Bright Area Business Association: Minutes from 7/11/2014 Meeting
Written By: Lori Enright
Role Call- please submit all social outlets you have
President- “Welcome”
Diane Bender- 2 weeks until the festival
– sign up to volunteer
– come early for shifts; need helpers to return baskets and end of night
– donation: need more! Only have 19 so far
– 2 booths: 1 for advertising; 1 for baskets
– Bebe Kinnett will be hosting a book signing at the festival on Saturday
Kate Karaus- new member: Dave Hoehn with Western Southern Life
- Updating website with each member’s social media
- Please look at your page on site; submit necessary changes to be made
- “Work One” Lawrenceburg is joining, as well
- “Thank you” for prayers for family loss
Golf Outing- The Beacon is the Title Sponsor for the 2015 outing on May 18th, 2015
Celeste Cavallo- “Welcome/Intro” to speaker Jud McMillan
- Prefers to listen and answer questions verses giving a speech
- McMillan likes the Bright business community because they want “less government” interference
- Discussed Criminal Code Reform and the increase of taxes for prisons, etc. Repeat offenders = more taxes which has a direct effect on businesses and business-owners
- Questions: Increasingly difficult for businesses to find good employees due to criminal backgrounds, drug use, unwillingness to work, etc. McMillan refers to this as part of the “entitlement mentality”, which he believes is at an all-time high.
- The opportunity cost for working is high: daycare, etc. so easier to not work and use government benefits
- McMillan discussed his Entitlement Reform Package he’s been working on
- Limit Food Stamp purchases, drug testing for Welfare, limited Unemployment Funds, etc.
- McMillan believes some issues will turn around with upcoming Senate turnover and new leaders coming in.
- Discussion of Amendments to bills; political games and the difficulty of keeping bills “clean”
- Indiana serves as a model for other states, i.e., Indiana has continuously spent less than it’s taken in.
- Discussed the need to increase skilled-trade education; problems finding skilled-laborers verses college-educated people.
- Major skills gap
- Many don’t have the incentive or initiative to take advantage of opportunities out there.
- Question on how to get more Vocational Skills programs in Dearborn County, verses the multi-county programs that require 1/3 of the day to be spent traveling to other counties.
- “Wrap Up”- Thank you
Next Meeting to be held at Tri-Township Water for a tour/”field trip”
When: Thursday August 7th; meet at the Tri-Township Water office at 6pm and carpool
Meeting Attendees: Bebe Kinnett, Greg Gromwell, Terri Hahn, Dale Lutz, Matt Graessle, Wayne Leslie, Tom Hooper, Carol Bamberger, Diane Bender, Celese Cavallo, Linda Mitchell, Lori Enright, Peggy Waltz, Kate Karaus and Jim Kinnett