tanTALK - Tanning Salon Business Owners Community - View Single Post

Ezliving_Jim · 06-17-2002, 12:07 PM

Brenda: Thank you for the opportunity to have a dialog on the issues.

I understand why you, as a vender, LIKE the way the ITA board voting is set up.

Quote:Do you want me as a vendor to pick YOUR salon representative? I don't think so.

Yes! I want you, as a member, to have the right to a full representative vote for all open seats in the BoD elections. I want that basic right for all members.

I read alot of complaints from salon owners about the ITA. Many have written that they have given up all hope of any change within the ITA. I felt the best way to improve the ITA was to participate within the system and vote in better people that can better represent and meet the needs of salon owners.

Then I found out the reason the ITA was unresponsive to the needs of salon owners: Members have NO SAY and NO VOTE on 80% of the ITA BoD. That is not representation! That is lip service.
---

How would you and other venders feel if the shoe was on the other foot?

What if your industry trade association had 12 directors of their BoD elected by salon owners and only 3 by venders?

Would you and other venders feel any better represented if your 3 director's votes counted for double?

How many members in the Equipment Manufactures sector are represented by their 3 directors?
How many members in the Distributors sector are represented by their 3 directors?
How many members in the Allied Products sector are represented by their 3 directors?
How many members in the Lotions sector are represented by their 3 directors?
How many Salon Owners are represented by their 3 directors?

Do you think the ratios will show a fair representation?
---

I do not have an agenda to elect any particular person to the BoD. I do not pretend to know who the best individuals for the positions would be. I do anticipate that more experienced and knowledgable members than I do have an opinion on who the best candidates for each sector would be. I want all candidates to be well known industry-wide and to campaign to the entire membership for their election to a seat on the BoD.

My goal here is to come to a consensus with my peers on the following:

A "Contract For Salon Owners". What exactly do salon owners want their ITA to do to best support them and their industry? What is the Salon Owners Agenda?
A "Slate of Candidates" supported by Salon Owners for election to the BoD. This has been stymied by the fact that under the current ITA rules, members have NO SAY and NO VOTE on 80% of their BoD.

These are not unreasonable goals. I believe they are, in fact, essential.
---

Is there is any doubt whatsoever in anyone's mind that a healthy Salon Owner segment is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, essential to have a healthy industry and a healthy ITA?

This is about equal representation for all members in this industry's trade association.
This is about voting in the very best people from all sectors of the industry.
And yes, this is about the ITA working with a salon owner's agenda.

If it is good for Salon Owners, it is good for the industry. Period.

One note about money. I pulled the latest financials on the ITA.

My main point has been that it is the Salon Owners (whether they are members or not) that make the ITA financially successful by their participation in the Nashville expo.

If salon owners were to not show up in Nashville, the other sectors of this industry would then take a second look at their participation in the show, and the impact on the ITA could be lethal.

In the ITA Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending September 2002, the top two items on the Revenue side are:

Income - World Expo.... $1,465,000.00
Income - Membership.... $ 135,000.00

These 2 items account for 91.5% of the annual revenue for the ITA. The next highest number on the revenue side of the Budget is Interest Income at $60,000.00.

Salon owners pay the bills at the ITA. Salon Owners are long overdue equal representation.

Any talk about the significance of the gap in the cost of ITA membership between the corporate sectors and the salon owners sector is absurd in the big picture.

The corporate sectors of the ITA pay their membership dues with salon owner's money.

And the serious money?

It's about the expo.
It's about the importance of a successsful expo to the bottom line of the ITA.
It's about thousands of salon owners showing up for the expo.

Salon owners have earned the right of full participation in the elections and direction of the ITA.

Why salon owners would even consider supporting the Nashville expo without having full voting representation is beyond my comprehension. I will not support the expo until salon owners have full representation. This is business. I vote with my checkbook.

It is time for current ITA BoD members to call a "Special Meeting" as provided for in the Bylaws under 4.03 for the express purpose of changing the Bylaws so that all members have a vote on all seats on the BoD. This needs to be done now, prior to the upcoming BoD elections.

It is insane that members of the ITA only have votes on 20% of the seats on their BoD. The insanity must end.

Thank you again for the opportunity to have a dialog on the issues. I hope to meet you in Vegas.

