USA Table Tennis
Board Meeting Minutes
 May 5-7, 2000

Friday, May 5, 2000:

The meeting was called to order by President Sheri Pittman at 7:16 p.m. MDT.

Present were:

George Brathwaite, Jeff Davis, Amy Feng, Tong Lee, Jimmy McClure, Khoa Nguyen, Sheri Pittman, Barney Reed, Dennis Taylor, Bob Tretheway, Lily Yip, and Executive Director Ben Nisbet.

1) The Board went into Executive Session at 7:22 p.m. Matters discussed in Executive Session are privileged and no minutes are kept.

2) The Board returned to General Session at 7:35 p.m.

3) President Pittman welcomed new board member Amy Feng. Ms. Feng is replacing Diana Gee as the Olympic Athlete Representative on the Board. Diana had resigned on April 25, citing increasing conflicts between her duties as a Board member and her duties at her place of employment.

4) Officers for the 2000-2001 term were selected.

Prior to any formal ballots, there was a discussion of whether or not to follow the bylaws and elect officers. The primary argument against was that since nearly half of the Board’s membership had made a campaign pledge to return the election of officers to the membership, that is was improper for the Board to select officers for the following year. The primary arguments for continuing with the election were (1) the bylaws in effect at the time of the meeting require Board selection of officers, (2) there are currently no officers as the previous officers’ term all expired on May 1, 2000, and (3) the bylaw amendment that would restore the election of officers to the membership is on the agenda for this meeting, but even if it were to be approved, there would still be no officers for the year until elections could be scheduled and held.

The chair ruled that the election should continue.

Jimmy McClure assumed the chair for the election of the President.

President

The candidate was:

Sheri Pittman, nominated by Barney Reed; seconded by Tong Lee.

Motion 1: Moved to approve Sheri Pittman as President.

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Jimmy McClure.

Passed: 9-0-2

In favor: JD, AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT, BT

Abstain: GB, LY

Executive Vice-President

The candidates were:

Bob Tretheway, nominated by Jeff Davis; seconded by Barney Reed

George Brathwaite, nominated by Lily Yip; seconded by Barney Reed

Khoa Nguyen, nominated by Tong Lee; seconded by Barney Reed

The vote count was: Tretheway-4, Brathwaite-2, Nguyen-5.

Mr. Brathwaite was eliminated as last place finisher.

The vote count on the second ballot was: Tretheway-6, Nguyen-5.

Mr. Tretheway was selected.

Treasurer

The candidate was:

Tong Lee, nominated by Jimmy McClure; seconded by Jeff Davis.

MOTION 2: Moved to approve Tong Lee as Treasurer.

Proposed by Jimmy McClure; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Passed: 11-0-0

Secretary

The candidate was:

Dennis Taylor, nominated by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Barney Reed.

MOTION 3: Moved to approve Dennis Taylor as Secretary.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Barney Reed.

Passed: 11-0-0

5) Secretary Dennis Taylor presented minutes from the November, 1999, meeting, including errata.

6) Secretary Dennis Taylor presented the results of fax votes taken since the last regular meeting. This document is appended at the conclusion of the current document.

7) President Sheri Pittman presented a report of the December 17, 1999 informational meeting at the US Nationals.

8) Executive Director Ben Nisbet presented his report. The following were the highlights of that report.

Ben requested Board feedback on hotels used for recent Board meetings.

Ben expressed gratitude for the magazine being outsourced as this move has been a tremendous benefit for the office staff.

Ben also expressed enthusiasm over the changing of the coaching platform by Committee Chair Mark Nordby and National Men’s Coach Dan Seemiller.

Ben continued his emphasis on the exclusive franchise concept. This is the concept that people and businesses wishing to have any official connection with table tennis need to go through USATT. He said that he wanted to clean up our franchise by creating better presentations that would be easier to market.

USATT had a good event at Rochester from a presentation point of view, including the Bud Lite exhibitions. The event generated $2800 in ticket sales which, combined with many comp tickets, generated good foot traffic.

A production handbook was created in Rochester to help run future events.

The Board viewed the new Bud Lite commercial set for broadcast in Summer, 2000. Marketing opportunities with Budweiser are continuing to develop.

The Board examined a mock-up of a new membership recruitment packet. It is glossy and slick. The first phase of use will be through the most successful clubs and coaches. The Board also examined a good tri-fold membership brochure targeted for mass distribution.

Ben has designed the prototype of a new corporate outreach program, featuring a triangular approach with the ITTF and China. So far Ben has been in front of three Fortune 500 companies, with more to come.

Ben presented the concept that we need to give back to local clubs after having a major event. Details were not discussed.

Ben stated that there are too many pieces of small paper work going through the office. Current employees cannot handle the current and the additionla workloads that he is ready to roll out. He expressed the hope that there will be more funding for more staff.

