febrary 9, 2025

Slides for the meeting can be found here (opens in new tab)

A Video Conference Meeting was called to order by President Kerch McConlogue at 3:00 pm.

Minutes from the July 2024 Board meeting were approved as posted

Elected Officers Present: President Kerch McConlogue, Vice President, Kate Lawler, Treasurer, Todd Reid, and Secretary, Barb Blue

Board Members Present: Tom Ehrhart, Tom Calvert, Jim Lindner, Eric Gibeaut, Barb Geschke and Joe Parlanti

Others: David Reina, David Kellogg, Bill Bulpitt, Ron Stein

Slide 4-5: Treasurer’s Report, Todd Reid

The move of our bank account between Wells Fargo branches became problematic. Progress is being made to move to M&T Bank instead.

We have about $40,000 in the account at this time, but the actual balance sheet is to be determined.

Slides 6 through 12: Membership Report, Kerch McConlogue

Joe McConlogue was in the Hospital

  • 18 members do not have email addresses.
  • Using a credit card to renew a membership is easier than using PayPal and the cost of using PayPal is actually a bit more than using a credit card
  • Thanks to the Regional Reps for tracking down new members and members who are late in renewing their memberships
  • And thanks to Joe for updating Regional Reps on new members.
  • Records show that the Member Roster was accessed only 9 times in the year. Several people questioned this saying they probably accessed the roster that many times themselves.
  • As the Ohio River Valley rep does not use email, the main mode of messaging, it was decided to find a replacement. Jean Webb was suggested. Tom Ehrhart (?)to contact her. Jim Lindner volunteered to notify Doug Jennings of his replacement.

Slides 1-16: Editor/Webmaster Report, Kerch McConlogue

There was discussion about combining the January and February issues of the RootesReview because of lack of content and the holiday complications. There was discussion about printing bimonthly and publishing monthly. This is actually more work for the editor.
The consensus was that unless it is a budget issue, then do not change to bi-monthly.
On slide 14, was the amount for July with 20 pages a typo ($1079) as June at 20 pages was $1758

Facebook membership is up about 300 members since August

Kerch has found a source of regalia: bitsoftriumph.com will do individual, personalized embroidered shirts, etc with our emblem

Slide 17: Additional Reports

David Kellogg reported Steve Towle has requested/encouraged that TEAE make the Bristol Rhode Island British Car show a sanctioned event
Tom Ehrhart suggested making a BASH of the event
It is June 6 to 7, 2025, so same weekend at Susquehanna BASH
David mentioned the $500 fee to establish a class of cars, but maybe that could be waived for if we don’t request a class, just acknowledgement of participation.

United 42

Cannot do concours in Frank Liske Park—looking for another location or a different location in the park.
Attraction visits will be available in lieu of the Autocross.
The NC Transport Museum is very interesting per Bill Bulpitt. He will write up something for the newsletter about this attraction

Slide 20: Budget Estimate for United 42

The numbers on this budget estimate do not include sales tax
Trying very hard to keep registration fee down ($175 per person is less than recent years)

Slide 21: Three Year Business Plan Update

  • Regarding the change of tax status from 501(c)7 to a 501(c)3
    Email from Joe Montecalvo rebutting the cost of fees to convert to a 501(c)3. Kerch points out that Joe’s group is only in California, but we are nationwide. Also, Joe’s website is focused totally on charity. TEAE is a social group, not a charity group
  • Expanding membership west of the Mississippi River was mentioned again
  • Regarding producing technical videos
    This is going to be virtually impossible for TEAE. Lots of technical videos out there already
  • Kate Lawler suggested and said she would make a playlist of YouTube videos that can be posted as a play list on our website with a link on our Facebook page
  • Currently, there is no link from our Facebook page to our website

Slide 22: Proposed TAC improvements

These items were discussed

Slide 24: SUNI VIII (2026)


Tom sent information about SUNI via Kerch before the meeting for everyone to review
Claudia and Buck are planning a SUNI for 2026.
One of the policies of SUNI is that we won’t hold our own event in the same year.
But 2026 is the 50th Anniversary for TEAE and we might want to celebrate that ourselves.
Additionally, Tom says that the original tenets of SUNI are being violated
So should we even be involved?
A motion was made and seconded. The motion passed. We will not be involved in the 2026 SUNI.

