CONSULTANTS FORUM
INDEX OF MINUTES

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS
OLD MINUTES
June 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006
May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006
October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007
March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 August 2007
September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008
February 2008 March 2008

 
E-BOARD MINUTES
January 23, 2006      June 9, 2006

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present:

John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Gaetano Apa, Randy Begole, Al Bennet represented by Misty Swearingian, Brandon Bressner, Robert Burdess, Jr., Steven Buttice, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, Lamar Harris, David Hohmann, Tadd Johnson, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Cathy Thomatis, Todd Thousand represented By Gaetano Apa, Mitch Williams.

Absent:

Al ennett, John Chaney, Melissa Comer, Kosta Demetreas, Marcel Isaak, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Rich Ledbetter, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Mike Meronk, Mugdha Pattekar, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Todd Thousand, Matt West, Kate Wilson.

Guests:

1. Matthew Burdess invited by Robert Burdess Jr. of Potter's Graphix
2. Misty Swearingian, licensed real estate agent with Keller Williams Real Estate invited by Al Bennet
3. Karen Lawson of Gutter Helmet/ Peoria Siding invited by Lamar Harris
4. Paul Zocovic of Adams Outdoor Advertising invited by Randy Begole.

Meeting Agenda:

Mark Friedrich, President, called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.

All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business. Mark also reminded members of the “member take a member to lunch” to have a better understanding of one another's business.

Mark once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules: $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

The Meeting Minutes of the February 2008 Meeting Notes were accepted and approved – Motion made by Brandon Bressner, seconded by Cathy Thomais – approved and passed

Announcements:

1. Mitch Williams announced and explained the Linkedin networking program. A news brief announcement was sent to all the members through the Forum's Potter's eMarketer email system announcing and explaining the Linkedin program.

2. John Abraham was asked mention the upcoming show again. He did. The Body Building Show – NGA Heart of America is scheduled for May 3rd. It is a drug free event for body builders. You can get more information at www.hoananaturalclassic.com. Booth sponsors and general business sponsors are welcome. This is a John Abraham, Brad Schupp, and Moses Praul production.

3. Gaetano Apa announced that soon everyone will have an opportunity to create their 60 second commercial print version 'business brief' that could possibly include pictures and even a video (if the members chooses and desires this) and that each business will have the opportunity to send their commercial via the Potter's eMarketer email account that has been set up for the Forum to the entire membership. Gaetano will follow up with instructions on how to do this so everyone has an opportunity to get involved. The business briefs will alternate so that everyone will get their turn. Eventually the eMail system can be utilized to go beyond the membership. Gaetano said he will show us how this can be done effectively.

Treasurer’s Report:

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer's report, reporting a balance of $1,877.97 in our account. All submitted bills have been paid.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee: N/A
E-Board: N/A
Other: N/A


New Business:

1. Application and check submitted for approval by Paul Zacovic, Adams Outdoor Advertising, 911 South West Adams Street, Peoria, IL 61602, 309-692-2482, cell – 309-868-3884, pzacovic@adamsoutdoor.com, www.adamsoutdoor.com.

Applicant and guests were asked to step outside while discussion and vote ensued. Motion made by David Holman, seconded by Ryan Palm – motion carried and vote was taken. Paul was voted in as our newest member under the category of Billboard Advertising.

2. Tadd Johnson asked if he could switch his membership from Midwestern Entertainment to New Horizons, Computer Learning Centers of Central Illinois., 1014 W Pioneer Parkway, Peoria, IL 61615, 309-692-1400 fax: 309-692-4200, www.nh-central.com. A small discussion ensued. A vote was taken. Tadd was approved to switch his membership from Midwestern Entertainment to New Horizons of Central Illinois.

Old Business: N/A

50/50 Drawing:

The 50/50 drawing was held. Mark reminded members the purpose for the 50/50 drawing is to help offset the $15 eMail service fee for the eMarketer account. Mark won the drawing. There was a total of $22 in the basket of which mark won $11 and the remaining $11 will be deposited into the Forum bank account. To date there is a total of $18 in the account from the drawing.

Member Spotlight:

Member: Robert Burdess with Potter's Garphix was spotlighted. His contact information is Potter's Graphix, P.O. Box 248, Groveland, IL 61535. 888-602-7772. Potter?s Graphix is a full service graphics and marketing design company, offering professional graphics design. Bob said no job or company is too small or too large for Potter's Graphix.

Meeting Adjourned:

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Mark; seconded by Jeff Davies at 12:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Gaetano Apa, Secretary

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present:

John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Gaetano Apa, Al Bennett, Brandon Bressner, Jeff Davies, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Marcelo Isaak, Stan Marshall, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Todd Thousand, Mitch Williams,

Absent:

Randy Begole, Robert Burdess, Jr., Steven Buttice, John Chaney, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Lamar Harris, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Rich Ledbetter, Mike Meronk, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer

Guests:

Michael Hintz, Owner - Absolute Fitness invited by Troy Alexander
Misty Swearingian, Licensed agent with Keller Williams real Estate invited by Al Bennett
Sandy Forney – Owner of ART-4-EYEZ invited by Mitch Williams
Moses Praul of Fort Toyota invited by John Abraham

Meeting Agenda:

Mark Friedrich, President, called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.

All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business. Mark also reminded members of the “member take a member to lunch” to have a better understanding of one another’s business.

Mark once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules: $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

A motion was made to accept the Meeting Minutes of the January 3, 2008 by Brad Schupp, seconded by Marcelo Isaak. Meeting Minutes were accepted and approved.

Announcements:

  1. Gaetano Apa announced that the Potter’s Vessel Forum Group ad is coming along well. There are 22 members who are participating. He encouraged better follow-up from the members on the proofing process.
  2. Gaetano Apa announced that the eMarketer email system account for the Forum Group is almost ready to use. Mitch and Gaetano will coordinate efforts to engage the usage of the system.
  3. John Abraham reminded everyone of the Body Building Show – NGA Heart of America coming May 3 which is a drug free event for body builders. You can get more information at www.hoanaturalclassic.com.  This is a John Abraham, Brad Schuppp and Moses Praul production.
  4. Mitch Williams announced that this month marks his third anniversary of appearing Wednesday evenings at Tyroni's Italian Cafe in Bartonville, and invited all to come see him any Wednesday.