Today, May 5, 2000, was the first day that Ben felt that he had an accurate set of financial numbers in front of him. Many business items had fallen through the cracks. From now forward, the Board and the ED should have accurate numbers with which to make financial projections.

Jan Dreher has received a great opportunity in the health care field (where her professional training lies) and will be leaving the staff shortly. All on the Board wish her well and will miss her tremendously.

Ben considers having a full-time media person on staff has been very valuable. In particular, Vicki has done the following:

  1. Set up interviews,
  2. Coordinated features in publications,
  3. Produced the first new media guide in four years, and
  4. Answered calls for marketing materials.

Larry Rose, an on-call independent contractor for USATT’s Information Management System has been asked to redesign the IMS interface to accommodate the current ratings system.

Both the Ratings Committee and a task force under the leadership of Ratings Coordinator Megan are exploring the creation of a second tournament software package in addition to NetEdge to offer tournament directors. This is one of the current attempts to encourage tournament directors to submit results electronically.

9) Sheri Pittman presented her President’s Report reviewing the past year.
    1. The magazine, with new Editor Larry Hodges is doing wonderfully.
    2. Headquarters has a new Executive Director.
    3. Staff have been leaving for better paying jobs.
    4. The new corporate attorney has made a large, positive difference.
    5. The relationship with USOC has improved greatly.

      6. We were able to rewrite the HPP that we weren’t following.

      Our operations are more in sync with USOC guidelines.

      Media appearances by Sheri Pittman after the last USOC Board meeting have generated good publicity for table tennis and improved relations with USOC

    6. There has been an increased focus on developmental coaching.
    7. Advertising in the magazine has been at a record high.
    8. Schools programs are developing at a slow, but steady, rate.

      9. Five schools in Rochester, NY are participating.

      Palm Beach County is currently developing a big program.

    9. ITTF relations are on the upswing. ITTF President Adham Sharara has invited President Pittman and Executive Director Nisbet to visit Canada to develop joint programs.
    10. Pro Tour players have been very positive regarding US Open changes
    11. There has been much behind-the-scenes planning for improved governance.

The meeting recessed at 10:17 p.m.

Saturday, May 6, 2000:

The meeting reconvened at 9:10 a.m.

10) Ben Nisbet supplemented his report.
    1. It is a Board responsibility to assist the ED in fundraising.
    2. The Honorary Captain program has been used and praised by weightlifting, volleyball, and triathlon
    3. The Chicago Ping Pong Festival has the potential to be very big. Ben will be out there in the next two weeks to involve USATT in the festival.
11) Tong Lee presented the Treasurer’s Report.
    1. USOC funding this year will be $47,000 less than the amount budgeted in November, 1999. Ben and Tong utilized the wrong figures for budget preparation, after Tong requested Ben to seek clarification of the centralized funding amount from usoc before the November budget meeting of the Board. The information provided by usoc as a result of the clarification subsequently turned out to be overstated by $47,000.
    2. Newly-instituted bookkeeping procedures that have been established have helped us reduce the $50,000 in accounts receivable at the beginning of the year to $22,000.
    3. The new bookkeeping procedures also will help the office generate and mailed out invoices in a timely manner. The unusually large sum in accounts receivables was partly due to failure to accomplish these accounting activites.
    4. Highlights of current variances were presented.
    1. FY 1999 had a $43,000 budget deficit.
    2. Membership revenue is up 8%, helped by the attraction of many three-year members.
    3. Membership numbers are up slightly, with residual $3 members now being off the books.
    4. The 1999 Open had an $18,000 deficit before staff expenses were factored in.
    5. The 1998 Open had a $13,000 deficit before staff expenses were factored in.
    6. The 1998 and 1999 Nationals combined for a $13,000 surplus before staff expenses were factored in.
    7. Estimated staff expenses for the Open and Nationals combined average $26,000 per year, but are probably higher.
    8. Magazine expenses are much higher with the glossy format as opposed to the tabloid format; however, the accountant has not allocated all the magazine revenue to that caption.
    9. Board expenses are up by $19,000, primarily from the two extra "informational" meetings.
    10. The projected bottom line for FY 2000 was a $23,000 deficit, but it is now a $43,000 deficit.
12) The League Committee presented a more detailed plan of operations and budget projection for the Eastern Region Table Tennis League. Members of the Board asked many questions about the plan and suggested areas for further planning.

As per the agreement in November, 1999, the budget committee will examine the current budget variances at its mid-year review to see if new money will be available to provide for prize money for elite-level league competitors and certain other operating expenses.

Chair George Brathwaite reported that he had sufficient budget money remaining to complete the planning process.