Slide 25: United 43 (2026)

Jim Lindner is not doing it!
Tom Ehrhart will look at hotels.
Location in New Jersey (perhaps Smithville, NJ) is being considered. October at the shore might be more open than September, but it could still be crowded and therefore expensive. Tom Hillmann will be asked to organize the United 43.

Barb Geschke asked if we have gotten rid of rotating to different parts of the country. Someone said yes, but Tom Ehrhart thinks we should try to keep moving around.

We have traditionally had 4 Zones to hold Uniteds—North, South, Mid Atlantic, and MidWest. The far west is regularly discussed but without much support.

After discussion, it is proposed: 2026 MidAtlantic, 2027 Midwest, 2028 North (New England), 2029 South

Suggested locations for 2030 were Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Valley Forge.

Slide 26: Wrap Up

Notes regarding TEAE.org forwarded email:
Our mail processor will not forward mail to addresses using one of these domains: Outlook, Hotmail, Live, AOL, Comcast, Microsoft, or Verizon
Therefore, TEAE position-based email (for example:Secretary@teae.org, Midwest@teae.org, etc.) will no longer work. (These addresses are used on the printed brochures and for officers) A new domain (TEAE-regions.net) was purchased by Kerch to support a new process for appropriate regional reps and for some officers who have addresses using those domains.

A short board meeting will happen in EARLY May to address the United issue.

Motion to Adjourn made and seconded and adjourned at 4:36 p.m. EST.

Barbara Blue
Secretary

Moving the TEAE Bank Account

The Board of Directors of TEAE approved the move of our Wells Fargo bank account # 6100708459 from the Alexandria, VA branch to M&T Bank.

Also approved the removal of James Lindner (Past President)  and Steve Murphy (Past Treasurer) from the account and the addition of Todd Reid (current Treasurer) and Kathryn McConlogue (current President) to the account.

Contact information for all are below.

Todd Reid
331 Old Bailey Lane
West Chester, PA 19382
(610) 730-6697

Kathryn McConlogue
820 Fishing Creek Valley Rd
Harrisburg, PA 17112
(443) 255-3401

Jim Lindner
1832 Duffield Ln
Alexandria, VA 22307
(703) 329-1763

Steven Murphy
4005 Harris Place
Alexandria, VA  22304
(703) 499-4886

Submitted by
Barbara Blue
Secretary

Board Meeting Minutes and Supporting Documentation: July 25, 2024

Download the slides here Or view them on line below

Meeting was called to order by President Jim Lindner at 7:00pm.

In Attendance:

Jim Lindner – President, Steve Murphy – Treasurer, Gary Corbett – Secretary

Board of Directors: Tom Calvert, Tom Erhart, Barb Geschke, Eric Gibeaut, Joe McConlogue, Joe Parlanti, Dave Reina

Others: Bill Bulpitt , David Kellogg , Kerch McConlogue , Joe Montecalvo

Minutes of Previous BoD Meeting 2 March 2024 – Approved.

Treasurer’s Report (Slide 5)

 Income includes income from registration fees received for United 41 but only some expenses. Report approved.

Membership Report (Slide 7) 

Membership is steady at 521. Incorrect e-mail addresses for some members need to be investigated.

Action Item – David Kellogg to assist Joe McConlogue in resolving issue of incorrect email addresses for some members.

Website/Editor’s Report

Rootes Review – Mailing costs summarized (Slide 9). In support of voting for Board positions candidate’s biographies will be published in a Rootes Review later this Fall. Kerch will provide a link where candidates can provide their information, which will be limited to 50 words.

