FALL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2018
QUALITY INN
BISMARCK, ND
CALL TO ORDER
The September 30th ND Barbers’ Association officers’ meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. at the Quality Inn in Bismarck. Under the new oversight system approved at the 2018 Convention, five officers were present instead of seven: President Travis Zenker; 3 Vice Presidents - Jeremy Skaley, Lance Ekern, and Maureen Robinson; and Secretary-Treasurer Lori Ludlum. Also attending the meeting were retired Bismarck barber Ray Schock, Williston barber Derrick Black, Mary Cannon and Andrew Storkamp, representing Moler Barber College, and Vice President Paul Ellerkamp and Secretary-Treasurer Tona Stevenson, of the North Dakota Board of Barber Examiners. President Travis Zenker asked everyone to look over the meeting’s agenda. There were no additions, so it was approved by Jeremy Skaley and seconded by Maureen Robinson.
SECRETARY / TREASURER’S REPORT
Secretary/Treasurer Lori Ludlum had emailed everyone a copy of the minutes from the 2018 Convention’s business meeting, so she asked if anyone had any additions or corrections. No one made any changes.
The Treasurer’s report stated that, according to the bank, the checking account balance was at $12,391.41, but there was an older out-standing check that kept the Treasurer’s balance at $12,229.10. Lori Ludlum asked Travis Zenker if he would be cashing the check that was issued to him in March for reimbursement of winter meeting expenses at the Ramkota Hotel. He stated that he did not need to be reimbursed and would not be cashing the check. Therefore, the Treasurer’s balance can be reconciled with the bank’s balance. Just before the 2018 Convention, Lori Ludlum paid Office Depot $57.75 for the printing of the annual report, but there have been no expenses since then. The reported bank balance includes two deposits of revenue made at the 2018 Convention, a $4.00 deposit made from the sale of copies of the barber pole trademark and the Code of Ethics, and a $480.00 deposit made from the sale of raffle tickets for a barber pole lamp. The Brehmer Memorial Account, used to purchase the clipper each year for the Convention’s clipper give-away, had a balance of $305.20.
VICE-PRESIDENTS’ REPORTS
1st Vice-President Jeremy Skaley (Parliamentary Procedure and Education) stated that he didn’t have any report to make since the host city of Fargo had stated that they would be handling the education for their upcoming convention.
2nd Vice-President Lance Ekern (Charity and Awards) reported that the barbers at the 2018 Convention in Bismarck had donated 85.7 pounds of food for the Great Plains Food Bank in Bismarck, and $600.00 for the charity Children With Hair Loss. The recipient of the food donations from the upcoming Fargo convention will be the Great Plains Food Bank of Fargo. Tona Stevenson mentioned that maybe Regina Villemure would be available to attend the Fargo Convention and give us an update on her organization Children With Hair Loss.
3rd Vice-President Maureen Robinson (History, Newsletter, Website, and Public Relations) reported that she is always looking for input and information regarding the Newsletter and Website. Tona Stevenson listed a few requests for changes and corrections on the website. She would appreciate the removal of any specific state reciprocity information, because individual states change their status fairly often and it becomes confusing. She also requested a correction to the website information about the number of hours of instruction required in order to graduate from a barber school. The amount should be changed from 1550 hours to 1500 hours. In closing, Maureen stated that she intended to continue featuring profiles of barbers in the Newsletter to help us all get acquainted.
BARBER BOARD REPORT
Secretary-Treasurer Tona Stevenson, of the ND Board of Barber Examiners, reported that, by the time of the meeting, the Board had licensed 191 Master Barbers and 96 barber shops. At the end of last year, the count had been at 211 Master Barbers and 97 barber shops. Tona stressed that this number is way too low compared to the 7000 licensed cosmetologists in the state. Tona also reported that she did not attend the NABBA Convention in Kansas City this year, but she is hoping to receive a copy of the minutes. She intends to attend next year when the group meets in Reno, Nevada. Tona was happy to report that the ND State Auditor’s Office is now able to provide auditing services to North Dakota state boards for only $75.00. The Barber Board typically was paying from $800 to $1000 for the services of an independent accountant, so that will result in quite a savings. She also updated us on some information she had been sharing with the Association Officers regarding an upcoming orientation and training seminar for members of North Dakota professional licensing boards and their legal counsel. Tona had some concerns that this might be the beginning of the scrutiny that could occur at the onset of deregulation. The undesired effect could be a requirement that we add a paid lay person to our Barber Board appointed by the State. However, according to information that Travis Zenker had received in a casual conversation with ND Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, our barbering organizations do not need to worry about talk of anti-trust laws and deregulation. Tona Stevenson and Travis Zenker are considering attending the offered seminar just to gain a better understanding of the situation. They are waiting for more information. In closing, Tona stated that the Board had finished preparing a new exam from the latest revised edition of the Milady Standard Barbering text book.
