Meeting Minutes

2003

March

Here are the notes for the minutes of the March 13 Meeting. 
1) Had a joint meeting with Chapter 103, Chapter 222, and Chapter 194
on March 13.  Event included Dinner at Chances R and a tour of Hamilton
Sundstrand in York.
2) We will tour Camaco on April 8.  John Gage will see that bulletins
are e-mailed announcing the meeting.
3) Nanda is working on a June tour of Behlen.
4) The SME Regional Chapters Officers Conference will be held in
Lincoln October 10 through October 12.  Details can be found on Chapter
222's website.  Chapter 222 is hosting the conference.  If not an officer,
or not interested in attending the conference, one can still tour Kawasaki
and Speedway motors, which are tours offered during the conference. 
5) Chapter 222 is arranging a bus tour on June 13-15.  All are welcome.
Tour will include: Caterpillar factory in Peoria, IL; John Deere Harvester
Works, and Isabelle Bloom Artisans.  Details can be found on Chapter 222's
website.

2002

April

TYPE of MEETING: Officers Meeting/Plant Tour Meeting
DATE: 04/09/02
LOCATION: Wunderlich's Catering
ATTENDING Officers: Rich Proctor, John Gage, Tom Cepel, and Nanda Kottury

1. Tom Cepel shared information on the "Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer" award.
2. Scott Volk is working with Kawasaki to schedule a tour in their facility during the month of June.
3. Nanda Kottury could be a possible candidate for the national meeting.
4. Discussed the possible officers for the next year.
5. Tom Cepel introduced the officers to the members who attended the evening.

 

March

 

TYPE of MEETING: Officers Meeting
DATE: 03/05/02
LOCATION: Klub 81

ATTENDING Officers: Rich Proctor, John Gage, Tom Cepel, Rich Arndt, Duane Ohlrich.

1. It was mentioned that Scott Volk is going to contact Bob Walters of Pro Solutions in Lincoln to a) maybe arrange a Kawasaki Tour with Chapter 222, b) discuss Pro Solutions' interest in advertising on our Chapter's website.
2. All 2001 SME Chapter 400 reports have been properly forwarded.
3. Duane reported that for the next regular meeting, the most likely tour prospects are Reese Shoes and Midwest Machine. 

February

TYPE of MEETING: Regular Meeting
DATE: 02/12/02
LOCATION: Brass Lantern, Norfolk

ATTENDING Officers: John Gage, Chair Elect; Rich Proctor, Chair Bulletin Editor; Nanda Kottury, Secretary/Treasurer, Rich Arndt, Past-Chair and Scott Volk, Recruitment and Membership Retention, and Duane Ohlrich, Program Director

1) Introduced new officers.
2) Stated that the regular meeting schedule for 2002 will be: February, April, June, August, October, and December. No objections were made.
3) Told prospective members about SME website, ( sme.org). Discussed benefits of membership.
4) Thanked attendees who have provided their e-mail addresses to the Chapter. Also told attendees the chapter would be pleased to note the e-mail address of anyone who has not yet provided their e-mail address.
5) Toured Norfolk Specialties and Affiliated Foods.
6) Opened the floor for any new business-there was none.

January

TYPE of MEETING: Officers
DATE: 01/08/02
LOCATION: Club 81 - Humphery

ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair; John Gage, Chair Elect; Rich Proctor, Chair Bulletin Editor; Nanda Kottury, Secretary/Treasurer, Rich Arndt, Past-Chair and Scott Volk, recruitment and Membership Retention

· The meeting was called by Tom Cepel
· Correction to December's meeting minutes: Duane Ohlrich was mis-typed as Dennis Ulrich
· John Gage showed the mailed-in responses of the members and non-members for updating the email addresses.
· Officers are aware of the 2001 financial report deadline and the report is in progress.
· Chapter effectiveness guide is completed and ready for submission.
· Tom Cepel is considering several other companies to be visited for the February's tour. He will be finalizing the February's tour in couple of weeks.
· A decision is made that the regular meetings will be conducted in the month of Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct and Dec.
· A brainstorming session was carried to list all the plants visited and yet to be visited.
· The unused checks on the advertising will be sent back to the companies who sponsored them. Rich Proctor and Scott Volk will be using the remainder of the money left for the new bulleting format. Tom Cepel will be providing the summary of the status of the advertisement money to the officers in the following meeting.
· The probable candidates for the regional meeting would be Rich Proctor and John Gage.
· The probable candidates for the annual meeting are to be determined.
· All the mailing list will be done electronically, for members and non-members.

