Another hat tossed into the KCBS Board of Director's ring!

[Leatherheadiowa]

I wanted to formally announce my intentions in seeking a seat on the KCBS B.O.D.
I have "lurked" here at BBQ Brethern for a while now and though I am new to the forum and having much to say here I would hope to be given a chance to earn a vote from all of you and the entire KCBS membership.

My name is BJ Hoffman, and I live in Windsor Heights, Iowa. I am married and have an 8 year old son that loves to BBQ as much, if not more than I do.
I am a CBJ and I cook with a team from here in Iowa called, Butler Center BBQ.

Over the past several months I have had a chance to experience a great deal in life. One of those moments occurred days after cooking at KCBS contest at the Cass County Fairgrounds in Weeping Water, Nebraska. On August 25th at age 34 I suffered a massive heart attack that should have killed me right then and there. While in the ICU in a Des Moines, Iowa hospital I had some time to think about the thing I like in life, the things I love in life, and the things I do in life because I feel obligated, and those things that I have just always done.
Of all the things in life that I love including my family, friends, and my church, I realized that barbeque and the barbeque family I have known for the last 12 years ranks right up there and the fact that the family and friends that I love and adore enjoy the barbeque life opened my eyes to becoming a leader on the KCBS board.

I wouldn't wish my unfortunate health issues on anyone but, an eye opener is an eye opener. The fact that my eight year old Carson loves to barbeque as much, if not more than I do made me decide that now is the time to run for the KCBS Board of Directors.

The past and current board members have done a great job in building on many of the points of the KCBS mission statement but I feel that I can be an amazing voice in building on the KCBS mission statement, and I know I can bring personalized knowledge and attention to the teaching and preservation points in the mission statement that are going to be so very critical to the future members of the KCBS like my eight year old son Carson, my barbequing 4 year old nephew Peyton, and my teammate's newborn son Brock.

I believe that through some new efforts that I would like to champion through KCBS that the organization could grow the membership base every year for generations to come. I also believe that the teaching aspect of barbeque is an important facet of maintaining interest in barbeque. Just a few years back NASCAR was the hottest show on earth, growing leaps and bounds and things couldn't have been better. Just a few years later NASCAR has hit the proverbial brick wall and there are empty seats, shortened race seasons, teams disappearing, and drivers going from racing on Sundays to selling used cars Monday through Saturday. I don't want to see anything like what NASCAR has had happen to them happen to KCBS.
The economy can be blamed for a lot of things including the incidental spending by the general public, reduced spending by barbeque teams and contest organizers.
For most competition teams like the one I am a part of, we realize breaking even is a great thing and coming out ahead is even better. We continue to compete because WE LOVE BARBEQUE!
The reason I bring up the socioeconomic conditions is that, if we (barbeque lovers) don't find new and innovative ways to overcome these adversities barbeque as we know it could change for the worse. I believe that my addition to the KCBS Board of Directors would be a great way of attacking these issues proactively instead of waiting for them to happen and then having to react which is also much more stressful and typically very costly.
I also want to address remedial education for current judges, member benefits, and meeting transparency. You can hear about these issues in my announcement video.
Finally, over the next three and a half months I would like to get to know as many KCBS members as possible and would appreciate any, and all of your questions, comments, and KCBS platform ideas and I will respond to each of you in a timely manner. For up to date information and answers to others comments please visit my candidacy Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BJ-Hoffman-for-KCBS-Board-of-Directors/289380814423633
I look forward to getting to know you all better and hope I can earn your votes!

Respectfully,

BJ Hoffman

 

[Leatherheadiowa]

Thanks to the teams in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma for the great questions and kind words of support. Also, the judges from Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri have brought some issues to my attention and I can appreciate that as well since I am also a judge on weekends that our team doesn't compete! Keep the comments and questions coming to my email at leatherheadiowa@yahoo.com!

 

[Slamdunkpro]

Questions for the Candidate:

• What specific changes would you want to implement if elected?
• Name 2 goals that you would like to see completed and implemented during your term (again, be specific)
• Do you feel that the direction that KCBS is going in is the correct one? If not, where would you like to guide it?
• Would you be willing to vote to publish a list of committee members for all the KCBS committees?
• Are you for or against full disclosure of KCBS financials?
• Should board members be ineligible to vote on issues before the KCBS board where they stand to gain financially from their vote?

