Gentlemen:

In June I wrote to say that we must change if we are to grow and flourish in a bright and prosperous future. Several changes have occurred recently to help us on that path, though one of those necessary changes—a reduction in staff—was exceedingly difficult and painful. Nevertheless, with the help of our members, we will move ahead and create a brighter future.

At its June 29th meeting, the Society Board reaffirmed the action taken in July 2002 whereby the Board adopted the practice of regularly representing the Society as the "Barbershop Harmony Society" while maintaining the Society’s legal name as SPEBSQSA, Inc. A professional marketing survey of members and prospective members ages 18-54 revealed that both prospective members and our own members preferred "Barbershop Harmony Society" to "Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America." The Board encourages chapters, effective immediately, to use "Barbershop Harmony Society" in all communication and promotions activities.

The Society Board did not adopt a new logo, but one will be prepared for consideration in the near future. The slogan "Keep the Whole World Singing" will be maintained, given that it has the overwhelming support of both members and prospects in the professional marketing research that was conducted.

A recent and very difficult change was necessary to address our chronic budget problems. We have done what we could to reduce costs and maximize assets over the past few years without reducing staff size significantly. It became clear that we could not continue to ignore the facts: we have been running deficits, and the largest portion of our costs is a result of personnel. The Society

Board asked our new CEO, Don Harris, to streamline our current operations in order for the Society to regain a solid financial footing. Sadly, we cannot afford as large a staff today as we have had in the past, and a significant reduction in force on July 15 meant that we had to say goodbye to some very dedicated employees. This was an absolute economic necessity. No further layoffs are anticipated at this time.

Our Society staff is dedicated to serving you and meeting your needs. Our CEO Don Harris will soon be hiring staff to fill the few open positions, and those appointments will be announced in LiveWire and in The Harmonizer.

In addition, I am pleased that Todd Wilson will serve as our new staff Director of Marketing. Todd is a 33-year Society member who has won multiple chorus gold medals with the Vocal Majority as well as a quartet gold medal with Acoustix. He was a Certified Instructor for Marketing and PR for COTS for two years prior to joining the Society Board, on which he served as Planning and Program Development Chair and a member of the Board Management Council. Todd’s success in marketing and barbershop at the highest levels will better position our organization to enjoy increases both in membership and in our exposure to the communities we serve.

 Sincerely,