Action Item – Kerch to provide a link to potential Board candidates to provide their biographical information.

Facebook – Activity is steady, and ‘Reactions’ are positive (Slide 11).

Website Visits – Activity summarized (Slide 12).

OLD BUSINESS

3 Year Business Plan

Bylaw Amendments (Slide 16) – Require approval by general membership at Annual General Meeting.

TAC Program Improvements (Slide 16) – No recent activity. Tom Calvert is organizing TAC inspections at United this year.

Action Item – Kerch to identify to Tom people who have requested in their event registration a TAC inspection at United.

Regalia Supplier (Slide 17) – Kerch is continuing to investigate. Eric suggested a potential source, someone who will be at United this year.

2024 Elections (Slide 24)

The following summarizes the positions up for election and potential candidates:

OFFICERS

President and Vice President – No candidates identified although Jim has been discussing the opportunities with several people.

Treasurer – Steve Murphy (Incumbent), Todd Reid (identified by Tiger Tom).

Secretary – Gary Corbett (Incumbent), Barbara Blue (identified by Joe McConlogue).

Directors

  • Incumbents: Tom Calvert, Tom Erhart, Eric Gibeaut
  • Additional: Gord Foss and Gilles Boudrias (identified by Jim Lindner), Clyde McLaughlin and David Hall (identified by Joe McConlogue), Rick McCurdy (identified by David Kellog), Rod Patriquin (identified by Gary Corbett), Jim Lindner (self-identified)

A motion was made and seconded to nominate all nominees – carried.

United 41 (Slide 19)

The availability of the ‘Tiger 60’ documentary has been confirmed. The Saturday evening speaker has backed out due to a medical issue, but Jim feels screening the film will require the whole evening.

United 42 (Slides 20&21)

Jim has scouted out a location in Charlotte, NC for United 42 in 2025 and highly recommends it be pursued. Draft budget reviewed. A motion was made and carried to approve this location for United 42. Jim has draft contract documents and will finalize them with the hotel.

Action Item – Jim to finalize contracts for United 42.

Car Donation (Slide 22)

Preliminary investigations into the potential legal issues of the Club accepting a car as a donation have not highlighted any significant roadblocks. Tom Erhart warned there might be issues at a detail level – for example Pennsylvania has specific rules about financial transactions related to gambling-type activities that other states might have too. This could affect us if we attempted to auction or raffle the car to reap the financial benefit. David Kellogg is continuing to investigate.

SUNI VIII Update (Slide 23)

– No recent progress. Location is likely to be in Missouri.

NEW BUSINESS

Rootes Archive Donation (Slide 24)

After a short discussion it was decided to wait until after United 41 to make a decision on a donation for 2024.

Lord Rootes Individual Awards (Slide 24)

Jim organized the production of keeper plaques and badges for the awards for the recipients for the past 2 years. A motion was made and carried to pay Jim for his out-of-pocket expenses of $212 to accomplish this.

There was some discussion about how to manage the engraving of keeper plaques and producing and installing the yearly plates on the main trophies (recently the recipients have done this themselves). No approach was chosen, but Joe McConlogue suggested whatever procedure was implemented should be documented in the Procedures Manual.

New Banners (Slide 25)

There was some discussion about acquiring new banners with the new TEAE International logo, but it was ultimately decided to keep this in mind for action sometime in the future. Tom Erhart has a couple prototype banners that were made – he will send them to Robert Jaarsma for use at United 41.

Action Item – Tom Erhart to forward TEAE International banners to Robert Jaarsma.

Hilton Rewards

Jim stated the United 42 hotel will be offering reward points for the rooms booked and paid for by the Club, and asked if he could personally accept these points. All agreed he could.

Special Appreciation

Bill Bulpitt stated how appreciative he was of all of Jim’s efforts in support of the Club over the past several years, in particular the work involved in organizing recent Uniteds. Everyone was in agreement – thanks very much Jim!