Submitted By
Nanda Kottury
Scretary/Treasurer

2001

December

TYPE OF MEETING: General Meeting
DATE: 12-12-01 
LOCATION: Dusters in Columbus, NE 
ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair Elect; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Rich Arndt, Chair; Scott Volk, Recruitment and Membership Retention 

· The meeting was called to order by Rich Arndt. 
· John will give Nanda, Rich, and Scott the e-mail addresses of prospective/past/current SME members as he receives them, the e-mail address have been requested in a mass mailing through the U.S. mail.
· Tom said a representative at Reliance is willing to give a presentation on electric motor manufacturing.
· Dennis Karstens gave a presentation on Teknik.
· The chapter installed new officers for 2002 as follows:
    · Chair: Tom Cepel
    · Chair Elect: John Gage
    · Chair Bulletin Editor: Rich Proctor
    · Program Director: Duane Ohlrich
    · Secretary/Treasurer: Nanda Kottury

November

TYPE OF MEETING: General Meeting
DATE: 11-13-01 
LOCATION: Wunderlichs in Columbus, NE 
ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair Elect; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Rich Arndt, Chair; Scott Volk, Recruitment and Membership Retention 

· The meeting was called to order by Rich Arndt. 
· A tour of the Duo Lift plant in Columbus followed the dinner-meeting at Wunderlich's. 
· We will have a one-hour training session for new officers, beginning one hour before the December meeting.

Submitted 
John Gage
Secretary 

September

TYPE OF MEETING: Regular Meeting 
DATE: September 18, 2001
LOCATION: Wunderlich's -- Columbus
ATTENDING: Richard Arndt, Chair; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer


· Rich reported that Nanda Kottury was interested in the Secretary / Treasurer position for next year.
· Rich asked for candidates to come forward for the positions of Bulletin Editor and Program Director. Rich Proctor came forward for the Bulletin Editor position, Duane Ulrich said that he would serve as Program Director.
· The meeting was adjourned.

· Gil Tallet and Sujay Nooka from Torin Products attended the meeting as guests and later guided the other attendees through the Torin Products plant in Columbus


Submitted by
John Gage
Secretary

June

TYPE OF MEETING: Executive Meeting
DATE: 6-5-01 
LOCATION: Klub 81 

ATTENDING: John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor; Rich Arndt, Chair; Scott Volk 

· The meeting was called to order by Rich Arndt. 
· John discussed his trip to the SME National Meeting in Seattle. 
· Those present discussed ways to find persons that could be influential in encouraging prospective members to join our chapter. 
· Those present discussed ideas/activities for future meetings. 


Submitted 
John Gage
Secretary 

April

TYPE OF MEETING: General Meeting
DATE: 4-10-01 
LOCATION: Wunderlichs in Columbus, NE 

ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair Elect; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor; Rich Arndt, Chair 

· The meeting was called to order by Rich Arndt. 
· Rich discussed the benefits of membership.
· Rich presented a 15-Year award certificate to Alan Circo and a 5-Year award certificate to Rich Proctor.
· A tour of the Technik plant in Columbus followed the dinner-meeting at Wunderlich's. The persons from Technik showing the plant were: Kent Carstens, Dennis Carstens, and Bob Brichacek.