_________________
Jim.
Entrepreneur Extraordinaire
[ This Message was edited by: Ezliving_Jim on 2002-06-17 12:15 ]

06-17-2002, 12:07 PM	#6 (permalink)
Ezliving_Jim I love Derf!! Join Date: Mar 12 2002 Location: Undisclosed Secure Location Posts: 2,636 Rep Power: 26	Brenda: Thank you for the opportunity to have a dialog on the issues. I understand why you, as a vender, LIKE the way the ITA board voting is set up. Quote:Do you want me as a vendor to pick YOUR salon representative? I don't think so. Yes! I want you, as a member, to have the right to a full representative vote for all open seats in the BoD elections. I want that basic right for all members. I read alot of complaints from salon owners about the ITA. Many have written that they have given up all hope of any change within the ITA. I felt the best way to improve the ITA was to participate within the system and vote in better people that can better represent and meet the needs of salon owners. Then I found out the reason the ITA was unresponsive to the needs of salon owners: Members have NO SAY and NO VOTE on 80% of the ITA BoD. That is not representation! That is lip service. --- How would you and other venders feel if the shoe was on the other foot? What if your industry trade association had 12 directors of their BoD elected by salon owners and only 3 by venders? Would you and other venders feel any better represented if your 3 director's votes counted for double? How many members in the Equipment Manufactures sector are represented by their 3 directors? How many members in the Distributors sector are represented by their 3 directors? How many members in the Allied Products sector are represented by their 3 directors? How many members in the Lotions sector are represented by their 3 directors? How many Salon Owners are represented by their 3 directors? Do you think the ratios will show a fair representation? --- I do not have an agenda to elect any particular person to the BoD. I do not pretend to know who the best individuals for the positions would be. I do anticipate that more experienced and knowledgable members than I do have an opinion on who the best candidates for each sector would be. I want all candidates to be well known industry-wide and to campaign to the entire membership for their election to a seat on the BoD. My goal here is to come to a consensus with my peers on the following: A "Contract For Salon Owners". What exactly do salon owners want their ITA to do to best support them and their industry? What is the Salon Owners Agenda? A "Slate of Candidates" supported by Salon Owners for election to the BoD. This has been stymied by the fact that under the current ITA rules, members have NO SAY and NO VOTE on 80% of their BoD. These are not unreasonable goals. I believe they are, in fact, essential. --- Is there is any doubt whatsoever in anyone's mind that a healthy Salon Owner segment is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, essential to have a healthy industry and a healthy ITA? This is about equal representation for all members in this industry's trade association. This is about voting in the very best people from all sectors of the industry. And yes, this is about the ITA working with a salon owner's agenda. If it is good for Salon Owners, it is good for the industry. Period. One note about money. I pulled the latest financials on the ITA. My main point has been that it is the Salon Owners (whether they are members or not) that make the ITA financially successful by their participation in the Nashville expo. If salon owners were to not show up in Nashville, the other sectors of this industry would then take a second look at their participation in the show, and the impact on the ITA could be lethal. In the ITA Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending September 2002, the top two items on the Revenue side are: Income - World Expo.... $1,465,000.00 Income - Membership.... $ 135,000.00 These 2 items account for 91.5% of the annual revenue for the ITA. The next highest number on the revenue side of the Budget is Interest Income at $60,000.00. Salon owners pay the bills at the ITA. Salon Owners are long overdue equal representation. Any talk about the significance of the gap in the cost of ITA membership between the corporate sectors and the salon owners sector is absurd in the big picture. The corporate sectors of the ITA pay their membership dues with salon owner's money. And the serious money? It's about the expo. It's about the importance of a successsful expo to the bottom line of the ITA. It's about thousands of salon owners showing up for the expo. Salon owners have earned the right of full participation in the elections and direction of the ITA. Why salon owners would even consider supporting the Nashville expo without having full voting representation is beyond my comprehension. I will not support the expo until salon owners have full representation. This is business. I vote with my checkbook. It is time for current ITA BoD members to call a "Special Meeting" as provided for in the Bylaws under 4.03 for the express purpose of changing the Bylaws so that all members have a vote on all seats on the BoD. This needs to be done now, prior to the upcoming BoD elections. It is insane that members of the ITA only have votes on 20% of the seats on their BoD. The insanity must end. Thank you again for the opportunity to have a dialog on the issues. I hope to meet you in Vegas. _________________ Jim. Entrepreneur Extraordinaire [ This Message was edited by: Ezliving_Jim on 2002-06-17 12:15 ]