Meeting Adjournment – 8:30pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Gary Corbett
TEAE Secretary

BOD Meeting July 2024Download

Board Meeting Minutes and Supporting Documentation: March 2, 2024

Download the slides here or view the pdf below.
Supporting documentation
AI: Action Item

Agenda: Welcome, Roll Call, Reports, Old Business, New Business, Adjourn

Mtg started @ 1:06 EST

In Attendance: All Board members except Eric Gibeaut, he joined a few minutes later.

Also in attendance: Robert Jaarsma, Tom Hillman, Tom Calvert, Tom Ehrhart, Joe McConlogue, Kerch McConlogue, Robert Harter, Jim Lindner, David Reina, Steve Murphy, Bill Pulpitt, Joe Parlanti, Joe Montecalvo, Ron Stein, Barb Geschke, David Kellogg

Treasurer’s Report

1st Slide showed correction of 5 year summary numbers – concurred

2nd Slide showed balance sheet for CY23 – $7K from United offset newsletter costs, hard to track pennies due to fees

Membership Report

1st Slide showed net loss of 8 members to 521

2nd Slide Joe getting help from Mike Hartman; intervention still required to get funds

Question: How much time spent?  Full day at end of month plus hour per day

Website/Editor’s Report

1st Slide showed monthly cost per issue per page. Discussion on frequency from monthly to every other month. Kerch stated that it was more work to publish every other month. Tangible vs. Untangible – Keep the content, higher percentage still prefer printed, monthly for people that don’t attend the events

Motion: Leave newsletter at frequency of Monthly – Approved

2nd Slide showed Facebook facts. Active participation.

3rd Slide showed Website facts. Key take away was that new people need to be infused into the process.

Old Business

3 Yr Business Plan Committee

1st Slide showed approval of the formulation of the 3YBP including: Mission, Objectives, & Process

2nd Slide showed the Board approved recommendations for action

3rd Slide discussed the 1st recommendation: Forum/Facebook. Action complete with continued maintenance as the follow-on

4th Slide discussed the next recommendations: Revision of legacy award criteria, Revision of bylaws, and TAC program improvements.

The Swift and Porter awards apply to AutoX for Tigers & Alpines only due to the intent of the people that originated them. Other driving events makes it vague enough to include rallies, etc

Motion: Accept changes to “other competitive driving event” based on if no AutoXs are available – Approved

There was much discussion about the bylaws and procedures

AI: Review Draft Procedures Manual during next 60 days and send comments to Joe McConlogue

Motion: Accept draft changes to bylaws, including the increase the number of Board members to 9 – Approved

There was much discussion on the TAC vs. Tiger sales and what TAC has become.  Any updates to the program must be brought before the TAC Coordinator by the senior inspectors – Tom C. and Bill P.

5th & 6th Slide discussed Regalia and Kerch looked into a few sites and found Redbubble.com to match most of the needs and there is a kickback to the club.  Only disadvantage was no embroidery.  There were comments that a few sources were already obtained to get embroidered items separately from other United vendors.

7th Slide discussed: Production of technical videos – closed due to no volunteers, Expansion & promotion of BASH concept by regions – continue to promote BASH, and Expansion of membership west of the MS river – continue western participation.

8th Slide showed revision of club logo that introduces the whole Rootes family concept.

Motion: Approve the new club logo and fees for graphic designer – Approved

9th Slide showed status of action to investigate qualifying for 501c(3) status – recommend close

United 41 Update

1st Slide showed United location and dates including hotel and registration fees

2nd Slide showed planned activities during the United

3rd Slide showed current budget estimates with expected profit of approx. $4K

New Business

1st Slide brought up the topic of 2024 elections and how are behind with candidates.

AI: David Kellogg to compile the names that members pulled together from the roster within the next 30 days and within 90 days get answers from all positions and all reps of any elected position

2nd Slide brought up car donation to TEAE.

AI: David Kellogg to check with lawyer automotive enthusiast friend: Can we as 501c7 club own it? How do we own car legally?