ETA: Please don't feel as if I'm singling you out with these questions - I'm asking them of every BoD candidate.

 

[Leatherheadiowa]

Thanks for the questions! I want to preface the answers by saying that a couple of the things I would like to implement are relevant to a couple of your questions. I posted a video to my Facebook site with information regarding the four major platform items I am running on for your review as well.

Questions for the Candidate:
What specific changes would you want to implement if elected?
I have a platform that contains four major items and one item I was brought recently:
Work on the preservation and education that the KCBS points out in their mission statement. The team I compete with includes my brother, my good friend, and myself. I have an 8 year old son, a 4 year old nephew, and my friend just has his first child last week. I know that making sure that the KCBS remains a family friendly, family oriented, and for "entertainment" organization is key to me. We travel as a group of families and my son and nephew have already started competing in Kids Q's and I want that to continue. The bickering and "he said, she said" that has been occurring has to end or the future of barbeque will walk away not wanting to be a part of an organization riddled with controversy.
Second, I want to look at remedial education and training for CBJ's. As a judge and competitor I have seen issues from both sides. As a competitor I recently got a score sheet that made me wonder what had happened with two of the six judges. Their two scores were off by 3 points each compared to the other 4. At some point the table captain or reps need to look at the sheets and see who if anyone was inconsistent and make a note and if the same judge continues to score outside of the norm, then some type of remedial training could be recommended by KCBS.
Third, I would like to address member benefits. What is the everyday member getting for their annual dues and do the members see the value or do they continue to renew in order to keep judging? I belong to a few professional and civic organizations that have better benefits and these organizations are continually seeking more benefits for the paying membership in order to have member loyalty.
Fourth, I would take the bull by the horns and find out what the reason for the entire closed session meeting sessions are about. I absolutely HATE it when my local city council goes into closed session and leaves the people footing the bill wondering what decisions are being made with MY tax dollars. I believe that the same mentality applies with the KCBS. I don't believe anything malicious is occurring but, I would rather have open, honest dialogue on the front side rather than having to pry for answers later.
Finally, in the last few days I have heard from a few KCBS members from the coasts that they feel forgotten about in terms of recruiting new reps (properly trained) and after doing some research I think that the members on the coasts need more resources and I would be happy to spearhead a recruitment effort and have some of the best reps travel to the areas that are short and get reps trained the right way.


Name 2 goals that you would like to see completed and implemented during your term (again, be specific)
1. I would like to see the KCBS write into the bylaws that closed session be reserved for KCBS personnel matters only.
2. I would ask that accounts payable and receivable ledgers be made public within 7 days of the following accounting month.
3. I would like to see an annual increase in membership of 5% by going out and recruiting with a focus on youth.
Do you feel that the direction that KCBS is going in is the correct one? If not, where would you like to guide it?
I feel the mission of the KCBS has continued to be focused on fairly well but, I feel that the good things that the KCBS are often overshadowed by the negatives. I think one reason the negatives are so prevalent is due to the fact they are often not made public and by the time they become public people have changed the story numerous times and the overall frustration of hearing the news third, fifth, or twentieth hand is irritating. If the bickering was put aside and the focus returned to BBQ the organization could make big steps into the future.
I believe that by electing people that don't have any personal or financial interest you will leave the feelings at home and bring BBQ to the board room.
Would you be willing to vote to publish a list of committee members for all the KCBS committees?
Yes, why not, you paid membership dues and you deserve to see into the organization you support.
Are you for or against full disclosure of KCBS financials?
Again, people as a whole whether it be the Citizens of the State of Illinois, the Girl Scouts of America, or the KCBS are tired of speculation and are asking for something very simple. The more you hide something the more people will assume something or someone is up to no-good.
Should board members be ineligible to vote on issues before the KCBS board where they stand to gain financially from their vote?
The KCBS should be an organization about the members, for the members, for the enjoyment of BBQ. I can tell you personally, I am in pharmaceutical research and my teammates work in healthcare and I can guarantee you won't see any financial gains for me due to the tight restrictions I can with my "real" job. In the event another board member is found to be reaping some type of gain I will be more than happy to make the leadership aware as well as the rest of the general membership.