March 2009 General Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order by President Barry Altmark as he welcomed both members and guests.

Barry introduced the board (Vice President - Vann Cook - CAM Video Productions, Treasurer - Natalie Pilato Andrews – Kathy G not at the meeting due to death in the family, and Secretary - Rachael Grammer – Two Hearts Weddings and Events and himself).

Barry thanked Trisha Conrad of The Tutwiler and ICON for hosting our event last month. He then also thanked Vann Cook and CAM Video for providing the sound system for the event last month.

Barry then announced the he, Barry C. Altmark Photography, was the sponsor for tonight’s event and that he hoped everyone was enjoying the delicious food and drink there at The Wine Loft. Barry then also thanked Geoff Carlisle of JAMM Entertainment for providing the sound system for the event.

Old Business

Minutes - Barry asked if any one needed to hear the minutes from last month’s meeting and reminded everyone they are posted on the AWEP blog.

Website – Barry announced that by now everyone should have received information on updating the listing on the AWEP website. If they did not, then to let himself or Rachael know and they would get that information to them. Barry went on to also discuss that while members now have the opportunity to list themselves in multiple categories, those categories should apply to them with validity.

New Business

New Member to be voted on -
Anita Kanelis with A Moment of Thyme

Marketing – Barry announced that AWEP is signed up for a booth at the Perfect Wedding Guide Bridal Show on August 2, 2009. More AWEP postcards have been ordered and information space will be provided on our members. The booth will most likely be managed by the AWEP board members.

Presentation

Barry introduced Byron Studdard, a financial planner from Florida, brought to us by Angela Deaver with Main Street Video Productions.

Byron gave a presentation geared towards small business owners and talked about planning and being prepared for the unexpected. There are 6 areas you should have a plan for:

Cash Reserve – the usual 3 to 6 month personal reserve is not enough for a small business to have in reserve in the event of a business down turn or emergency.
Disability Insurance – this is a must for if you get injured and are unable to work
Death Insurance – this is a must to take care of your family and something to consider having on your key employees. The cost to replace a key employee can be staggering.
Will – what happens to everything including your business after you are gone. You have to explicitly spell out all your wants and wishes for all of your affairs and property. Minor children must be accounted for – who will raise them in your absence?
Investments – be careful of mutual funds, know the differences and benefits to all your investments
Taxes – make sure you are taking advantage of all deductions available to you: maintenance of your car, mileage, home office space, computer equipment, etc.

Byron has a newsletter both print and email you can sign up for. If you are interested in getting more information from Byron, please contact Angela Deaver with Main Street Productions.

Barry’s Deep Thought – Thank You

It’s very important, especially in the business world, to let people know you appreciate working with them and let them know how wonderful a job you thought they did. It only takes a few minutes to write someone a thank you note or send them an email. Even a small token of your appreciation makes a huge statement about you. It’s amazing how small gestures will come back to you in large rewards.

The locations for the upcoming meetings were announced. The April meeting will be held at Dorothy McDaniel’s Flower Market, and the May meeting will be held at The Wynfrey.

Barry told the membership if anyone has any ideas or suggestions for a speaker they think would be beneficial to the membership, to let one of the board members know.

The ballots for the new member to be voted on were tallied and it was unanimous. The announcement was made that Anita Kanelis with A Moment of Thyme was voted in and is our newest wedding planner. Congratulations Anita!

Barry thanked everyone for coming again and asked everyone to stay and network more.

March Meeting at Wine Loft on Hwy 280

The next AWEP meeting will be Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 5:30 pm. It is imperative we receive your RSVP by Friday, March 13th at 12:00 pm. To RSVP, please reply to this email and include the number of people who will be attending, the name(s) of those attending as well as the company name. If you are bringing any guests, please include their name and company name.

- The cost of the meal is $10.00 per person.

- The cost for those who do not RSVP by Friday AM or who attend without an RSVP is $5.00 (unless the caterer prepared an overage and they are able to eat with us in which case the cost will be $10.00).

- Those who RSVP, but do not attend the meeting, will be responsible to pay $10.00 to cover AWEP catering expenses and will be billed accordingly.

Barry C. Altmark Photography will be hosting this month’s meeting. He has made arrangements for the meeting to take place at The Wine Loft – Hwy 280. The address is: 2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 140, Mountain Brook.

We will have a guest speaker. His name is Byron Studdard and he is a financial planner. Given it’s almost tax time and the tough times we are enduring with the state of our economy, this should be a most helpful presentation to all.

We have a new member application to be voted on. It is Anita Kanelis with A Moment of Thyme. Anita’s email address is akbridal@aol.com , her classification is wedding planner, and her sponsor is Stephanie Whitaker of Perfect Wedding Guide.

Finally, our meeting will take place on St. Patrick’s Day, so be sure to wear your green!