Treasurer’s Report:

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $2,136.66 in our account. All submitted bills have been paid.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee: The Holiday Party went well with over 30 people attending. Everyone had a great time. A suggestion was made that next year everyone be issued name tags.

E-Board: N/A

Other: N/A

Old Business:

1. Dynamic Technology Consulting, Inc was not accepted into the Forum membership at this time due to a perceived conflict of competition from one of the current members

New Business:

  1. A discussion ensued and a vote was taken regarding changing the meeting day to another day. The vote was to leave the meeting day as the First Thursday of every month.
  2. A Discussion ensued and a vote was taken regarding changing the meeting length from 1 hour to 1.5 hours starting the meeting at 11:30 instead of 12 noon. The vote was to leave the meeting length at 1 hour starting at 12 noon.
  3. John Abraham suggested we consider inviting a CPA into the membership. He suggested we have a need for such a professional. Several people spoke up indicating they had some ideas and would try to bring them to the meeting next month.
  4. Our March Member Spotlight was announced as Robert Burdess Jr with Potter’s Graphix. Our April member Spotlight was announced as Brandon Bressner of Legal Record.
  5. Jeff Davies won the 50/50 drawing

50/50 Drawing:

The 50/50 drawing was held. Jeff Davies won the split pot.

As a reminder the 50/50 drawing was voted in and is held every month in order to offset some monthly recurring minor expenses for the group.

The cost is $1 per business card and $2 for 3 business cards. A business card is picked from the basket by a member and the pot is split 50/50 from the total amount of money taken in that day.

Member Spotlight:

Member: Todd Thousand spotlighted Potter’s eSolutions and specifically the eMarketer email service for general email marketing and email communications system. For more information visit www.pottersemarketer.com.

Meeting Adjourned:

Next meeting is March 6, 2008 at the Lariat Club in Peoria.

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Mark Friedrich; seconded by Marcelo Isaak at 12:54 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Gaetano Apa, Secretary

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2008
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Gaetano Apa, Randy Begole, Brandon Bressner, Robert Burdess, Steven Buttice, John Chaney, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Marcel Isaak, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Stan Marshall, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Todd Thousand, Mitch Williams.

Absent: Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Lamar Harris, Tim Jacobs, Tadd Johnson, Rich Ledbetter, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mike Meronk, Kathy Schaeffer, Matt West, Kate Wilson.

Guests: Glenn Berkshier – Dynamic Technology, Inc (Apa); Moses Praul - Fort Toyota (Abraham); Jim Rankin - Oberlander Alarms (Shadley); Kevin Bradship - ? (?); Cory Koch – Designer Concepts Landscape Architecture, Inc (Ryan Palm)

Mark Friedrich, President, called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests. Mark tried something new allowing each of us to interview another member with these we three questions – 1) what is your occupation; 2) who was your best referral received from within the group, 3) what is the type referral needed today. All members and guests were introduced by another member giving a short account of their business. Mark also reminded members of the “member take a member to lunch” to have a better understanding of one another’s business.

Mark reiterated our 50/50/50 rules: $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

A motion was made by Randy Begole, seconded by Gaetano Apa, to approve the Meeting Minutes of the December 6, 2007 Meeting; accepted and approved.

The following prospective new member was introduced but was asked to hold until next month to be voted in: Glenn Berkshier with Dynamic Technologies, Inc. He was asked to wait because we ran out of time.

Business cards were passed out and a few new business card holders were passed out those who did not have one.

Announcements:

John Abraham introduced and promoted the NGA Heart of America Bodybuilding Championships being help in Peoria on May 3rd, 2008 more info at www.hoanaturalclassic.com. John handed out a flyer with information about event.

Treasurer’s Report:

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $2,655.66 in our account. All submitted bills have been paid. No other bills are pending. A few membership dues are still due in from members. A plea was made to get these dues in.

Committee Reports:

Pauline reiterated the Holiday party information from the Holiday Committee (passing out a flyer with information: The Holiday Party will be held at The River Station on January 26th with Ken Klotz, Bradley Small Business Segment, speaking and Mitch Williams entertaining. Coco Loco will be performing next door at Martini’s. Email any questions for the speaker to Pauline.

New Business:

Member of the Year ballots were distributed to the membership at the November meeting. Jon Foerster collected the results and the winner is Jeff Davies. Congratulations, Jeff !

The perks of being named MOYA are:

Gaetano Apa was allowed to make an announcement and an offering to the membership regarding the proposed 2 page spread ad to go into the Potter’s Vessel Peoria 08 Metro edition. After some discussion a motion was made to vote on the proposal. Mark indicated that at least 20 was needed for a majority vote. Gaetano indicated he needed at least 20 to make it work. The vote was taken. The proposal passed with a majority vote. A second vote was taken to accept the cost to the Forum of $220 for the header of the ad and the $15 monthly fee for the eMarketer part of the proposal. The vote passed. A motion was made to accept the proposal by Mark Friedrich, seconded by Jon Foerster. Motion passed. Proposal was accepted. Gaetano Apa will follow up to the membership for logos and invoicing.

Mark Friedrich brought forth for discussion a choice of listing the membership on the web site. Mitch Williams suggested he could do either PDF or Excel Spreadsheet style. Mark asked for a vote. A discussion ensued. A decision was made that both were probably needed. Gaetano volunteered to update the spreadsheet portion then submit it to Mitch for uploading. A vote was taken to have both. Majority voted to have both.

Mitch Williams graciously agreed to upload both. Gaetano agreed to update the excel spreadsheet.

Jon Foerster asked to discuss voting on allowing Steve Kelley to have dual memberships for his business Corner to Corner - one for commercial application and one for residential application. A discussion concluded that he did not need to have dual membership since there is currently no other commercial cleaning business as a member and that Corner to Corner is both a residential and commercial cleaning company. It was also mentioned that in the future should another cleaning company come up for membership that Steve would be asked for a vote of first refusal to allow or not allow the company to be voted in. A vote was taken and passed by majority vote. A motion was made to accept the vote by Mark Friedrich and seconded by Gaetano Apa. Motion was passed and accepted.

Old Business:

Nothing to report.

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Mark Friedrich; seconded by Randy Begole at 1:20 p.m.