Submitted 
John Gage
Secretary 

March

TYPE OF MEETING: Officer's Meeting
DATE: 3-13-01 
LOCATION: Prengers in Norfolk, NE 

ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair Elect; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Scott Volk, Recruitment/Retention Officer; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor; Rich Arndt, Chair 

· The meeting was called to order by Rich Arndt. 
· Scott Volk presented a sample brochure for the SME 400 Chapter. All present approved the brochure for publication. Scott will proceed with the publication.
· Scott Volk motioned that we change meeting months to the following:
February, April, June, September, November, December
The motion carried.
· Charlie Zelhart, who is on the Board of Directors of the Midlands Chapter of APICS, invited Chapter 400 members to an all-day seminar at the Crown Plaza Hotel in the Old Mill area of Omaha. The seminar consists of a presentation by Dr. Richard Schonberger entitled, "Combating Complacency in an Age of Hypercompetition." A brochure may be obtained by contacting Charles Zelhart at ph. 402-691-3800.
· Kurt Smith presented the Chapter 400 March 1 Newsletter, which will be mailed to members on 3-24-01.
· Scott McPhillips of EGS has been assigned to the wrong SME Chapter: he should be in Chapter 400. John Gage will contact SME and correct.
· John Gage will get a roster of members from Scott Volk. Where a member's e-mail address is not indicated, John will send them a card requesting that they--via e-mail--provide their e-mail address.
· Those present approved Scott Volk's submittal of our bulletin to Regional SME. The bulletin will be examined as part of SME's program to review "successful and innovative programs and delivery methods."
· Those present reviewed the Year 2000 Annual Chapter Financial Report.
· Scott Volk will contact SME National to see which chapter members are eligible for membership awards.
· Rich Arndt or John Gage will attend the SME National meeting in Washington State.
· Tom Cepel is compiling a list of contacts at area plants, for purposes of recruitment.
· The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted 
John Gage
Secretary

January

TYPE OF MEETING: Regular Meeting/Plant Tour 
DATE: 1-9-01 
LOCATION: Tooties in Hartington, NE 

ATTENDING: Tom Cepel, Chair Elect; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer; Scott Volk, Recruitment/Retention Officer; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor 

· The meeting was called to order by Tom Cepel.
· The 18 attendees identified themselves.
· Duane Ulrich has submitted his SME Application and SME Application Fee.
· Steve Lewis, Plant Engineer of Hydraulics Components of Hartington, NE described his facility and company.
· The meeting was adjourned.

· Steve Lewis guided attendees through the Hydraulics Components manufacturing facility.

2000

December

 

Attending: Scott Volk, Chair; Richard Arndt, Chair-Elect; Tom Cepel, Secretary/Treasurer; Steve Wagner, Program Director; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor; John Gage, Secretary/Treasurer Nominee

 

 

· The executive meeting was called to order by Scott Volk
· The Treasurer's Report was given by Tom Cepel. The checking account balance is $2704.00
· Meeting schedule for 2001 was discussed. According to Scott Volk, meetings will be held in Jan, Mar, May, Aug, Oct, Dec. Also, Scott is working with HCI in Hartington, Classen Mfg in Norfolk, and Technik in Columbus to organize tours in 2001.
· Bulletin advertising: Tom Cepel sent letters to the five advertisers whose accounts are past due. One has responded with a promise to re-new. It is the decision of the executive committee to run delinquent ads for one more issue (January 2001) then eliminate those who have not responded. 
· Member Survey: Scott Volk prepared a member survey for distribution at the regular meeting immediately following the executive meeting.
· Other Business: The committee approved the sponsorship of Scott Volk's trip to IMTS last September. The possibility of our chapter hosting a "Made in Nebraska" exhibition was discussed. NPPD may be able to help. The idea was tabled until further discussion.
· The executive meeting was adjourned

· Following the executive meeting a regular meeting of members was held to install officers for 2001.
· A dinner of prime rib or chicken was served at 7pm.
· Scott Volk reviewed the regional awards won by our chapter in the last two years. 1999 Small Chapter Bulletin; 1999 Chapter Home Page; and 2000 History Book
· Ron Sherman of EGS won the doorprize, an SME desk clock.
· 2000 year officers were recognized for their service by Scott Volk.
· EGS and Wagner Tool were presented with special awards by Scott Volk on behalf of SME 400 for their outstanding support of the chapter.
· Scott Volk introduced the new officers for 2001: Chair - Rich Arndt; Steve Wagner - Program Director; Kurt Smith - Bulletin Editor; Tom Cepel - Chair Elect; John Gage - Secretary & Treasurer. Past Chair Scott Volk will serve in 2001Region 9 Continuing Education Chairman
· Scott Volk presented Rich Arndt with the Chairman Pin.
· A presentation by Scott Volk on the SME Personal Productivity Library followed.
· At the conclusion of the presentation, Steve Wagner presented Scott Volk with a Duster's Gift Certificate and Shirt for his dedication and service to SME.
· The meeting was adjourned.