13) The Equipment Committee reported that revenues are down approximately $10,000 from last year. It is anticipated that approximately $4000 of that will filter in through the year. Additionally, there should be additional revenues from the 40mm ball.

14) The Personnel Committee presented a revised Human Resources Manual. Much credit for the final product goes to Caron Leff and Todd Sweeris. Specific discussion on the document was postponed until the corporate attorney would be present.

15) Jeff Davis distributed programs and results from the 2000 ACUI tournament. Additionally, he presented a plaque of appreciation and a photo of finals participants to USATT.

Jeff Davis has been promoted from Table Tennis Tournament Director at ACUI. As a result, he will be stepping down from USATT Board. His new focus will be finding non-sports specific sponsors who wish to market to college students.

Sheri Pittman presented Jeff a USATT logo watch in appreciation for his service to the association.

The meeting recessed at 12: 05 p.m.

The meeting reconvened at 1: 32 p.m.

16) Barney Reed presented an overview of the Penn State table tennis education program. Hank McCoullom is to be congratulated for his efforts in bringing table tennis into a major university’s curriculum.

17) Barney Reed presented an overview of the Newgy schools program. While this program did not generate the business necessary to support a stand-alone table tennis center, it did demonstrate how to be successful as an elementary school program. It led to tournaments of 6000-8000 participants. This program is a ready-made blueprint for moving into school curricula.

One potential opportunity to institute the Newgy schools program is Palm Beach County, FL, the current location of the US Open. The county has an aggressive sports commission that is working with the school system to add table tennis to the curriculum.

18) The Youth budget has been reallocated to different captions within the Youth line item, reflecting the changes in events at the Open.

a. The Youth Committee partnered with Canada in holding a North American Junior Championships. All US youth won their singles matches!

b. A US Open pre-camp has been added because of the change in date for the China trip.

c. There will be no Junior Team event at the Open, so the committee is paying the Pro Tour entry fee for youth participants.

d. Sizeable training grants will be awarded to any youth earning a world ranking at the Open. Having a youth earn a world ranking is one of our USOC markers for 2000, one that we expect to be achieved.

19) Barney Reed gave an address on athlete development. He believes our approach needs to change by putting more money into a prize money fund or pool, thereby providing athletes with more incentive to train on their own. Additionally, new mechanisms to provide athletes with the ability to support themselves as table tennis players need to be created.

20) Ben Nisbet spoke of the developing situation regarding disabled athletes. Norm Blake’s proposed solution is to give NGB status and significant funding to disabled sports as a separate entity. He is also encouraging each NGB to negotiate bilateral agreements with the disabled athlete entity within each sport. USATT enjoys good relations with the disabled table tennis community and currently provides approximately $15-20 thousand in support at the Open and Nationals.

21) Ben Nisbet believes that we need to develop a more user-friendly tournament software program that will facilitate the electronic submission of tournament results. He is considering either appointing Megan to lead a member task force to develop this program or requesting that the Ratings Committee develop this program.

22) It is Ben’s current understanding that the ratings proposal developed using equipment purchased with a USOC grant is public domain. As such, USATT has no possessory rights.

23) The Board went into Executive Session at 3:05 p.m. Matters discussed in Executive Session are privileged and no minutes are kept.

24) The Board returned to General Session at 4:15 p.m.

25) Bob Fox’s report on the Olympic Singles and Doubles Trials was read into the record. Additionally, he has appointed Dennis Taylor to the National Teams Committee pending approval of the Board.

26) Ben Nisbet reported on the progress of the schools program being developed by the Warren Company. Warren has decided to concentrate its efforts in the foreseeable future to New York State.

27) The Personnel Committee presented its proposed update of the Human Resources Policy Manual. The primary changes were in the field of compensatory time. Employees will now be classified as either Exempt and Non-exempt. Simply put, management employees will be considered salaried professionals and treated accordingly. Comp time policies for non-exempt employees have been adjusted to better reflect applicable law.

28) The Board was advised of the status of the XX XXXX disciplinary matter (name withheld).

29) Ben Nisbet walked the Board through the Pro Tour contract.

30) A Bylaw amendment proposal was distributed that would eliminate the need for the Board to approve contracts that are considered to be in the general course of business. The Board discussed which contracts would then be considered as being in the general course of business. The question was not fully answered.

31) The question was posed as to whether or not the Board has any governance issues regarding Sheri Pittman’s performance with which they are uncomfortable. None were raised.

32) Jimmy McClure reported on the USOC Board meeting and the NGB Council meeting.

33) Ben Nisbet walked the Board though his strategic plan proposal.

    The meeting recessed at 7:15 p.m.

    Sunday, May 7, 2000:

    The meeting reconvened at 8:07 a.m. MDT.