Steve Kelley, Corner to Corner Cleaning, LLC was the member to be spotlighted at this meeting. Because the meeting ran out of time Steve was asked to wait until the Feb meeting to spotlight his business. He agreed.

Next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at The Lariat.

Respectfully submitted,

Gaetano Apa

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Gaetano Apa, Randy Begole, Steve Buttice, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Steve Kelly, Stan Marshall, Mike Meronk, Mike Nordwall, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, Kate Wilson

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, John Chaney, Lamar Harris, Marcel Isaak, Dan Joseph, Rich Ledbetter, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Matt West

Guests:   Brandon Bressner, Legal Record Corporation (Apa); Chuck Brown, Blue Chip Seminars (Davies); Robert Burdess, Potter’s E Marketer (Apa); Moses Praul, Fort Toyota (Abraham); Paul Zacovic, Adams Outdoor (Begole)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:20 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  Randy also reminded members of the “member take a member to lunch” to have a better understanding of one another’s business.

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

A motion was made by Jon Foerster, seconded by Cathy Thomatis, to approve the Meeting Minutes of the November 2007 Meeting; accepted and approved.

The following new members were accepted into Consultants Forum:  Brandon Bressner (Legal Record); Robert Burdess (Potter’s Graphix) and Todd Thousand (Potter’s eSolutions).

Announcements:

Dave Hohmann has been promoted to Assistant Vice President at Merrill Lynch.

Randy Begole is looking for full-time office personnel; he would like names submitted to him by January 1, 2008 and will be filling the position by February 1, 2008.

Several member success stories were shared, representing the power of networking and referrals.

Treasurer’s Report:

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $1,973.20 in our account.  All submitted bills have been paid.  No other bills are pending.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee:  The Holiday Party will be held at The River Station on January 26th with Ken Klotz, Bradley Small Business Segment, speaking and Mitch Williams entertaining.  Coco Loco will be performing next door at Martini’s.  Email any questions for the speaker to Pauline.

New Business:             

Member of the Year ballots were distributed to the membership.  Jon Foerster collected the results and the winner will be announced at the January 2008 meeting.  The perks of being named MOYA are:  Monthly lunches paid for by the organization and the member’s guest will be paid for at the Holiday Party.

Old Business:

Nothing to report.

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Kathy Schaeffer; seconded by Melissa Comer at 1:00 p.m.

Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass & Mirror, was the member spotlighted at this meeting.

Next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 3, 2008 at The Lariat.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Gaetano Apa, Randy Begole, John Chaney, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, Lamar Harris, David Hohmann, Marcel Isaak, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Mitch Williams

Absent:  Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Kosta Demetreas, David Hohmann, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Rich Ledbetter, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mike Meronk, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Brad Schupp, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Kate Wilson

Guests:   Brandon Bressner, Legal Record Corporation (Apa); Glen Berkshier, Potter’s E Marketer (Apa); Robert Burdess, Potter’s E Marketer (Apa); Todd Thousand, Dynamic Technology Consultanting, Inc. (Apa)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  Randy also reminded members of the “member take a member to lunch” to have a better understanding of one another’s business.

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

The Meeting Minutes of the October 2007 Meeting were accepted and approved.

Announcements:

Mitch Williams will be performing Wednesday evenings at Tyroni’s in Bartonville and Thursday evenings at Patty O’Flaherty’s in Morton.

Lamar Harris will be performing at Bogie’s on Sterling on November 7th.

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $1,973.20 in our account.  All submitted bills have been paid.  No other bills are pending.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee:  The Holiday Party will be held at The River Station on January 25th with Ken Klotz, Bradley Small Business Segment, speaking and Mitch Williams entertaining.  Coco Loco will be performing next door at Martini’s.  Email any questions for the speaker to Pauline.

New Business:

The supply of business cardholders has been exhausted.  A vote was taken to order fifty (50) more with the Forum’s treasury covering the cost.

Gaetano Apa has proposed an opportunity for advertising, at a very reduced rate, in The Potter’s Vessel to all members.  He will be emailing everyone with the specifics.

After a secret ballot voting, the following were named officers for the coming year:

President: Mark Friedrich
Vice President: Kim Shadley
Secretary: Gaetano Apa
Treasurer: Jeff Davies

Old Business:

If there is any other member interested in being a part of the Consultant’s Forum Map, please contact Randy Begole.

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Kathy Schaeffer; seconded by Art Remsik at 1:04 p.m.

Marcel Isaak, Mr. Handyman of Greater Peoria, LLC was the member spotlighted at this meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Gaetano Apa, Randy Begole, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Lamar Harris, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Tadd Johnson, Rich Ledbetter, Mike Meronk, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Mitch Williams, Kate Wilson

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Mark Friedrich, Marcelo Isaak, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mugdha Pattekar, Art Remsik

Guests:   Aaron Guariglia, Merrill Lynch (Hohmann)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.

A vote was taken to accept two (2) new members into our group:  Marcelo Isaak, Mr. Handyman of Greater Peoria and Gaetano Apa of The Potters Vessel.

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.  

A motion was made to accept the August minutes by Brad Schupp; seconded by Mitch Williams.

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $1,884.31 in our account.  All submitted bills have been paid.  No other bills are pending.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee:  In Pauline’s absence, Tadd shared with the group that Pauline would be suggesting going to Martini’s after the dinner for anyone wishing to do so.  Mitch Williams volunteered to once again be on the committee.      

Randy also asked for volunteers interested in serving on the 2008 Election Committee.   Tadd Johnson and Gaetano Apa both volunteered.

Three options were presented for the maps that came out of the meeting held on September 27th.  A brief discussion was held with the following costs being stated:  For a quantity of 5,000 . . . $.80 for two-color, $1.20 for full-color.  More discussion will take place at the next meeting.  Randy will e-mail further information to those who expressed interest:  Ryan Palm, Jon Foerster, Al Bennett, Mike Meronk, Tim Jacobs, Hal McNeill, Stan Marshall, Cathy Thomatis, Lamar Harris, Steve Buttice, Steve Kelly and Kate Wilson.  

Motion of adjournment of the business meeting was made by Cathy Thomatis; seconded by David Hohmann at 12:50 p.m.

