Attending: Terry Lewis (President), Terri Shanahan (Vice President), Rosanne Roe (Member),
Ellis Burress (Member-at-Large), Pat Schoonover (Member-at-Large), Angel White (City Council
Liaison), Jane Sutcliffe (Member), Carl Harris (Member). There is now another At-Large Board
and Secretary position available.
Absent: Teri Pizzola (Treasurer)
Meeting sponsored by Life Memories and Roe Editorial
Minutes written by Rosanne Roe
Call to Order: 6:10pm
Adjourned: 7:30pm
October 2014 General Membership Meeting Minutes: Approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Given and Approved.
Membership Report: Given and Approved. GBACC currently has 84 members. Given her new
job responsibilities, Debbie Robinette is no longer able to handle the mailing list. Ellis agreed to
take care of the mailing list for Feb. The roster of current business members of GBACC is at
In the past, the General Membership Meeting has been held quarterly. It was
decided to start holding these meetings more frequently and turn them into fun social
networking events. The first of these meetings/networking social events will be held at Beans on
Feb. 26 from 5:30-7pm. Terri Shanahan offered to work out the details with Beans, including
ticketed drinks and hors d’oeuvres. It was also suggested that these events be ticketed.
Change to Bylaws: A change to the GBACC Bylaws was passed creating a new membership
category. The following amendment was added to the GBACC Bylaws: 2.3 Retired business
persons shall be eligible to join the Chamber as associate members whether actively engaged
in a business or not. They would not pay dues nor be eligible to vote or receive member
discounts. They would be encouraged to attend all events and meetings, volunteer for
committees, and serve as advisers.
Coming 2015 Events: Business 101 in partnership with EDC and Main Street (Feb., March);
Coop Advertising (Placemat, FNP Inserts, Coupon Book); New Member Reception (Feb., Aug.);
Shred Day (after taxes); Community Picnic GBACC Table (June 27); GBACC Picnic (July);
Railroad Days GBACC Table (Oct. 3-4); Float in Veterans Day Parade Advertising the Expo
(Nov. 1); Business Expo (Nov. 5); Year-End Reception (first week of Dec.).
Possible topics for Business 101 include Marketing; Advertising; Getting Started (Types of Legal
Entities); Creating a Business Plan; Practicing an Elevator Speech; Selling and Closing the
Deal; Ever Note Ap Training Session; Office Efficiency; Business Writing; How to Efficiently
Communicate with Customers in the Digital Age. Working group will meet on Feb. 5 at 7pm at
the Potomac Street Grill to further plan the classes with the EDC and Main Street. Anyone
interested in being part of this planning committee is welcome. Main Street and possibly the
EDC will be partnering with GBACC on putting on these classes.
Volunteer Opportunities: Member recruiting; web site; newsletter; coop ads (see above). It was
suggested that, if there are no volunteers to solicit ads and coordinate with vendors for the “1
placemat ads, that GBACC would have to pay someone a commission or forgo the placemat
ads. This also applies to the FNP inserts and the coupon book.