34) Ben Nisbet spoke on internet potential. Currently he receives four-five calls per week from companies attempting to buy internet rights from USATT. Ben’s desire is to wait a few months to allow the value of our rights to become clear before committing to any particular vendor. Furthermore, the USOC is developing an internet strategy proposal for NGBs and the potential exists for an NGB collaborative strategy.

35) The ITTF decision to adopt the 40mm ball and its impact on USATT were discussed.

Motion 4: USATT adopts the 40mm ball for tournaments run by USATT as of October 2, 2000. USATT will sanction tournaments using either 38mm or 40mm balls, or both. The ball to be used in sanctioned tournaments must be publicized on both the entry form and any pre-tournament announcements. USATT will use the standard ratings system for all sanctioned tournaments regardless of which approved ball is utilized.

Proposed by Tong Lee; seconded by Barney Reed.

Passed: 10-1-0

In Favor: GB, JD, AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT, LY

Opposed: BT

Motion 5: Moved to repeal the Nominating/Elections Committee Standing Rule 1.1.2.

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Khoa Nguyen.

Passed: 11-0-0

Motion 6: Moved to approve Chapter VIII, 6.0 from the bylaw proposition packet, stating "The President, Executive Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and At-Large Vice-Presidents shall be elected by the voting membership as defined in the Standing Rules for Elections."

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Barney Reed.

Passed: 11-0-0

MOTION 7: Moved to amend bylaw propositions, Chapter VIII 5.1, and 5.4, by striking "November 1, 2001" and replacing with "May 1, 2001."

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Jimmy McClure.

Passed: 7-2-2

In Favor: AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT

Opposed: GB, BT

Abstain: JD, LY

Motion 8: Moved to table Motion 7.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by George Brathwaite.

Failed: 3-6-2

In Favor: GB, BT, LY

Opposed: AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, DT

Abstain: JD, BR

Motion 9: Moved to amend bylaw propositions Chapter VIII 5.2 and 5.5 by striking "two-year term effective November 1, 2002" and replacing with "three-year term effective May 1, 2001."

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; no second.

Failed for lack of a second.

Motion 10: Moved to amend bylaw proposition Chapter VIII 5.2. by striking "November 1, 2002" and replacing with "May 1, 2001."

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Tong Lee.

Passed: 10-0-1

In Favor: GB, JD, AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT, BT

Abstain: LY

Motion 11: Moved to conduct a vote as to whether to proceed with the overarching concept of staggered terms for member elected Board positions or concurrent terms for member elected Board positions.

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Passed: 11-0-0

Motion 12: Moved to proceed with the overarching concept of staggered terms for member elected Board positions.

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Failed: 5-6-0

In Favor: GB, JD, JM, BT, LY

Opposed: AF, TL, KN, SP, BR, DT

36) George Brathwaite proposed two-year terms for all member-elected Board members, staggering the terms. Tong Lee pointed to the fact that this would mean an election every year and campaign ads in a majority of issues of USATT Magazine. While Mr. Brathwaite defended his proposal as one that would make it difficult for a bad Board member to harm the association, no motion was made.

Motion 13: Moved to amend bylaw proposition Chapter VIII 5.5. by striking "November 1, 2002" and replacing with "May 1, 2002."

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Jimmy McClure.

Passed: 9-2-0

In Favor: GB, JD, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT, BT, LY

Opposed: AF, TL

Motion 14: Moved to amend proposition Chapter VIII 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, and 5.5 by striking every four years following and replacing with every two years following.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Failed: 4-7-0

In Favor: GB, JD, BT, LY

Opposed: AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT

Motion 15: Moved to adopt Bylaw proposition sections 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, and 5.5.

Proposed by Dennis Taylor; seconded by Tong Lee.

Failed: 7-4-0 (eight votes necessary for passage)

In Favor: AF, TL, JM, KN, SP, BR, DT

Opposed: GB, JD, BT, LY

MOTION 16: Moved to approve the minutes as amended.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Passed: 11-0-0

MOTION 17: Moved to approve Bob Fox’s nomination of Dennis Taylor to the National Teams Committee.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Passed: 11-0-0

MOTION 18: Moved to approve the High Performance Plan as amended.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; no second.

Failed for lack of a second.

Motion 19: Moved to not distribute any tapes beyond the membership of the Board.

Proposed by Jimmy McClure; seconded by Bob Tretheway.

Passed: 11-0-0

MOTION 20: Moved to approve the revised Human Resources Policy Manual as presented by the Personnel Committee.

Proposed by Bob Tretheway; seconded by Jeff Davis.

Passed: 11-0-0

MOTION 21: Moved to approve the ITTF Pro Tour contract.

Proposed by Jeff Davis; seconded by Bob Tretheway.

Passed: 11-0-0

The meeting adjourned at 11:48 a.m., MDT.

Respectfully submitted,

Dennis Taylor, Secretary