Ninth Annual Meeting & In-Service Training Meeting Minutes

The business meeting for the Ninth Annual Meeting & In-Service Training of the Horticultural Inspection Society, Southern Chapter, was held on September 19, 2007. President Harley Holsten, OK called the meeting to order at 11:28 a.m. at the Stoneville Conference Center in Greenville, Mississippi.

PRESENT
Eighteen members representing eight states were present: Voting Delegate Tim Johnson, representing the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries; Secretary Beverly Bewley, Voting Delegate David Blackburn and Treasurer Steve Bostian, representing the Arkansas State Plant Board; Voting Delegate and Editor Joe Collins, Webmaster Carl Harper and Janet Lensing, representing the University and State of Kentucky; Vice President and Voting Delegate Guy Buford and Tim Lockley, representing the Mississippi Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry; Voting Delegate Mike Massey, Dan Wall, Frank White and Phil Wilson, representing the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; President Harley Holsten, and Voting Delegate John Nunnery, representing the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Voting Delegate Gavin Berry and Scott Bell, representing Clemson University and South Carolina; and Voting Delegate, Sherman Clem, representing the Texas Department of Agriculture.

States not represented were Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Tennessee and Virginia.

ROLL CALL OF STATES
Secretary Beverly Bewley, AR, conducted the roll call of states. A quorum was declared.

MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
President Harley Holsten, OK called for corrections or LAST MEETING additions to the minutes of the Eighth Annual Meeting and In-Service Training Business Meeting. There were no corrections or additions to the minutes. Kentucky made a motion to accept the minutes as written. Oklahoma seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT
Treasurer Treasurer Steve Bostian, AR, gave the Treasurer’s Report. Audit Committee Chairman Phil Wilson, NC, gave the report on behalf of the Audit Committee stating that the committee had reviewed the records of the income and expenses incurred by the Chapter up to June 30, 2007. A copy of the Treasurer’s Report was given to the meeting attendees (see attached). Arkansas made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Mississippi seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

OLD BUSINESS
Treasurer Bostian, AR, gave a report of his trip to the Southern Plant Board Meeting held in Kentucky in April of 2007. The 2008 meeting of the Southern Plant Board will be held in Tennessee in April 2008. President Holsten, OK, asked if there was any more old business to consider. No other old business was addressed.

NEW BUSINESS
EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT: Committee Chairman and Webmaster, Carl Harper, KY gave the report on behalf of the Education Committee. Mr. Harper stated that the committee had discussed ways to educate administration in each state as to the benefits of HISSC. Mr. Harper reviewed the Yahoo group page and discussed adding an email list of members to the Yahoo pages as well as adding the PowerPoint presentations from the annual meeting to the website.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT: Committee Chairman Sherman Clem, TX, gave the report for the Membership Committee. Mr. Clem stated that the committee had discussed website promotion and increasing membership participation through the website and the Yahoo chat program. Mr. Clem stated that there was some need for member information to be updated and perhaps adding a membership list to one newsletter each year. Mr. Clem stated the committee had discussed promoting the use of the HISSC logo on business cards, clothing, membership patches, etc.

RESOLUTION COMMITTEE REPORT: Resolution Number Eighteen was read by Secretary Bewley, AR. The resolution concerns Host State Appreciation (see attached). Texas made a motion to accept the resolution. The motion was seconded by Alabama. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

AWARD COMMITTEE REPORT: Dan Wall, NC, Chairman of the Award Committee stated that the award committee discussed promoting and encouraging more participation in the HISSC award nomination process from each state.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT: A member of the nomination committee, Tim Lockley, MS, presented the following nominations:

Editor SelectionMr. Lockley stated that the committee nominated Joe Collins, KY for the reelection of his office of Editor. President Holsten asked Mr. Collins if he would accept the nomination. Mr. Collins stated that he would accept the nomination. President Holsten asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Alabama made a motion to reelect Joe Collins to the office of Editor. Texas seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

Treasurer Selection: Mr. Lockley stated that the committee nominated Steve Bostian, AR for the reelection of his office of Treasurer. Mr. Bostian accepted the nomination. President Holsten asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Texas made a motion to reelect Steve Bostian to the office of Treasurer. Arkansas seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

Secretary  Selection: Mr. Lockley stated that the committee nominated Beverly Bewley, AR for the reelection of her office of Secretary. Mrs. Bewley accepted the nomination. President Holsten asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Mississippi made a motion to reelect Beverly Bewley to the office of Secretary. Arkansas seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

Vice President Selection: Mr. Lockley stated that the committee nominated Janet Lensing, KY to the office of Vice President. Ms. Lensing accepted the nomination. President Holsten asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Alabama made a motion to elect Janet Lensing to the office of Vice President. Mississippi seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

President Selection: Mr. Lockley stated that the committee nominated Guy Buford, MS to the office of President. Mr. Buford accepted the nomination. President Holsten asked for other nominations from the floor. There were no other nominations. Alabama made a motion to elect Guy Buford to the office of President. Texas seconded the motion. A voice vote was taken. Motion carried.

HOST STATE FOR THE 2008 ANNUAL MEETING: Janet Lensing, KY, accepted the nomination to host the 2008 Annual Meeting and In-Service Training in Kentucky, with a tentative date of September. Ms. Lensing along with Carl Harper, KY and Joe Collins, KY discussed some early planning ideas for the meeting and stated the tentative location as Louisville, Kentucky but that was to still be determined.

DESIGNATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE SOUTHERN PLANT BOARD MEETING: Outgoing President Holsten stated that in the past, the Chapter President would attend the meeting and if they were unable to attend, Incoming President Buford would appoint a member of the Society to attend in his place.

OTHER BUSINESS:
President Holsten asked if there was any other business to discuss. Joe Collins, KY expressed concern in the Award Committee voting process. Secretary Bewley stated that Award committee guidelines had been established in a previous meeting and were being followed in the award selection process. Carl Harper, KY gave a quick overview of the Yahoo chat group pages. Mr. Harper discussed how to become a member of the chat group, what already existed on the site and what else could be done on the site. Joe Collins, KY asked the group for meeting ideas for the upcoming meeting. Ideas were discussed.

PASSING OF THE PRESIDENCY:
President Holsten stated that he had enjoyed his tenure as PRESIDENCY as president of the chapter and passed the Presidency to newly elected President Guy Buford.