3rd Slide brought up United 42 (2025) and to try an event west of the MS river. Discussion led to try to get a volunteer from TX or CO, need to do soonest

4th Slide brought up SUNI (2026) and main discussion was the details surrounding the account that is banking the SUNIs.  CAT runs it, we reap the profits

Motion: Do we join w/CAT? Same participation as last time – Approved

Additional Reports as Required

Motion: Adjourn – Approved

Mtg ended @ 3:57, elapsed time of 2 hrs 51 mins

Submitted by Rob Harter, Vice President

Additional supporting documentation

Bylaws and Procedures

Regalia updates

New Logos

TEAE-Board-Mtg-March-2024Download

Board of Directors Meeting:
August 20, 2023

A Video Conference Meeting was called to order by President Jim Lindner at 1:05 pm.              

Elected Officers Present: President Jim Lindner, Treasurer Steve Murphy, and Secretary Gary Corbett.

Board Members Present: Tom Calvert, Tom Ehrhart, Barb Geschke, Eric Gibeaut, Joe McConlogue, and Joe Parlanti.

Other Members Present: Bill Bulpitt, Tom Hillman, Kerch McConlogue, Joe Montecalvo, and Ron Stein.

Slides presented at the meeting are here.

TEAE Board Meeting August 2023Download

Approval of Minutes From Previous Meeting

The draft minutes from the last Board of Directors meeting on 5 February 2023 as posted on the Club website were approved.

Treasurer’s Report (Slides 4&5)

Steve Murphy presented a 5-year summary of the Club finances, showing the year-end balance for 2022. He will update this summary for the Annual General Meeting at United 40.

Membership Report (Slides 6-9)

 Joe McConlogue provided an update on Club membership data. The membership is basically steady at slightly more than 500 members. Mike Hartman has volunteered to help out with the membership database.

Stripe will be used to process credit card transactions versus PayPal, which provides a cost saving to the Club. Cheques are also still accepted.

Jim Lindner contacted the president of the Colorado Association of Tiger Owners about joining TEAE at a discounted rate and becoming part of the Rocky Mountain Region. They ultimately declined the offer.

Rootes Review/Web Presence (Slides 10-14)

Newsletters are staying close to 12 pages per month.

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; we are currently on track to spend approx. $17,000 on mailing costs this year for mailing each month.

We get occasional requests for back issues, and often for multiple copies. As there is a small but not insignificant cost to provide these, Kerch proposed a fee structure (Slide 12) for providing these back issues. This was passed by consensus.

The Club’s Facebook presence is good – it is used regularly. Regarding the website, Kerch did not have any recent statistics as the Google functionality changed in July and detailed data is no longer available.

Old Business

Three Year Business Plan (Slides 17-23)

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 17

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 (report can be found here https://www.board.teae.org/2023/07/3ypc-progress/) These initiatives are summarized on Slide 18.

Forum and on Facebook (Slide 19)

Advancements have been made on the Forum and on Facebook. Facebook now has three administrators – Jim Lindner, Kevin Klotzbach, and Steve Murphy. There are no further actions planned, although Joe McConlogue recommended maintaining focus on both. Jim Lindner stated that the newsletter is also an important communication product as well.

Legacy Awards (Slide 20)

Tiger Tom and Tom Calvert have been reviewing the Wally Swift Award nomination criteria. Tiger Tom will send a revised set of criteria to Board members for review and approval – they will propose removing the focus on autocross by substituting ‘competitive driving event’ which could then include a rally.
Action – Tiger Tom will send a revised set of nomination criteria to Board members.

Bylaw Amendments (Slide 20)

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. Joe McConlogue provided an update – there will be a lot of changes to the Bylaws and the Procedure manual will be quite expansive. Kerch will post draft documents on the TEAE Board website to collect comments, Joe will organize a separate meeting before year-end to discuss this specific topic. Actions – Kerch to post draft documents on the TEAE Board website. Joe to organize a separate meeting to continue discussions.

