GABB 2013 Year in Review
Hello GABB Members!
I wanted to send you an e-mail to follow up on the year’s activities and the results of our “annual meeting” on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
- The new www.gabb.org website that was rolled out at the beginning of 2013 appears to be well received by both the public and the membership. We are constantly making some changes to the site (mostly behind the scenes) and are always open to feedback from our members.
- Diane Loupe has agreed to fulfill Membership Director responsibilities along with her communications and marketing responsibilities. The Board of Directors sees this as a critical point to have year-over-year consistency, and we are excited to have Diane perform this role for the association.
- The GABB officers elected for 2014 are as follows:
President-Dave Chambless
Vice President- Mike Kelly
Secretary- Kent Reed
Treasurer-Jon Merry
Past President-Matt Slappey
- There was a proposed change to the By-Laws that required membership approval and the following motion was passed by the general membership: “Proposal to amend Article 3.1 of the by-laws of the GABB to create only two distinct membership types (reduced from three). There would be a “Business Broker Member” and an “Affiliate Member” (any member who isn’t a business broker). This change would eliminate the “associate member” title in the organization. This change was made to make it clearer for those who are searching for business brokers and to prevent confusing the public with the “Broker” and “Associate” member designations.
- The Board of Directors voted unanimously, through Article 20 of the GABB By Laws, to amend the requirement that all Broker members maintain an active account with the BBMS system to make this optional for members to keep an active account with BBMS. The decision was based on a culmination of a 2013 review of member utilization of the system, member feedback, and listings available via this system and other web-based systems. When we compared current BBMS(BizMLS) listings of 153 to the BizBuySell listings on the GABB site of 272, it is apparent that not all members are fully utilizing the BBMS system. While the system is not designed to be a “listing service” as a single service, the reduced utilization led the board to remove this as a REQUIREMENT of membership.
- The GABB Holiday Party will be held on Thursday December 5th starting at 6 p.m. Maggiano’s in Buckhead. As always, members and their guest (1), can attend at no charge as long as they RSVP on or before 5 p.m. Monday December 2nd. Each attendee should bring at least one unwrapped gift which will be presented to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. They said they particularly need gifts for very small children and teenaged boys.
- Membership for 2014 should be completed no later than February 28th because Diane Loupe will begin working on a 2014 printed directory for our broker and affiliate members. Ensure that your dues are paid by February 28th and that your correct information is listed on our website to ensure that you are represented in the new directory. Contact Diane at georgiabusinessbrokers@gmail.com or 404-374-3990 if you have any questions.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you during 2013 and I look forward to seeing everyone on December 5th!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Matt Slappey
2013 President Georgia Association of Business Brokers