<p> 1st Quarter Business Meeting March 6, 2014; 9 AM Kiowa County Memorial Hospital Greensburg, KS </p><p>1. Call to Order a. Present: Aaron Cannon, Aaron White, Abby Murray, Bob Dale, Bob Muirhead, Bob Wetmore, Carol Meyer, Cheryl Schmale, Christy Hopkins, Dan Steffen, Erik Pedersen, Gabe Schlickau, Helen Dobbs, James Foster, Jeanette Siemens, Jeff Hofaker, Kara Jecha, Katie Eisenhour, Lauren Long, Lona DuVall, Loretta Heft, Megan Grapengater, Michael Solomon, Mike O'Kane, Monique Pope, Nikki Pfannenstiel, Ralph Goodnight, Randall Hrabe, Richard Boeckman, Roger Hrabe, Ronald Newman, Scott Sproul, Simone Cahoj, Sydney Blanton b. Guests: John Marshall, Mike Butler</p><p>2. Introductions/Announcements a. President Helen Dobbs announced the meeting dates and locations for the remaining 2014 Quarterly Meetings. i. June 4-5 – Colby ii. September 10-11 – Garden City iii. December 3-4 – Russell b. Presentation of appreciation awards to Jeff Hofaker for his service as 2012 wKREDA President and Ralph Goodnight for his service as 2013 wKREDA President.</p><p>3. Approval of Minutes a. Katie Eisenhour moved to approve the minutes, Lona DuVall seconded. Motion carried. </p><p>4. Treasurer’s Report/Approval a. Nikki Pfannenstiel presented the Treasurer’s Report. Current account balances are $83,346.34 in checking, $30,680.45 in savings for a total of $114,026.79. She reported that memberships are up this year. Nikki also noted that Nextech is our current webhost for the website and they have recently sold the web platform to Hays Daily News. This could possibly have an effect on our website contract and fees. Expenses from the Dairy Team’s appearance at Tulare will appear in the June Quarterly Report. Michael Solomon moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report, Jeff Hofaker seconded. Motion carried. </p><p>5. Committee Reports: a. Business Development: Katie Eisenhour led the presentations for Business Development Committees. i. Dairy Team 1. Lona DuVall reported that the Dairy Team’s trip to Tulare was a success. Kansas has been recognized as the fastest growing dairy state. 2. Lona also reported that the Dairy in Kansas website is being updated through joint efforts between Nikki Pfannenstiel and Billy Brown, Kansas Dept of Ag. The Kansas Department of Ag and wKREDA Dairy Team will split the costs for updates, and wKREDA will maintain control of the website. Costs will be $1550 each for a total project cost of $3,100. ii. We Have Jobs 1. Jeff Hofaker reported we have purchased updated promotional items. There are older items available for communities that need those including semi-truck stickers, magnets, brochures, and water. 2. Roger Hrabe added that if you are having issues with postings; notify him to make sure they get approved in a timely manner. Discussion was held about additional changes to theWHJ website including Businesses for Sale tab and resume postings. 3. Katie Eisenhour reported what due to military career fair changes requiring companies to attend with bona fide job listings there is a need to identify jobs that are best suited for military when attending. Lt Col Hipskind will be contacting Katie with positions that would work best and Katie will forward those to us prior to the next Military Career Fair. It was noted to utilize Kansas Works as a partner to identify military suitable jobs. iii. Retail Recruitment Committee Proposal 1. Michael Solomon presented a proposal to form a retail recruitment committee. Joining the International Council of Shopping Centers and attending regional conferences were two key parts of this proposal. Discussion was held on the viability and interest from other communities in the wKREDA territory. Lona DuVall raised a question about the amount of funding required to move this committee forward. Jeff Hofaker moved to form a retail recruitment committee with Michael Solomon as chair, Nikki Pfannenstiel seconded. Motion carried. Volunteers for the newly formed committee include: Aaron White, Bob Dale, Helen Dobbs, Katie Eisenhour, Lona DuVall, Michael Solomon, and Scott Sproul. Contact Helen Dobbs or Michael Solomon if interested in joining. b. Legislative Committee i. Nikki Pfannenstiel reported that the new legislative mission was rescheduled for March 19 beginning at 8 AM. KLPG is very interested in continuing the working relationship with wKREDA for legislative purposes. RSVPs are needed from wKREDA membership to determine the attendance. A list of attending legislators will be sent out through the listserv. Nikki handed out the agendas and platform information for the Legislative Mission. c. Housing Task Force– no report. d. Public Relations i. A Discussion was held about need for changes on the website. e. Education i. Roger reported on the success of the tours prior to CD 101. Having the tours prior to CD 101 for those who want to attend works well. He mentioned options for the next CD 101 and reminded people to contact him if there is topic that can be presented. </p><p>6. Old Business - None</p><p>7. New Business a. Helen Dobbs asked for volunteers to serve on the 2014 Audit Committee. Cheryl Schmale and Randy Hrabe volunteered. b. Lona DuVall shared that The Hutchinson News, Garden City Telegram, Hays Daily News, and Salina Journal produced a quarterly publication called Kansas AgLand. It is delivered to approximately 30,000 households across the wKREDA territory and beyond in 66 counties. This might be a resource for any agriculture related issue wKREDA focuses on in the future. </p><p>8. Adjournment a. With no other business to be discussed, Helen Dobbs adjourned the meeting at 10:17 AM with guest presentations to follow. </p><p>9. Presentations: The following individuals presented information to the assembled group following the business meeting: a. Mike Butler – Kansas Department of Commerce East Coast Recruitment b. John Marshall – Golden Shovel Agency, Economic Gateway: Greater America Online</p>