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Friday January 24th, 2020 Minutes

Center for Regional Growth Logo

MINUTES of the MEETING
of the BOARD of DIRECTORS

Friday – January 24th, 2020 – 8:30 a.m.
34 West Fulton Street Gloversville, New York

Directors Present: Timothy Beckett, Terri Easterly, Gregory Fagan, Dr. Leslie Ford, Travis Mitchell, Grant Preston

Directors Absent: Kent Kirch, Ronald Olinsky, Geoffrey Peck

Staff Present: Ronald Peters, Jennifer Jennings, James Hannahs, Ken Adamczyk, Desirée Perham

Other Attendees: Vern Jackson, Mayor Johnstown; Scott Henze, Fulton County; John Blackmon, Fulton County Supervisor, Gloversville Ward 3; Ashley Onyon, Leader Herald

Public Session

Call to Order: 9:07 a.m.

Welcome and Call to Order

Dr. Leslie Ford called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m., welcoming everyone in attendance.

Roll call was taken by Desirée Perham.

Approval of Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the December 13, 2019 CRG Board Meeting Minutes was moved by Gregory Fagan and seconded by Travis Mitchell. No additional comments. Terri Easterly abstained from voting as she was not present for the December meeting. The motion passed.

A motion to approve the December 13, 2019 CRG Organizational Meeting Minutes was moved by Gregory Fagan and seconded by Terri Easterly. No additional comments. Terri Easterly abstained from voting as she was not present for the December meeting. The motion passed.

Administrative Matters

Chair Report – Dr. Leslie Ford:

  • Dr. Ford noted that she was looking forward to a good meeting.  There were plenty of items discussed in the Executive Committee meeting on January 9, so moved directly into committee reports.

Conclusion of Chair Report

Committee Reports

  • Executive Committee Dr. Leslie Ford – Met on January 9th and had a very productive meeting.
    • Reviewed committee structures and presented concepts for changes as proposed by the Executive Committee. Referred everyone to tables in BOD package. In 2019 there were a large number of committees.  It was pointed out that some naturally could fold into each other.  The proposed 2020 committee structure did just that.
    • The Audit and Finance Committees would have the same members* and be able to meet back-to-back with separate, but consecutive meetings. The Executive and Governance Committees would likewise have the same members* and meet consecutively, with separate meetings.  *The only exception to the members would be in Tim Beckett’s case.  Per the CRG By-laws, he will not serve on the Governance or the Audit committees due to a conflict of interest.
    • The funding-type committees will remain stand-alone. This includes the County Wide Loan Fund, the Gloversville Loan Fund, the Microenterprise Grant committee and the Revenue Task Force.
    • A separate Membership and Marketing Committee is no longer needed with the addition of Ken Adamczyk to the CRG staff. He will provide a monthly Membership & Marketing report at the regular Board meetings.
    • The Building Committee will be eliminated as a standing committee. If a task force is needed one will be appointed. The current 34 W Fulton Revitalization project typically ends up in Executive Committee for discussion, so will be handled there going forward.
    • Other areas that could be discussed are board size and looking at the balance of board members on committees with regards to participation and spread. After some discussion the Board concurred that the current size of nine members was ideal for reaching a quorum.
    • One item to be held for Executive session included succession planning and discussing a replacement for Ron Olinsky’s seat on the Board as his third term ends in December 2020.
    • Touched on Ron Peter’s goals for 2020: focus to be on targeted industries and proactively visiting those (invitational, specific and conscionable).
    • Reviewed conference attendance to fit above model; more in executive session.
  • Governance Committee – This Committee has not met since the last Board meeting.
  • Finance – Tim Beckett: A meeting was held on January 22. Came in near budget for 2019 – within $100; good work everyone. Revenue is key going forward, will discuss more in Executive session. Need to relook at 2020 budget to make sure we can hit what we want.
  • Audit Committees – Nothing reported at this time.
  • Building Committee – This Committee has not met since the last Board meeting.
  • Membership & Marketing Committee – This Committee has not met since the last Board meeting.