 

October

 

Attending : Scott Volk , Richard Arndt

· Treasurer's Report: Tom Cepel reported a balance of $4121.32
· 2nd Quarter Funding - $1085.76
· An audit proposal was reviewed from Tom Grubaugh of Harol Steven, P.C. for $700-$1000. It was decided to table a decision until a future meeting.
· Officer Nominations: It was decided that if no officers were found for 2001 by Friday, Scott would notify Region 9 officers of the situation.

Scott Volk
Chairman

 

 

July

 

Attending: Scott Volk, Chair; Rich Arndt, Chair-elect; Tom Cepel, Secretary/Treasurer, Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor; Steve Wagner, Program Director


Minutes From Last Meeting: Rich Arndt kept the minutes from the last meeting and will forward them to Tom Cepel for publication in the bulletin

· Treasurer's Report: Tom Cepel reported a balance of $3389.82
· No National funding has been received since the 1st Qtr funding check was rec'd in May
· An audit meeting is scheduled for August 7th at Harold Stevens P.C. in Columbus
· Meeting Schedule: 
    August -- Tour of Lindsay Mfg + Dinner at Club 81
    September -- No Meeting
    October -- Tour of HCI in Hartington + Officer Elections

    November -- No Meeting
    December -- Officer Installation @ Duster's in Columbus
· It was decided to try holding meetings every other month instead of the past practice of meeting every month. The purpose is to relieve the burden of preparing for a meeting every month, and to alleviate the time commitment required of the general membership by having a meeting every month. Ultimately the objective is to increase attendance at the meeting

· Bulletin:
    - As with meetings, the bulletin will be published every other month
    - Tom Cepel to prepare a list of advertisers who are behind in payment. A "final notice" letter will be sent out to the late     

    advertisers notifying them that their ads will be dropped following the August issue unless payment is received
· Region 9 COC: October 20-21 at Spirit Lake, IA. Scott Volk and Rich Arndt to attend
· Officer Nominations:
    - New Reqmt -- One of the elected officers must attend BOTH regional and annual meetings to qualify the chapter for funding
    - Scott will solicit members for a nominating committee of at least three for the purpose of nominating candidates for officer positions
    - To receive national funding, chapters must have a minimum of three elected, active officers

Tom Cepel
Secretary 

 

April

Attending : Scott Volk , Richard Arndt, Kurt Smith, Steve Wagner

· Current account balance is $3379.24. Scott will follow up with national on status of the 1st quarter support payment.
· Discussion on a classified ad page in the bulletin as a standard page. Scott will announce to the membership.
· Tom will send out follow up letters to delinquent advertisers.
· A tour will be the next program activity, with the location and agenda to be announced.
· Our chapter will work with Harold Henry of John Day Co. to coordinate for a fall tour of New Holland in Grand Island.
· Scott will work with Jim Monk to coordinate a bus trip to IMTS, with a 20 person limit. Members will have priority over non-members.
· Scott and Steve will review the format of the web site to post advertiser information.
· Scott and Steve will pursue the idea of a program or seminar using SME's "Theory of Constraints" video and materials.
· Meeting adjourned at 6:15.

Respectfully Submitted
Steve Wagner

March

· Minutes from the last meeting on February 8, 2000 were published in the March bulletin
· Tom Cepel, Treasurer, reported a balance of $3760.59 in the chapter fund account. An audit will be arranged for May or June
· Next meeting will be on April 11, 2000 in Norfolk. The program will consist of a technical presentation on the CAM software Virtual Gibs.
· Chair Scott Volk proposed consideration of holding a social BBQ gathering in lieu of the May meeting, then schedule no meetings for June, July, and August.
· Bulletin Name Contest -- the executive committee selected the name "Central Plains Messenger"
· Anniversary Recognition Month -- April is designated as Anniversary Recognition Month for Chapter 400. Scott Volk, Chair, will send out letters to those who will receive recognition at the regular meeting on April 11.
· Membership Directory -- Scott Volk, Chair, will have the directory ready for the April 11 meeting
· Annual Meeting -- The SME National Annual Meeting will be held May 18-21 in Dearborn. The registration deadline is April 24. Scott Volk, Chair, asked officers to consider attending.
· April Bulletin -- Advertiser Wagner Tool and Engineering had asked to insert an advertising flyer in the next bulletin. Approval was granted by the committee.