Lamar Harris, Express Home Inspections, LLC was the member spotlight this meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Randy Begole, Steve Buttice, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerster, Lamar Harris, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Mike Meronk, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Mitch Williams

Absent:  Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Kosta Demetreas, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Dan Joseph, Steve Kelly, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mike Nordwall, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kate Wilson

Guests:   Gaetano Apa, The Potter’s Vessel (guest of Tadd Johnson); John Chaney, AT&T; Bo Ledbetter and Rich Ledbetter, Extreme Ridez, Inc. (guests of Matt West); Marcelo Isaak, Mr. Handyman (guest of Jon Foerster); Diane Mitzelfelt, Numero Publishing (guest of Tadd Johnson)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.

A correction was made to the August meeting minutes. Mike Meronk was the guest of Al Bennett at the August meeting.  A motion was made to accept the August minutes as corrected.

A vote was taken to accept two (2) new members into our group:  John Chaney, AT&T, and Rich Ledbetter, Extreme Ridez. The group welcomed them as new members.

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $1,793.89 in our account.  All submitted bills have been paid.  No other bills are pending.

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee:  Pauline reported that she had spoken with someone at the River Station.  Their cost for three (3) different entrees would be $26.00 per person.  The entrée choices are prime rib, top sirloin, pesto chicken and pasta primo vera, which will also include a baked potato, salad and rolls. Pauline also spoke with Ken Klotz, Director of Small Business, Bradley University, who agreed to be a speaker.  Randy asked that we wait until next month to approve this choice and asked anyone who has any suggestions for topics for his speech to contact Pauline at her e-mail address (paulinejohnson276@sbcglobal.net).            

Randy also asked that anyone interested in serving on the 2008 Election Committee e-mail him.

Randy Begole asked the membership if there is any interest in sponsoring a map of Peoria to give out to new residents.  We briefly discussed a map and several options.  We will discuss this further at the next meeting.  Randy will e-mail further information to those who expressed interest:  Ryan Palm, Jon Foerster, Al Bennett, Mike Meronk, Tim Jacobs, Hal McNeill, Stan Marshall, Cathy Thomatis, Lamar Harris, Steve Buttice, Steve Kelly and Kate Wilson.  Art Remsik is interested in a directory only.  They will meet two weeks from today, 9/20/07, for lunch to discuss.

Because of the length of the meeting, Lamar’s presentation was rescheduled for October’s meeting.

Ryan Palm made a motion to adjourn and Pauline Johnson seconded.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Thomatis

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Randy Begole, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, David Hohmann, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Mugdha Pattekar, Art Remsik, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Mitch Williams

Absent:  Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Kosta Demetrius; Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Tadd Johnson, Mike Nordwall, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley

Guests:  Steven Buttice, Medical Reimbursement & Management Services (guest of Randy Begole); Lynn Cisco, Home Inventory Incorporated (guest of Mark Friedrich); Lamar Harris, Express Home Inspections, LLC (guest of John Abraham); Steve Kelly, Corner to Corner Cleaning (guest of Jon Foerster); Rich Ledbetter, Extreme Ridez, Inc. (guest of Matt West); Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass & Mirror, Inc. (guest of Jon Foerster); Moses Praul (former member and guest of John Abraham); Kate Wilson, Henricksen (former member); Stan Marshall (former member)  

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  

Moses Praul is no longer with Verizon and is looking for a position in sales.  Please keep him in mind for any positions you may be aware of.  

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.  

A vote was taken to accept five (5) new members into our group:  Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass & Mirror, Inc.; William (Lamar) Harris, Express Home Inspections, LLC; Steve Kelly, Corner to Corner Cleaning; Kate Wilson, Henricksen; and Steven Buttice, Medical Reimbursement & Management Services. Randy also received an application from Kim Shadley, who has changed jobs.  He is now with Heart Technology.  Stan Marshall has also applied for membership again.

Ryan Palm made a motion to approve the June meeting meetings as posted on the website.  Jeff Davies seconded the motion.

Mitch Williams read a letter of apology he received from a student, who had done a paper on magic and plagiarized a portion of Mitch’s information from his website.  The student’s professor also went on Mitch’s website and realized the student had plagiarized his paper, leading to a lesson in ethics.     

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report, reporting a balance of $1,578.47 in our account.  All submitted bills have been paid.  

Committee Reports:

Holiday Committee:  Pauline reported that she had spoken with someone at the River Station.  Their cost for three (3) different entrees would be $26.00 per person.  Pauline asked if we could increase the amount budgeted per person from $25.00 to $26.00 should we decide to hold our annual holiday party at the River Station.  They do have the date of 1/26/08 available.  She also spoke with someone at the Waterhouse and they would have to have a minimum of $500.00 to provide the “Dueling Pianos” as entertainment.  Pauline also spoke with Ken Klotz, Director of Small Business, Bradley University, who agreed to be a speaker.  Randy asked that we wait until next month to approve this choice and Pauline will get a biography of Mr. Klotz to have at that meeting.  Lamar Harris offered to donate his services for entertainment at no cost.  Mitch Williams is also available for entertainment on that date.       

Old Business:

Randy Begole asked the membership if there is any interest in sponsoring a map of Peoria to give out to new residents.  We briefly discussed a map and several options.  We will discuss this further at the May meeting.  Randy will e-mail further information to those who expressed interest:  Ryan Palm, Jon Foerster, Al Bennett, Mike Meronk, Tim Jacobs, Hal McNeill, Stan Marshall, Cathy Thomatis, Lamar Harris, Steve Buttice, Steve Kelly and Kate Wilson.  Art Remsik is interested in a directory only.

Mitch Williams motioned to adjourn the meeting at 1:00 pm and Lamar Harris seconded the motion.   

Mugdha Pattekar, Cartridge World, gave a presentation of her business.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Thomatis



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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Randy Begole, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Mitch Williams

Absent:  Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Kostas Demetreas, David Hohmann, Tadd Johnson, Stan Marshall, Mike Nordwall, Art Remsik, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West

Guests:  John Cheney, AT&T (Guest of Jeff Davies); Lamar Harris, Express Home Inspections (Guest of John Abraham); Mugdha Pattekar, Cartridge World (Guest of Randy Begole); Steve Kelly, Corner to Corner Cleaning (Guest of Jon Foerster); Kate Wilson, Henricksen  & Co.

Jon Foerster, Vice President, called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.  

