February 3, 2010

Hello Friends, Neighbors and Fellow Business People,

My first year as president of CAA has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows. I’m not one to dwell on the lows because the highs are so much more important as a testimonial to the vision of this administration being in sync with the expectations of the majority of the CAA Board of Directors and the CAA business community and being in conformance with the CAA’s mission of bringing more visitors into the region to eat, drink, be merry, get married, have a corporate outing, shop or overnight.
I truly appreciate the tremendous effort and commitment made by the chairpersons of the CAA committees who have volunteered countless hours to helping the CAA achieve its tremendous potential. Their dedication and support during my first year as president have helped motivate me to stay the course in pursuit of excellence. Their leadership has been invaluable in achieving our goals, most notably:

• Massive web presence and internet event promotion (4 new web sites)
• Standardization of event planning-execution-evaluation
• 17% growth in CAA membership
• More transparency and accountability in the way CAA finances are handled and creation of operational procedures

In addition to these pivotal benchmarks, other committees and other Board members helped conduct the business of the organization. In the interest of brevity may I suggest you go to our website www.visitmyadirondacks.com, click on members only (if you need password email me) and read the full report on the list of accomplishments achieved by the various committees during 2009. It’s impressive!

Though committee chairs are the most visible signs of CAA presence in the community, what goes on behind the scenes helps drive CAA success. The dedication of our Events Coordinator, the cooperation of TOW staff, of TOW Board members and the army of volunteers who work the events….all help to make the CAA what it is.

The success of any team endeavor defaults to a common denominator- individual performance of members of the team. In closing this message I’d like to challenge all CAA members to commit to persistent and additional action to achieve the CAA’s mission. While a great deal has been accomplished, there is still more work to be done. I’m not asking for massive amounts of effort and time. I’m simply asking for that extra effort. The following analogy illustrates my point beautifully. At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 degrees it boils. Raising the temperature of water by one degree means the difference between something that is very hot and something that generates enough force to power a steam locomotive. I’m asking CAA members to push yourselves to make that extra effort in order to achieve not only the primary objective, but to reap the exponential rewards that are possible by applying that one extra degree of effort. Push yourselves to do not only what is required and expected of you, but go beyond. Apply that extra effort, that one degree. Each of us may not always be able to turn up the heat and hit the boiling point, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. It’s time to turn up the heat. Make 212 a symbol of a wonderful new habit in your life.

I see one of the President’s jobs as being head of a sales team. It’s the Directors’ job to sell the CAA to the business community along the Route 28 corridor from Forestport to Indian Lake and Route 30 to Long Lake. There are many reasons for a business, organization or individual to join the CAA. Members have a voice in where and how money and time are allocated promoting the region. Members have an opportunity to build relationships with like-minded people, to help create a tightly woven network of Central Adirondack supporters whose voice will be more authoritative and whose influence will be greater as a group than as individuals. More tangible benefits include free presence on the new CAA website and individual event sites; discounted advertising rates in the Vacation Planner; a “Show Your Membership Card and Save” program; and possible eligibility in the BC/BS Health Insurance program. To build our corps of volunteers we offer membership dues discounts in exchange for volunteer hours.

While the Directors sell CAA to the business community, it’s the job of CAA membership to sell the Central Adirondack region to the traveling public. And what a product we have to sell! Breathtaking scenery, fascinating history, hospitality in spades, dining and lodging places for every budget, all kinds of attractions and events to suite a huge variety of interests 12 months of the year. 

CAA Director meetings are the 1st Wednesday of each month at 7:30 am, alternating between Old Forge and Inlet Town Offices. Occasionally the meeting date is changed to accommodate vacation times, but we’ll let you know. CAA meetings are open to the public. Traditionally we have hosted an annual membership meeting each year in January as well as an awards banquet in June and a Fall Fling.

The Board of Directors consists of up to 23 members elected by the general membership for a 3 year term. In addition there are 7 Director slots which are permanent. These are the Visitor Information Center representatives from the Towns of Webb, Inlet, Long Lake, Indian Lake and Forestport, as well as a representative from IABA (Inlet Area Business Association) and Cap-21.
There are two paid positions. The part-time Events Coordinator position is currently held by Laurie Barkauskas. Sharon Kleps is the CAA bookkeeper.

There is so much work to be done in so many different areas. I’m a strong believer in delegating responsibilities to our various committees. The committees are the workhorses of the CAA. Each committee has its area of interest and influence. The CAA depends on each committee to do its job and represent the interests of the CAA in that area. The Bylaws require all Directors to serve on at least one committee. The Executive Committee, which is the steering committee of the organization responsible for the development of the Association and its work between regular meetings , consists of the officers, the expresident, and up to 2 Directors appointed by the current President. They are Donna Pohl (Pres), Dennis Michael (1st VP), Don Haehl, (2nd VP), Jim Connerty (Sec), Jane Slack (Treas), Nick Bankert (ex-Pres) and Gail Murray (appointed). We meet the last Thursday of each month.

Liaison Committee- Jim Connerty and Donna Pohl from the CAA; Richard Risley and Mike Ross from the TOW Board with the TOW Publicity Director an integral part. This is a new committee formed to keep the lines of communication open between the CAA and the TOW Tourism Office. There is an intimate and long-standing partnership between the CAA and the TOW. CAA traditionally has hosted all of TOW’s events. TOW events are designated CAA events, are line items on the CAA budget and are planned and executed by CAA directors, members and volunteers.

Other committees and their chairs are:

Marketing- Jim Connerty (369-6777). Email: jconnerty@yahoo.com

Events- Adele Burnett (357-5501)
Email: aburnett at visitmyadirondacks.com and Alex Roalsvig (518-624-3077)
Email: aroalsvig at visitmyadirondacks.com

Insurance Jane Slack 315-369-2108 jslack@frontiernet.net

Health Insurance- Dennis Michael (357-6317)
Email: dmichael at visitmyadirondacks.com

Economic Development- Deb Carhart (369-3353)
Email: dcarhart at visitmyadirondacks.com

By-Laws/Policies- Donna Pohl (315-354-5532) rlnav@froniternet.net and Deb Carhart dcarhart at visitmyadirondacks.com

Finance Jane Slack 315-369-2108 jslack@frontiernet.net

Trade Shows Kelly Hamlin (315-369-5313) 
Email: k.hamlin@roadrunner.com

Volunteer Committee Donna Pohl (315-354-5532) rlnav@frontiernet.net

Membership- Peg Winslow Montgomery (315-369-8240 cell) pegmonty@yahoo.com

Stay Connected/Issues- Donna Pohl 315-354-5532 rlnav@frontiernet.net

CAA is a business organization which advocates on behalf of business and economic development. Many issues bubble to the surface throughout the year regarding APA and DEC regulations, amongst others. This committee keeps the CAA membership informed as to the governmental issues and proposes position statements for the CAA Board of Directors to approve and then send to appropriate people.

Each committee is recruiting members who want to help get the work done and move the organization forward. If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, don’t hesitate to call the chair person. We really do need your help, your input, your ideas, your experience, your expertise, your passion. I love this quote which says it all:

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.

The Board of Directors is a small group of volunteers working for the betterment of the region. We all have businesses to run and jobs to do. The more people united in a common effort, the more effective we (the CAA) will be. And, keep in mind, if each of us turns up the heat in extra effort just one degree, we’ll astound ourselves with what we can accomplish. Let’s make 212 Degrees our motto for 2010.