Tom Cepel
Secretary  

February

The regular meeting of SME Chapter 400 was held on 2/8/00 at Wunderlichs in Columbus: 

Executive Meeting
· Last month's meeting minutes were published in the January bulletin. 
· Tom Cepel reported a treasury balance of $4174.06. Also, Rich Arndt and Tom Cepel will arrange for the annual audit. 
· The March program will be a meeting at Club 81 in Humphrey, followed by a tour of Shell Valley Fiberglass in Platte Center. 
· Bulletin advertiser count is 12 with the addition of Fuch's Machinery, whose ad will appear in the March issue. The mailing list currently contains 160 names. Kurt Smith and Scott Volk are contacting advertisers to get the ads in electronic format to improve the appearance in the bulletin and to include on the website. 
· A press release detailing the officer installations was published in the Norfolk newspaper. A similar release was sent to the Columbus Telegram on January 28th, but is not yet published. 
· End of Year Reports: The financial report was submitted by Rich Arndt on 1/20/00, and the Chapter Effectiveness Guide was submitted by Scott Volk on 1/16/00. 
· Scott Volk designated April as Membership Recognition Month for our Chapter 400. Members will be recognized for their years of membership. More details later. 
· Officers have received Management Awareness Packets from SME Headquarters for distribution to key management personnel in our area.

Regular Membership Meeting
· Forms for the Name-the-Bulletin contest were distributed at the start of the meeting and were collected at the conclusion. The executive committee will choose a name from the entries, and the winner will receive free admission to the March meeting. 
· Scott Volk is still pursuing a chapter-sponsored trip to the International Machine Tool Show this September in Chicago. A minimum of 20 commitments, five of whom are willing to organize the trip, are needed before February 18th. 
· Dave Shonka of John Day Company won the door prize, an SME pen & pencil set. 
· Dick Longoria and Jim Bergantzel of Tridaq presented a program on SolidWorks® solid modeling design software. PTC was scheduled to present Pro Engineering® but canceled their trip. 
· The meeting was adjourned. Next meeting will be on March 14th at Club 81 in Humphrey

Tom Cepel 
Secretary

 

January

 

Attendees: Scott Volk, Chairman; Rich Arndt, Chairman-elect; Tom Cepel, Secretary/Treasurer; Kurt Smith, Bulletin Editor 
  
· The officers held a special meeting on January 19th to discuss business which we were unable to discuss at the regular meeting on 1/11 because of a time shortage:  
· The next meeting will be at Wunderlichs and will feature a program on solid modeling software. Steve Wagner, Program director, is contacting SolidWorks, Pro Engineering, and AutoCad. 
· Bulletin news: Fuchs Machinery of Omaha has submitted an ad for the bulletin. It will run in the March issue. There are no other new advertisers right now. Also, at February's meeting we will conduct a contest to name the bulletin. Attendees will be asked for suggestions from which the officers will select a name. Prize will be announced later. Scott Volk is working on adding advertisers to our website. 
· Kurt Smith wrote a press release about the officer installations to be sent to the Norfolk and Columbus newspapers. It was decided to add the officers names and send to the papers for publishing. Kurt will handle Norfolk; Tom Cepel to handle Columbus. 
· End-of-Year Reports due by Jan 31: The Chapter Effectiveness Guide Assessment was completed by Scott Volk. A copy was presented at the meeting. Rich Arndt will complete and submit the financial report for 1999. 
· Steve Wagner is working on a program budget for year 2000. 
· Scott Volk urged officers to think about activities for upcoming E-Week. 
· Meeting adjourned. Next meeting of officers will be at 5:30pm, prior to the regular meeting, on February 8 at Wunderlichs in Columbus. 

Tom Cepel 
Secretary

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