A motion was made by Jon Foerster to approve the Minutes of the May 3, 2007 Meeting; motion seconded by Mitch Williams.  Minutes will stand as posted.

Jeff Davies reported a balance of $1,478.47 in our account and all submitted bills have been paid.  

Committee Reports:

    Mark Friedrich and Brad Schupp asked for all reservations and monies for the
    Jimmy Buffet Night at the Chiefs Game on July 21, 2007.  There are approximately     32 tickets remaining.

    Pauline Johnson asked for a vote as to when the Holiday Party will be held . . . either     
    January 12, 2008 or January 26, 2008.  Kathy Schaeffer made a motion that the
    party is held on Saturday, January 26, 2008; Jon Foerster seconded the motion . . .

    motion carried.  Pauline will proceed with securing a venue, entertainment and/or
    speaker.

New Business:

An application and check were received from Mugdha Pattekar, Cartridge World.  A vote was taken by show of hands to accept Mugdha for membership . . . unanimous vote to accept.

Jon Foerster shared with the group that his company no longer participates in conventional marketing but instead does charitable contributions.  He asked that Consultants Forum consider doing this.  More discussions will take place next month.

Old Business:

Ryan Palm is working on the local map.  Ryan will have more to report next month.

The meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.   

Member Spotlight:  Kim Shadley, VoiceSpring



Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer

Secretary

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present:
Randy Begole, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Kostas Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Tim Jacobs, Tadd Johnson, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Mike Nordwall, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis,  Matt West,  Mitch Williams

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Art Remsik

Guests:  Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass (Guest of Al Bennett); Rhonda Oloffson, Fox 43 (Guest of Melissa Comer) and Mugdha Pattekar, Cartridge World (Guest of Randy Begole)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business. 

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws. 

A motion was made by Jon Foerster to approve the Minutes of the April 5, 2007 Meeting; motion seconded by Brad Schupp.  Minutes will stand as posted.

Jeff Davies reported a balance of $1,517.49 in our account and all submitted bills have been paid. 

Brad Schupp made a motion to hold the July meeting at the event at O’Brien Field on July 21, 2007 in lieu of the regularly scheduled meeting date of July 5, 2007; motion seconded by Jon Foerster.  Motion carried.

Committee Reports:

July Meeting Committee:  An outing will be held at O’Brien Field (Home of the Chiefs) on Saturday, July 21st (Jimmy Buffet Night).  Brad presented the options on tickets/prices.  A count will be needed by May 15-20

New Business:

Randy Begole has purchased a building at the corner of Knoxville and Forrest Hill.  His opening will be Monday, June 4, 2007.

The Heart of Illinois American Classic Body Building show will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2007.  Brad Schupp, on behalf of John Abraham and himself, thanked everyone who helped sponsor the event.
Old Business:

Randy asked for a show of hands of members who would be interested in publishing an area map for new residents moving into the area.  Those showing interest were Jon, Al, Mike, Ryan, Tim, Hal, Stan and Randy.

The meeting adjourned at 12:40 p.m.  

Member Spotlight:  Melissa Comer, Northwoods Mall


Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary


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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Randy Begole, Melissa Comer, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp,  Cathy Thomatis,  Matt West, Mitch Williams

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Jeff Davies, Tadd Johnson, Dan Joseph, Mike Nordwall, Kathy Schaeffer, Kim Shadley, Peggy Smith  

Guests:  Edith Barnard, Professional Coach/Speaker (Guest of Mitch Williams); Fred Dirkse, OIC Group (Guest of Mitch Williams); Stephanie Hampton, The Digital Store (Guest of Randy Begole)

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business.  

Randy once again reiterated our 50/50/50 rules:  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance is required, 50% vote is needed to change by-laws.  

A vote was taken and Jon Foerster was voted in as our new Vice President.

The minutes of the March 1, 2007 meeting were approved as posted on the website.

Mitch Williams will update our website with names of new officers and make any deletions or additions of members that need to be made.

Jeff Davies was not able to attend, but gave Randy the Treasurer’s report.  There is a balance of $1,517.49 in our account and all submitted bills have been paid.  

Randy asked if anyone had had lunch with other members of the group as we discussed last month.  Several members had and were rewarded with a choice of gifts from Randy.

Committee Reports:

a) Holiday Committee:  Pauline asked what budget she had to work with for the holiday party.  It was noted that since there are really no monthly expenses, our current balance is the amount available for the party.

b)  July Meeting Committee:  Mark Friedrich and Brad Schupp discussed costs of having an outing at O’Brien Field. They suggested July 21st as the date as there will be fireworks and it is Jimmy Buffet Night. Tadd Johnson’s band will also be playing. Melissa Comer will call radio advertising reps to see if one of them will let us use a sky box. There will be more details at the next meeting and we’ll take a vote at that time.

New Business:  

Randy Begole asked the membership if there is any interest in sponsoring a map of Peoria to give out to new residents.  We will discuss this further at the May meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 12:50 p.m.   

Hal McNeill, Holly’s Perfect Cleaning, and Matt West, Central Illinois Drug Screening, each gave a presentation on his business.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Thomatis

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Randy Begole, Jeff Davies, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Jon Foerster, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Dan Joseph, Stan Marshall, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Peggy Smith, Matt West 

Guests:  Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass

Randy Begole, President, called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. and welcomed all members.  Randy stepped into the role of President from Vice President upon Art Remsik’s resignation.  If anyone is interested in the Vice President position, let him know.  He will send out an e-mail to solicit interest and we will vote by secret ballot at the next meeting to fill this position.

All members and guests introduced themselves and gave a short account of their business. 

Randy said we should think of Consultants Forum as 50/50/50  -  $50.00 membership fee, 50% attendance required and 50% vote to change anything in the by-laws.

The minutes of the February 1, 2007 meeting were approved as posted on the website.

Jeff reported that all bills for the holiday party have been received and paid.  All dues are paid, leaving a balance of $1,528.08 in the bank. 

Randy suggested we each call at least one person in the group this month and go to lunch.  It’s a good way to get to know each other better, further our networking efforts, and help promote each other’s business.

Randy also suggested we try to recruit a CPA for our group.

New Business: 

Stan Marshall has requested a leave of absence due to his long commute each day.  He hopes to be back in Peoria sometime soon.

