ERA Board of Trustees Update Editor’s note: The Electrical Rebuilders’ Association Board of Trustees meets twice monthly via conference call in order to take care of a variety of issues that can’t wait until the entire board gets together twice a year. In order to keep our members up to date, the trustees have decided to print highlights of their meeting minutes in the Exchange each month. Please feel free to contact any of the board members with questions or concerns (board listed on page Il). Wednesday, June 16, 2004 Members present: Mike Schroeder, Chris Thompson, Alan Melton, Polly Shea, Dan Smith, Hank Henke, and Bob Thomas. Highlights: First item discussed was the week- end case of “supplier bashing” on the EREN forum. Several phone calls have been made to both the supplier and the rebuilder involved. Everyone agreed that there needs to be a place for rebuilders to talk about problems they may be hav- ing with specific parts, and when done properly the needs of both rebuilders and suppliers can be served. The new Web site will have a separate forum for “quality con- trol” issues, and this forum will be moderated to prevent abuse. In addition, the new Web site will include a set of rules that each user must agree to prior to using the forums for the first time. The first item on the agenda was the 2005 show and planning meet- ing. It was decided that an August date for the planning meeting was too short notice. Shea suggested September 11 and all present were in agreement with that date. All board members will be contacted to determine if the date will work for enough people to make the meeting successful. Show attendance was discussed, and Melton suggested that the forum be used to ask those who did not attend the Covington show, why they didn’t. Henke pointed out that in calling rebuilders within his region before the show, a number gave ‘graduations’ and ‘vacations’ as reasons for not being able to attend. Schroeder pointed out that May is the beginning of the busy season for many shops, and that we might consider an earlier date for 2006. Most agreed that March might be a better month, if the 2006 show was held in a southern location. Henke suggested Memphis as a southern location with a large number of rebuilders within driving distance. Second item on the agenda was membership. Schroeder reported that 24 new members were signed up during and prior to the show, but pointed out that of the 12 renewal notices sent out for May, none were paid. As of this date the asso- ciation has 390 members. He also pointed out that a disproportionate number of members were suppliers (nearly 25 percent of the member- ship). Based on an estimate of 5,000 active rebuilding businesses, less than six percent have joined. Thomas noted that the opening of the new Web site should increase membership, since many using the EREN forum on a regular basis have never joined the association. Each will be given a 30-day pass which will automatically expire with an e-mail invitation to join. He said that there are 120 rebuilders in this group of non- member users, and expects some to join to retain use of the Web site. He also suggested an early fall membership drive be orga- nized and noted that many new memberships were received last summer as a direct result of appli- cations inserted in monthly sale flyers by suppliers. The next item of business was the Web site. Thomas reported that Wes Grueninger was nearly fin- ished with the membership part of the site. He said that final testing of the site would be taking place within a week, and that July 1 is now the projected “Grand Opening” date. E-mail invitations will be sent out to all ERA mem- bers who have e-mail addresses, and also to all current EREN users. The final subject discussed was the remaining seminars for 2004. Melton reported that the date for the Long Island seminar had been changed to August 28, so as not to conflict with the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Tzom Gedalia. The seminar will be hosted by York College in Jamaica, N.Y. Albert Abney, who heads the school’s rebuilding program, has volunteered a classroom and will provide lunch for the seminar. Smith suggested we ask AMSCO— Valley Forge to help us promote the seminar heavily to rebuilders in the immediate area. He volun- teered to call Brian Minoff to see if they will help. Melton confirmed that Northwest Regulator would be hosting the Portland seminar, and Thomas reported that Mike Dietrich has finished planning the Salt Lake City seminar, which will be held at the REXCO warehouse.