TAC Program Within TEAE (Slide 20)

Tom Calvert and Bill Bulpitt are chairing the subcommittee working on this initiative – they have not made much progress to date but will work on it this winter. They want to recruit more inspectors to eliminate geographic areas where there are no inspectors as well as increase the number of senior inspectors. Tiger Tom noted the target audience for this program has expanded – not only do current owners/enthusiasts want it but now buyers and sellers as well.

Regalia Plan (Slide 20)

Jim Lindner stated he had tried to set up a supply arrangement with a specific vendor to provide different regalia items with the Club logo but had been unsuccessful. Kerch suggested a couple different vendors could do it (Redbubble or Amazon) – she will investigate.
Action – Kerch to investigate other vendors for the supply of regalia.

Technical Videos (Slide 21)

No action to date. Tiger Tom to solicit a lead for this initiative at the AGM.

BASH Concept (Slide 21)

Both Jim Lindner and Tiger Tom feel we have made positive progress already this year promoting the broader event concept of Bring A Sunbeam Here. A ‘BASH’ sign has been developed.

Expansion of Membership West of the Mississippi (Slide 21)

Jim Lindner articulated some ideas about building membership in the club west of the Mississippi. A western United is one idea, although there is a concern about how many eastern Club members would make the trip. He thought one option might be to be the lead organizer for the next SUNI in 2026 and run it as a psuedo-BASH/United. Tiger Tom thought we should focus on building from the bottom up by finding individual enthusiasts and recruiting them.

501 (c) 3 Tax Status (Slide 22)

Joe Montecalvo provided much background information regarding this initiative. It would require an educational piece with outreach action, something the Club does not have as its purpose is to support its members rather than a larger community. Conversely the Volvo Sparks club contributes scholarships to a community college local to them and it exposes their club to a younger audience. Tiger Tom will continue to investigate.

Club Name and Logo (Slides 22&23)

Kerch had a friend draw up four different concepts for a new Club logo (Slide 23). People liked the idea of the word ‘International’ being embodied in the logo. Some words are required to better describe the organization. Work will continue.

United 40 Update (Slides 24&25)

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. There are currently 126 people and 59 cars registered. Kerch mentioned we had gained 3 new Club members at registration.

Volunteers are needed to assist with numerous activities – please contact Jim Lindner directly and let him know what you can contribute.

United 41 (Slide 26)

United 41 has now been set for West Lebanon, New Hampshire for 2024. The host hotel will be the Fireside Inn. A preliminary itinerary is listed on Slide 26.

New Business

Board Membership (Slide 27)

Current incumbents for the Secretary (Gary Corbett), Treasurer (Steve Murphy), and Membership Chairman (Joe McConlogue) volunteered to continue in their roles. Nominations are required for several positions, most importantly President as Jim Lindner has now reached his term limit. He will call for nominations at the AGM.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 2:55 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Gary Corbett
Secretary

3 Year Planning Committee Progress Report

ALL,
Our president, Jim Linder, provided a progress update May 19, 2023 (attached) based on 3PC motions approved by the BOD and 3PC suggestions dated  21 Nov 2022. (attached).   My comments below are intended to supplement Jim’s status report. I recognize those who accepted ownership of tasks in parentheses.

Please consider this a general summary of progress and an appeal to address action items. We will address at the upcoming BOD meeting (date TBD) . Please send an Email or call me with any comments before July 31’st so we can prepare for the BOD meetng.

Regards
Tom Ehrhart
3PC facilitator
717-832-1116

1. Bylaws changes.  (Joe and Kerch McConlogue)
     A. Amend Article X & XIV
     B. Draft a separate “Policy & Procedures”  manual extracted from present bylaws.
     Status: Joe reports progress is being made. A goal of upcoming United presentation for BOD approval is a target and the beginning process to amend the bylaws.

2. $5 Discount incentive for first year electronic membership.
      Status: No new memberships benefited.