Jon Foerester, Hal McNeill and Jeff McSweeney are the MOYA Committee for 2007.  They suggested that the Member of the Year should be limited to one year and not be able to win two consecutive years in a row.  A vote was taken and unanimously approved. 

Pauline Johnson will chair the Holiday Party for 2008.  She will be soliciting committee members.

Since the July 2007 meeting falls the day after a holiday, it was suggested once again that we have a social gathering that month.  Jimmy Buffet Night is 7/21/07 at O’Brien Field.  Tadd Johnson’s band is playing.  Mark and Brad will collect information and we will vote on it at April’s meeting

Matt West called during the meeting to explain he was called into court and would not be able to give his presentation today.  Hal McNeill will be presenting in April and Melissa Comer presents in May.

It was suggested that we not have outside speakers until all of our members have had an opportunity to present to the group.  Kim Shadley suggested that we have two member spotlights each month for 15 minutes each.  We will start this in June.

The meeting adjourned at 12:55 p.m.  

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Thomatis


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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Randy Begole, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerester, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Dan Joseph, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Mitch Williams

Absent:  John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Stan Marshall, Peggy Smith

Guests:  None

Art Remsik, President, called the meeting to order at 12:03 p.m. and welcomed all members.

Art recognized Randy Begole as the MOYA for 2006 . . . CONGRATULATIONS!!  

The minutes of the January 4, 2007 meeting were approved as posted on the website.

Jeff reported that there is $2,920.36 in the bank.  Most of the dues are in.  Approximately $1,300.00 will be expensed for the Holiday Party.

Kate Wilson, Henricksen & Co. will not be renewing.

Kudos to the Holiday Party Committee for planning such a wonderful event.  The Committee consisted of Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Cathy Thomatis and Mitch Williams.
 
New Business:  

Jon Foerester, Hal McNeill and Jeff McSweeney will make up the MOYA Committee for 2007.

The e-Board will be meeting on February 19th at Panera in Westlake at 2:30 p.m.

Pauline Johnson has volunteered to chair the Holiday Party for 2008.  She will be soliciting committee members.

President Remsik noted that 2007 will be a building year and encouraged members to take a look at professions not currently being represented in the group.

Since the July 2007 meeting falls the day after a holiday, President Remsik encouraged members to think about having a social during the month instead of our regular meeting.  Tadd Johnson announced that the Coco Loco Band will be performing at Jimmy Buffet Night at the Peoria Chiefs on July 21st.  Jon Foerester will gather more information on what’s planned at the Chiefs during the month of July.

Brad Schupp reminded everyone that John Abraham’s Heart of America Natural Classic Bodybuilding event will take place on May 12, 2007 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral.  Everyone was encouraged to be a sponsor of the event or attend.

Speakers for the next few months are:

Matt West – March
Hal McNeill – April
Melissa Comer – May

Discussion took place regarding outside speakers.  Mitch Williams will contact Suzette Boulais, Holiday Party Speaker, to see if she could speak at one of our monthly meetings.

The meeting adjourned at 12:33 p.m.  Kim Shadley gave a presentation on the many services provided by his business, Oberlander Communications Systems.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2007


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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2007
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Randy Begole, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerester, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tad Johnson, Dan Joseph, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Kim Shadley, Cathy Thomatis, Matt West, Mitch Williams.

Absent: Troy Alexander, Peggy Smith, Kate Wilson.

Guests:  None

Art Remsik, President, called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. and welcomed all members.  

The minutes of the December 7, 2006 meeting were approved as posted on the website.

Jeff reported that there is $2,371.35 in the bank.  Most of the dues are in.  He has already received some payments for the holiday event.

Art reminded everyone to RSVP as soon as possible to Stan Marshall.  Payment for guests is due to Jeff Davies by January 15, 2007.  Another flier was passed out with details of the holiday event.

We have retained a comedy juggler for the entertainment for the party and Suzette Boulais will be our after dinner speaker.

A ballot was sent around to everyone to vote for the Member of the Year.  Candidates chosen are based on meeting attendance the last six months of the year and how many guests each member brought who joined the group and a vote of the members.  Ballots were turned in to Jeff Davies and the winner will be announced at the holiday event on January 27, 2007.

New Business:  

Melissa Comer announced that she is no longer with WHOI.  She is now the Marketing Assistant at Northwoods Mall.  Melissa’s change of profession was approved unanimously.

Beth Kolowski has had to drop out of the group as she has taken a new position with the Economic Development Council.

Debbie Walmsley and Judy Kauffman are also leaving the group.  Debbie wants to concentrate on growing her business in Bloomington/Normal.  

Kosta Demetreas has asked for a leave of absence for six months.  He will be traveling to Chicago for training for the next several months.  Everyone voted in favor of extending his leave of absence.
Another discussion ensued regarding the group’s attendance policy.  After much discussion, Jon Foerester made a motion that we stop talking about this subject.  We discussed and can’t accept the motion.  If anyone brings the subject up again and has a specific solution, the group will vote again.  It was agreed that we should get back to networking and increasing the size of the group.

The meeting adjourned at 12:33 p.m.  Dr. Dan Joseph gave a presentation on the many services provided by his chiropractic business, Joseph & Hishon.

Respectfully submitted,

Cathy Thomatis for Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Thursday, DECEMBER 7, 2006
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerster, David Hohmann, Dan Joseph, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Kathy Schaeffer, Brad Schupp, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, Kate Wilson

Absent: Randy Begole,  Melissa Comer, Kosta Demetreas, Mark Fredrich, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Judy Kauffman, Beth Kolowski, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kim Shadley, Debbie Walmsley

Guests: Mike Meronk, Central Illinois Glass (Guest of Al Bennett); Shawna Knapp, FGM Architects/Engineers (Guest of Cathy Thomatis)

Jeff Davies, Treasurer, called the meeting to order at 12:08 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

There was one correction to be made to the Minutes of the November 2, 2006 meeting . . . David Hohmann was reported Absent . . . he was Present.   A motion was made by Jon Foerster to accept the Minutes with the amendment; seconded by Jeff McSweeney.  Motion carried.

Jeff reported that there is $1,416.35 in the bank; account reconciled on 12/7; no outstanding bills.