Conclusion of Committee Reports.

Membership & Marketing Report

Ken Adamczyk:  In the future, a written report will be sent out with the BOD package. Refer to handout for this meeting’s M&M report.

  • Taking a three tier approach to Membership: Marketing, Events, & Training. This should add value for Members.

Marketing

  • Placed ad in Leader Herald “Portraits” edition for February 26 to push training schedule.
  • Google My Business – 30 new people visited site last month, up 67%.
  • Facebook – June 19 there were 444 followers; as of Jan 20, up to 629. Post reach is 18,657, up 3,800%. Engagements were at 2800, up 380%. There were 53 new followers in January.
  • CRG is doing well against local competitors. Front Page Gloversville is the only one beating us, but they can post anything, like puppy pics, and we keep our site focused and professional.
  • Only two net followers were lost since June. There was a lull pre-Gala due to Ken’s time being consumed by the event.
  • A boost occurred in December, pushing the training and the MicroEnterprise Grant (MEG) sessions. There 167 responses (show of interest in) to the event.
  • Linked In is in the process of being setup. We were locked out of CRG’s previous account.

Training

  • Seven people are involved in the MEG training which began on January 13, 2020.
  • Planning and Time Management training occurred on January, 14, 2020 with three people in attendance. Additional help will be provided to their business to assist further.
  • Additional funds have been raised through these programs.

Events

  • A tentative date of November 19, 2020 has been proposed for the Gala. Board approval of the event format and timing will take place later in the year.
  • A CRG event is being planned for mid-May. It will be similarly interactive like the Gala, but will be a family-friendly event.
  • A quarterly, Business-to-Business Networking (B2BN) session was held on January 15, 2020 with twenty businesses and officials from Northville/Northampton in attendance. Lots was accomplished, discussions ranged from business organization to social media.
  • Upcoming B2BN sessions:
    • April – Gloversville and Caroga Lake
    • July – Broadalbin and Mayfield
    • October – Johnstown

Membership

  • A new program flyer has been designed (handout). This version is a preliminary one, the actual will be on higher quality paper.  We are driving home what CRG does and put clients in the pictures.
  • Copies will be out on the streets next week to drive Membership. Target is a 10% increase in members and a 10% increase in financial number from 2019.
  • The IDA has paid their Gold membership for 2020!
  • We also will have thank-you notes to follow-up with each new membership.

Conclusion of Membership and Marketing Report.

Gloversville Downtown Development Specialist Report

James Hannahs:  See report included in BOD package. This is the third full week of getting up to speed, worked on multiple fronts:

  • Getting to know business owners and managers like Sue Casey, Mohawk Harvest, Eccentric Club, Glove Theater and others.
  • With Mike Medina – hosting community events and looking into development opportunities for the second floor through a MicroEnterprise Grant.
  • With Kevin Orcutte who is considering first floor development on North Main St. for a night-life/entertainment venue.
  • Looking into funding resources with Ron and Ken for TonyaLynette’s building and Patty Noble’s Wellness Center.
  • Reviewing development of Frontage Road and Trail Station Park Area
  • Burr St. development – working with the city on that area, understanding the needs.
  • Working with downtown businesses. A sunflower garden is planned to be installed in the downtown area.

The goal is threefold:

  • Tangible development
  • Alternative funding streams
  • Increased foot traffic

Dr. Leslie Ford pointed out that James was off to a strong start and should spend some time thinking about what he may need in the form of training and/or networking.

Conclusion of GDDS Report.

Chamber, Fulton County, IDA, and City Reports

Dr. Leslie Ford requested reports from the City and County members present.

Fulton County IDA – Scott Henze:

  • Travis and Scott are working on a call-in site analysis meeting to be held in early February.
  • Scott noted that the IDA appreciates being part of the SelectUSA event in Washington D.C. each year. It is very eye-opening.  Ron noted that it may not be possible this year.

