by John Matzinger,
ACBS International Director
 

In spite of Hurricane Ivan, there were 48 members in attendance at the Chapter Roundtable held prior to the ACBS International Meeting and Boat Show at Lake Lanier, Georgia. At the Roundtable the main topic was liability insurance, as covered by the ACBS policy. Members John Harvey, an insurance agent, and Jack Lynett, an insurance attorney, ably presented an explanation of the policy.
Insurance: Jeff Stebbins said there will be a revised insert in the President’s Handbook. In the meantime, chapters should request event coverage from the ACBS agent, Carmody Company, at (315) 252-7208 or fax (315) 252-1251. It is a good idea to do this at least 2-3 weeks before an event. Other parties can also be additionally named such as marina owners, cities, etc., as required.
 

Roundtable Speakers: At the previous Roundtable at Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, Rick Terry discussed judging. January 14-16, 2005, at Key West, Florida, there will be a session on strategic planning. This should be of interest to Chapter Officers as well as International Officers, Directors, and Chairmen.
Chapter Goals: Water Wonderland worked up a vision plan for their Michigan Chapter. The 18-page document will be mailed to all presidents. Initially, they sent out a request to all chapters for input on what they have done.
 

Membership Building: The Northern California Chapter uses lots of photos and makes customized banners for presentation at shows. These have been for indoor display and they are now working on creating some for outdoor use. They try to sign up new members at the shows, and at one event they signed five new members within a four-hour period. Personal phone calls and visits have been made, which helped increase membership to over 400.
 

Chapter Membership: There is no requirement that a person belong to a chapter when they belong to ACBS International. There is a list available from Headquarters, for chapter membership chairmen who want to recruit these individuals. Some chapters require chapter membership to participate in events. At the BSLOL chapter, non-members are charged a fee equal to the annual dues. ACBS now requires that members of new chapters belong to International.
 

New Software: The new software Chapter Membership Program should be ready from Headquarters by the end of November 2004. Some chapters have been asking for a mass e-mailing capability between chapters, which should also be ready. Headquarters can now e-mail everyone, and this has been done.
Directors and Officers: Chapters Directors and Officers are not covered by the ACBS D&O policy. A chapter has to be incorporated in order to obtain their own D&O insurance.
 

Thank You to Jeff Stebbins for standing in for John Matzinger at the Lanier Roundtable.