Mitch Williams reported that the Holiday Party will be held on January 27, 2007 at VOP’s (flyers were distributed by Cathy Thomatis).  The speaker is Suzette Boulais and her topic is “Happiness is a Choice”.  The cost for guests is $25.00 and reservations need to be made by January 15, 2007 to Stan Marshall (ms_baseman@sbcglobal.net).

Jeff asked if everyone had received their dues invoice in the mail . . . Jon Foerster had not.  Jeff will resend.

Jeff distributed nomination forms to members for the upcoming MOYA.  He requested that those who had not voted please do so and submit form prior to leaving today.

Since there was no further business to discuss, Jeff adjourned the business meeting at 12:30 p.m.  The remainder of time was turned over to David Hohmann for a presentation on Merrill Lynch.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Thursday, November 1, 2006
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster Randy Begole, Al Bennett, Jeff Davies, Mark Friedrich, Tadd Johnson, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp, Debbie Walmsley, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Melissa Comer.

Absent: Judy Kauffman, Matt West, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Stan Marshall, Kathy Schaeffer, Kate Wilson, Kim Shadley, Beth Kolowski

Guests: Mike Meronk Central Illinois Glass and Mirror (Guest of Al Bennett) Jeff Goodyear, Leson & Steinberg P.C. (Guest of Jon Foerster) Dave Olen, Tek Collect (Guest of Tadd Johnson) Jake (son of Tadd Johnson), Rick Galbreath (Member and partner/guest of Jeff Davies)

Art Remsik, President, called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests. He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business. Members did a progressive infomercial by relating their business connection to a previous member’s business.

No corrections were noted to last month’s minutes. Minutes stand approved.

Three members have perfect attendance so far this year: Randy Begole, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams. Congratulations!

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report. There is a balance of $1,416.35 in our account.  Invoices for 2007 dues will be distributed at the December meeting.

Mitch Williams reported on behalf of the Holiday Committee. It has been decided the party is to be a “fun” “casual” gathering. The location is V.O.P.’s on Saturday, January 27th, 2007.  Time, entertainment, cost, and invitations are yet to be announced. Further updates will be given next month.

Many of the members attended the opening of ICONS, managed by Tadd Johnson. Jon Foerster noted his efforts and generous invitation.

Members shared some recent opportunities to use other members services; Troy Alexander by Debbie Wamsley, Art Remsik by Kathy Thomatis, Mitch by John Abraham, Ryan Palm by Art Remsik, John Abraham by Randy Begole, Art Remsik by John Abraham.

Jeff Davies noted that member Matt West was in the PJStar for meritorious work as a Peoria Police Officer. He had 172 arrests for impaired driver arrests (DUI) in 2005 and that ranked Top Officer in Peoria and 9th in Illinois.

A motion to adjourn at 12:35 p.m. was made by Art Remsik and seconded by Mitch Williams.

The remainder of time was turned over to Debbie Wamsley for a presentation on Pre-Paid Legal Services. Her presentation wrapped at 12:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Davies, Treasurer 2006, for Kathy Schaeffer Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Randy Begole, Jeff Davies, Jon Foerester, Mark Friedrich, David Hohmann, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Dan Joseph, Judy Kauffman, Beth Kolowski, Hal McNeill, Mike Nordwall, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Kathy Schaeffer, Kim Shadley, Brad Schupp, Cathy Thomatis, Debbie Walmsley, Mitch Williams, Kate Wilson

Absent: John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Melissa Comer, Kosta Demetreas, Tadd Johnson

Guests: Joy Duling, A 25-Hour Day (Guest of Begole)

President Remsik called the meeting to order at 12:00 Noon and welcomed all members and guests.  He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

After discussions, the Forum members decided to do another BINGO card later in the Fall.  Jon Foerster suggested the group have a social to do this.

The group discussed attendance policy, dues policy, and reviewed procedures followed if members are dropped due to those policies.  The consensus of the group is that present policy is fair, and that the need for regular member participation justifies the attendance requirement.

No corrections were voiced with the Minutes of the September 7, 2006 meeting.  Minutes stand approved as posted on the website.

There is a balance of $1,316.35 in the Treasury as reported by Jeff Davies, Treasurer.  

Mitch Williams reported that the Holiday Party will be a social gathering.  Plans are not finalized as yet.

One prospective member has applied for membership:  Matthew West, of Central Illinois Drug Screening.  Applicant was approved unanimously for membership.

A motion to adjourn at 12:40 p.m. was made by Pauline Johnson and seconded by Beth Kolowski.  The remainder of time was turned over to Mark Friedrich for a presentation on Kuhl & Company.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2006
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: Randy Begole, Al Bennett, Jeff Davies, Mark Friedrich, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Dan Joseph, Stan Marshall, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Kathy Schaeffer, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, Kate Wilson

Absent: John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerester, Tim Jacobs, Judy Kauffman, Mike Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Moses Praul, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp, Debbie Walmsley

Guests: Matt West, Central Illinois Drug Screening (Guest of Begole)

In the absence of President Remsik, Vice President Begole called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

One correction was made to the Minutes of the August 3, 2006 meeting prior to posting on the website.  Mitch Williams noticed his company did not contain the proper information and made the appropriate correction.  Minutes stand approved as corrected.

Brian Morse is no longer a member of the organization because of attendance.

Four people in the group have had perfect attendance so far this year: Randy Begole, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, and Kate Wilson.

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report. There is a balance of $1,216.35 in our account.

Stan Marshall reported on behalf of the Holiday Committee.  It has not been decided as yet if the party is to be a “fun” or “business” gathering.  The proposed speaker, Larry Mersereau, has the second and last Saturdays of January 2007 open.  Larry works with companies that want to help their resellers bring in more business with marketing that works at their level and with business owners and marketers who want to bring in more business so they can take home more money.  His fee is such that we would have to sell tickets to the public to cover the cost.  Further updates will be given next month.

Three prospective members have applied for membership:

David Hohmann, Merrill Lynch; Dan Joseph, Joseph & Hishon Chiropractic and Kim Shadley, Oberlander Communications Systems.  All applicants were approved unanimously for membership.