3.  Facebook/Forum  (  ? )
         Status: There is progress thanks to changes and increased attention by several individuals. We should recognize them, but honestly, I am not sure who all to recognize. We know Kerch and Joe McConlogue did a lot but so did Jim  L. and I believe others.
Would someone please clarify all those who helped rejuvenated our FB and orum links.  It appears these platforms may have plateaued based on present marque climate. We do have an obligation to keep them active and responsive.

4    Technical Committee for producing technical videos. .(Kevin Klotzbach)
     Status: I am not aware of any produced. My notes indicate Kevin would be willing to oversee if others contributed. I am not aware of any. Do we need to “activate” this initiative, i.e. recruit owners/projects to video?  Our 3PC suggestions recommend establishing addressing topics not yet done by others. Any suggestions?

5. Porter/Swift Legacy Awards (Tom Calvert)
     Tom Ehrhart and Tom Calvert in process of drafting new metrics in time for BOD approval before ’23 United.

6. Expansion of TAC (Tom Calvert)
     Tom reports there is some progress. Presently recruiting  East coast/Canada Senior inspectors to expand coverage area. Nationalizing TAC is an on going political process . Tom C. with Bill Bulpitt are making some progress.

7. Regalia (Eric Gibeaut)
     Status: No progress I am aware of. Jim Linder tried valiantly to broker a deal with a regalia provider wiling to sell items piecemeal. It was process and cost prohibitive.

8. 501(c) (3)  (Tom Ehrhart)
     Joe Montecalvo provided a general outline of process. . There is generally little support within our ranks to pursue. I’ll continue to explore justification. Coordination with impending bylaw changes compounds the challenges.

9. Club Logo (Jim Linder & Kerch leaders)
     The BOD agreed to a logo change that emphasizes;
     A. Our primary membership areas in North America,
     B. Demphasizing ” East” by  no longer referencing Tigers East and Alpines East in text but continuing use of TEAE letters.
     C. Represents the Rootes Group vehicles
Kerch has done a great job rebranding us in print and the website. But we desperately need a logo that represents our new mission objective.
Jim Linder has produced some concepts to start the process.  We need to establish a very small committee (4 or 5 MAX) to vet design concepts.
The committee should work with a graphics designer who can better translate our concepts into a simple functional logo. Our goal should be for BOD approval at or before the United 40.

10. BASH (All)
     The BASH term is used as a promotional term to suggest Rootes/Sunbeams are encouraged to participate in an event. All Representatives and event organizers are encouraged to work with local organizers to promote our marque’s participation. I am pleased to report that this marketing approach is showing signs of success. Our Rootes Review articles regularly indicate use of the term to promote events.

11. Other Leadership initiatives.
     A.  Target Western Membership: Establishing Reps in these areas is paramount for success.  Dave Renia’s periodic reminder for reports and Kerch’s proactive Rootes Review as shown good progress in this area.
     B. United’s in Mid-West & West: A plan should be developed for a 2025 United West of the Mississippi.
     C. Expand BOD: This will allow representation from the West and break a deadlock on “career” or “legacy” Board Members.

The following documents were distributed to the Board in advance of the November 21, 2022 Board Meeting. They were redistributed to the Board 7-3-2023 with the above report.

3YPC Motions for Board 11-21-22Download
3YPC Recommendations for Board 11-21-22Download

Other terms for search: 3-year, 3yr, three year, 3YPC

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.

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

Elected Officers Present: President Jim Lindner, Vice President Rob Harter (new), Treasurer Steve Murphy (new), and Secretary Gary Corbett (new).
Board Members Present: Tom Calvert, Tom Ehrhart, Barb Geschke, Eric Gibeaut, Joe McConlogue, and Joe Parlanti.
Others:  Bill Bulpitt, David Kellogg, Barbara Skirmants, Kerch  McConlogue, and  Ron Stein.

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 60th Anniversary Commemoration – Ron Stein reminded everyone that 2024 would be the 60th 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