City Reports –

Gloversville – John Blackmon

  • Noted that Warren Greene is the new Board of Supervisors Chair for 2020.
  • The county is dealing with the EMS problem
  • Economic development – pushing for more exposure to bring businesses in.
  • Ten properties were transferred to the city for tear-down with free access to county landfill.

The city gets clear land this way and the county doesn’t need to auction those properties.

Johnstown – Vernon Jackson:

  • State of the City report was very optimistic
  • The Palatine Dairy building looks good. The West Meadow sign is up.
  • La Cocina received their grant, thanks to CRG for the help.
  • Johnstown Police Department is remodeling and will have excess furniture for CRG’s Incubator at no cost.
  • Second Wind Coffee is having their first anniversary.
  • Townsend Leather was rated in the Top 10 businesses in the Albany Business Review.
  • Census jobs are available for individuals at $20/hr.
  • Peebles is closing and being replaced by Gordman’s. There will be a job fair, they are hiring. Ribbon cutting will be held on February 18.
  • Ron noted that Vern and he would be having a sit down with Palatine Dairy very soon.

Conclusion of County and City Reports.

President and CEO Report

Ron Peters:

Current Projects

  • 34 W Fulton St Revitalization – We have an extension and a partial draw down. Have asked the state for additional holding costs to be covered, should have answer before next meeting. The request for an M/WBE waiver was denied
  • National Grid Lighting Program – on hold until more funding is available for the portion not covered by the grant.

MicroEnterprise Grant Program Update

  • We will be going for a CFA for more MEG money. It is a great program for the small businesses in our area.

Community Outreach Programs

  • Business Tours for Elected Officials
    • A February tour is planned for the Northville Five and “Dine” and 5 & 10.
  • Community Assistance
  • Northville – Had a good business meeting there. They need assistance with developing a business association program.
  • Gloversville – LWRP was reviewed by James. Met with the City to get arms around interest level, do not want to lose anyone.
  • Johnstown – Working with downtown Merchants Association to expand job base.
  • Caroga Lake – Business-to-business will be held. Possibly some LWRP’s up there. John Blackmon noted that a Dollar General is opening next door to the Firehouse restaurant, further south from the park which is a preferred location.
  • Mayfield – Business-to-business to be held; will hit as many outlying businesses as possible.
  • Dolgeville – LWRP approved; met with counterpart in Herkimer County, they will take the lead.

Business Marketing Inquiries

  • Held fifty business meetings in January
  • Nine inquiries came in ranging from Mom & Pop shops to RV parks.
  • One warehousing space request from a local business.

Combined County Marketing Effort Update

  • Had a good meeting with Jon Stead on coordination between groups.

Loan Applicant Updates

  • The County Wide Loan Fund is low, nearing under $30,000. We are looking into new sources. In the Executive Session we will review the loan fund from the State.
  • Closed on Great Sacandaga Brewing Company Loan, should be open in March or April.

2020 Initiatives

  • Two target industries will be robustly pushed.
  • First-Time Home Buyer program – want to find someone else to run it.
  • Looking for revenue sources for CRG, possible services/broaden our presence.
  • Leslie Ford noted that these initiatives tie-in well with Ron’s goals.

Conclusion of the President and CEO Report.

Adjournment to Executive Session to Discuss Legal Issues

At 9:25 a.m., Gregory Fagan moved a motion to adjourn to executive session, Travis Mitchell seconded the motion and it passed unanimously by all present.  John Blackmon and Scott Henze were invited to remain for the Executive Session.

Gregory Fagan moved a motion to return from executive session, Timothy Beckett seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously by all present. The Board returned from executive session at 10:10 a.m.

Action Taken:

  • None

Meeting Adjournment

At 10:10 a.m., Grant Preston moved a motion to adjourn the meeting which was seconded by Terri Easterly with unanimous passing by all present.

Respectfully Submitted,

________________________________                    _________________

Gregory Fagan, Board Secretary                                                Date

Board Meetings are held the Fourth Friday of the Month
at the CRG Main Office
at 8:30 AM

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