A letter was received from the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Bradley University stating they are looking for companies interested in participating in its “Senior Consultant Project Program” during the Fall 2006 semester.  This program is free.  If you are interested, you can call 677.2992 or email tce@bradley.edu

A motion to adjourn at 12:35 p.m. was made by Kathy Schaeffer and seconded by Stan Marshall.  The remainder of time was turned over to Pauline Johnson for a presentation on Impact Incentives.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF
CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2006
12:00 Noon
THE LARIAT CLUB

Present: John Abraham, Randy Begole, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Jon Foerster, Mark Friedrich, Tim Jacobs, Pauline Johnson, Judy Kauffman, Hal McNeill, Jeff McSweeney, Ryan Palm, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp, Kathy Schaeffer, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, Debbie Walmsley, Kate Wilson

Absent: Troy Alexander, Al Bennett, Tadd Johnson, Bryan Joseph, Beth Kolowski, Brian Morse, Mike Nordwall, Moses Praul

Guests: David Hohmann, Merrill Lynch (Guest of Begole); Dan Joseph, Joseph & Hishon Chiropractic; Stan Marshall, Grand Bear Lodge (Guest of Schaeffer); Chauntel Seiler, Bead Social (Guest of Remsik) Doris Symonds, T.A.L.K. Inc. (Guest of Walmsley); Cory Winstead, Edward Jones (Guest of Jacobs).

President Art Remsik called the meeting to order at 12:05 p.m. and welcomed all members and guests.  He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

There were no additions or corrections to the Minutes of the July 6, 2006 meeting.  Minutes stand approved as written.

Phil Sego has resigned from the group citing job responsibilities and health issues.

Bryan Joseph is resigning from the group due to a career opportunity in St. Louis.  Bryan and his wife, Olivia, proud new parents of a daughter, Carmen Olivia, will be moving at the end of the month.  Bryan has encouraged his brother and business associate, Dan Joseph, to apply for membership into the Forum.

Brian Morse has not attended any meetings so far this year.  The E-Board sent him correspondence and should know his status at the next meeting.

Five people in the group have had perfect attendance so far this year: Randy Begole, Jon Foerster, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, and Kate Wilson.

Jeff Davies gave the Treasurer’s report. There is a balance of $1,152.03 in our account.

Kathy Schaeffer applied to transfer her membership from the printing services category to the technology category.  She will now represent Stellar Systems, Inc.  Kathy will be selling high-end Website Development, Networking, MAS90 Accounting Software, Software Development and Scanning and Archiving to medium and large-size businesses.  President Remsik noted that the Executive Board did not see a conflict of interest.  A vote was taken and the group unanimously agreed to allow this change in membership.  
Two new membership applications were voted on . . . Melissa Comer, WHOI-TV and Stan Marshall, Grand Bear Lodge.  Both were voted in by a unanimous vote of the membership.

For planning purposes, everyone should be thinking about entertainment for the 2007 Holiday party.  A new committee will be formed in another month or so.  If anyone is interested in serving on this committee, please email Jeff Davies, who will serve as a focal for gathering the volunteer names.

A motion to adjourn at 12:30 p.m. was made by Ryan Palm and seconded by Stan Marshall.  The remainder of time was turned over to Mitch Williams for a presentation on Mitch Williams Magic Productions.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Schaeffer
Secretary, 2006

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CONSULTANTS FORUM OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2006
12:00 Noon

THE LARIAT CLUB


Present: Randy Begole, Al Bennett, Jon Foerster, Tim Jacobs, Bryan Joseph, Beth Kolowski, Hal McNeill, Michael Nordwall, Ryan Palm, Moses Praul, Art Remsik, Brad Schupp, Cathy Thomatis,  Mitch Williams, Debbie Walmsley, Kate Wilson.

Absent: John Abraham, Troy Alexander, Jeff Davies, Kosta Demetreas, Mark Friedrich, Pauline Johnson, Tadd Johnson, Jeff McSweeney, Brian Morse, Kathy Schaeffer, Phil Sego.

Guests: Melissa Comer, WHOI-TV

President Art Remsik called the meeting to order at 12:00 noon and welcomed all members and guests.  He asked each person present to introduce themselves and give a brief overview of their business.

There were no additions or corrections to the Minutes of the June 1, 2006 meeting.  Minutes stand approved as written.

Stan Schupp, Sunrise Supply, was on a six-month leave and has resigned from the group.  He may join again at a later date.  Tauna Schott Hoerr, HOI-19, is no longer a member of the group, having moved to Florida.  Phil Sego has not attended any meetings so far this year.  The E-Board sent him correspondence and should know his status at the next meeting.

Six people in the group have had perfect attendance so far this year: Randy Begole, Jon Foerster, Beth Kolowski, Cathy Thomatis, Mitch Williams, and Kate Wilson.

President Remsik gave the Treasurer’s report. There is a balance of $1,027.13 in our account, with $125.00 in receipts not yet posted.

John Abraham wrote a great article, The Power of Networking Groups, which is an account of how our group began.  President Remsik e-mailed it to members of the group and passed out a hard copy for each member present at today’s meeting.

One new membership request was voted on.  Judy Kauffman, Community Home Connection, is our newest member.  Judy is from Bloomington and will also be doing business in Peoria and Central Illinois.  Community Home Connection is a visitor welcoming service, visiting families that are celebrating (new homes, engagements, marriages, new parents).  She provides recipients with a gift bag containing gifts and gift certificates from community businesses.

Debbie Walmsley, a member of ten years, applied to transfer her membership from the credit card merchant category to legal insurance.  She will now represent Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.  Debbie will be selling this service to individuals and small businesses.  President Remsik noted that the Executive Board spoke with Mike Nordwall before bringing this to the group and Mike did not see a conflict of interest.  A vote was taken and the group unanimously agreed to allow this change in membership.  We look forward to learning more about Debbie’s new venture.

After much discussion, there was a consensus for the proposed Bylaw change (Article V, Section 3 - Membership, which had been tabled at the last two meetings.  Art Remsik moved to amend the proposal by removing the line “Members are not permitted to represent multiple businesses.”  The amendment was seconded, and passed unanimously.  The amended motion to change the by laws was voted on, and passed unanimously.  It now reads as follows:

ARTICLE V

“Section 3.  Members shall represent and/or promote only their business or profession of record at any recognized Consultant’s Forum meeting or event.  Exceptions to this are:  occasional promotion of area events which do not infringe upon another Member.”


Tadd Johnson was scheduled to give a presentation however he was not present.  Randy Begole filled in and gave a very informative presentation on insurance.

Respectfully submitted,