Paul Ellerkamp, Vice-President of the ND Board of Barber Examiners, reported to the group that he and his brother Matt have been busy setting up a new location for their barbershop. As a result, they have decided to postpone the opening of a barber school in Dickinson until they have had a chance to catch their breath and reevaluate the situation, perhaps in January. Paul stated that because of this postponement, he no longer feels the need to step down from the Board. He will serve his entire term until the end of 2019 and then probably not seek another term. Secretary-Treasurer Tona Stevenson stated that she would like to stress to everyone at the 2019 Convention that the next appointee to the Board should ideally be comfortable with a computer and be prepared to work his or her way into Tona’s position by the end of her term in 2021. She would welcome the opportunity to work with the person for a couple years after Paul’s term ends and while filling President Joel Brehmer’s position after his term ends in 2020. North Dakota now requires that barbers interested in being appointed to the Board of Barber Examiners fill out an online formal application to be submitted to the Governor’s office. Paul Ellerkamp had received a call from an assistant to the State’s Attorney regarding the Association’s required process of submitting five barber’s names to the Governor’s office to fill a single open position on our Board. Their office had concerns with the appropriateness and legality of the letter, sent by the Associations’ Secretary on behalf of the Association, endorsing one barber over the others. It was discussed by the group that, although this practice has gone on for many years, to avoid legal concerns we should change our procedure. It was suggested that the general endorsement be replaced by a report from the Convention with a factual count from a private ballot vote showing which nominee received the most votes. The new procedure would be discussed and probably implemented at the 2019 Convention in Fargo.
BARBER COLLEGE REPORTS
Mary Cannon introduced Andrew Storkamp to the group and reported that she has been busy since August transitioning Andrew in as the new owner of Moler Barber College. She was relieved to find out that her landlord was willing to cancel her present lease and write up a new one for Andrew. But the paperwork for transferring other important matters has been more difficult and time-consuming than expected. They hope that within 45 days Andrew will be approved as the new owner. Mary is expecting to assist Andrew for two years, although, ideally, he thinks he would like her to stay as long as five. Mary reported that 3 students have recently graduated and that she presently has 7 students enrolled at the college with a waiting list of 12. State law would allow the two instructors to enroll 24 students, but Andrew feels that with their
current clientele, he would be comfortable with 10 students until they can boost their customer flow.
Tona shared an update on the new Skill Cutz Barber College in Fargo, opened by Wil Dort. Wil presently has 8 students enrolled and 4 or 5 on a waiting list. Of the enrolled students, 4 students are ready to test and 1 is almost ready. The general consensus of licensing boards is that it is best to wait until a student is completely finished with school before being tested. Instructor Tyler Kappes helps by leading a continued education course on Tuesdays intended to keep the finished students practiced-up and feeling competent until the next exam. Wil has explored student funding through Job Service, which has a state program that disperses funding to qualified individuals if there is money available. In closing, Tona stated that Wil has also mentioned a desire to open a barber shop in Grand Forks.
OLD AND NEW BUSINESS
Under Old Business, Secretary-Treasurer Lori Ludlum stated confusion about what responsibilities each Vice President had accepted when the Vice President positions had been consolidated from five to three at the 2018 Convention. It was discussed that the President should not take on any additional responsibilities, so the jobs were assigned as follows: Jeremy Skaley – Parliamentary Procedure and Education, Lance Ekern – Charity and Awards, and Maureen Robinson – History, Newsletter, Website, and Public Relations. There was no New Business.
FINAL CONVENTION CITY REPORT 2018
Travis Zenker, Co-Chairman of the 2018 Convention in Bismarck, reported that 88 people had preregistered for their convention last spring and 10 had paid at the door. There were 72 barbers, 26 spouses, and 12 students for a total of 110 in attendance. Their registration fee generated an income of $8080.00, and with their total expenses their final balance was $120.87. Everyone commented on what an enjoyable and informative convention it was. Travis suggested that in the future, the host city should try to determine who will not be staying for the banquet. The wasted money on unneeded meals had been hard on the Bismarck Convention’s budget and should, ideally, be avoided in the future.
2019 CONVENTION CITY REPORT
Maureen Robinson, representing the Planning Committee for the 2019 Convention in Fargo, reported that the event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 6th and 7th, at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center (the former Doublewood Inn), 3333 13th Avenue South, Fargo. Local barbers will be presenting the Educational Forum, which will, hopefully, include a demonstration by Cindy Kendall of how the use of clipper guards when cutting a flattop can greatly speed up the process. It was reported that 80 sleeping rooms have been blocked off for the event, 60 double queen bed rooms and 20 single king bed rooms. Barbers should book within the block of rooms by calling the hotel directly at 701-235-3333 and asking for the “North Dakota Barbers’ Convention.” The hotel has been updated recently and their event planner has offered to help our group with musical entertainment and a trivia game with topics specific to barbering. The committee hopes that these suggestions can be implemented. Tona Stevenson stated that she would like a table at the convention this year to display some items. She also mentioned that barbers should be considering the site for the 2020 Convention; the earlier the planning the better. It might be time to consider Mandan or Jamestown if there is a venue that could accommodate the group’s needs. Travis stated that he would talk to Kent Preble and Mike Klostreich about hosting in Mandan.
The meeting was adjourned by President Travis Zenker.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
Lori Ludlum – Secretary/ Treasurer
ND Barbers Association