SRBA General Membership Meeting

January 16, 2013
Community Room, NexTier Bank

While enjoying the food, groups engaged in table discussions regarding ideal referrals for businesses.

President Jan Whitmoyer welcomed everyone to the meeting. She introduced our speaker, Nadine Shingleton from Playthings Etc., and our host, Mary Whitesell from the Slippery Rock Giant Eagle. Jen then introduced the 2013 SRBA officers and chairs. It was noted that the SRBA would like to have a representative attend Slippery Rock Borough Council meetings as an events liaison. Interested volunteers can contact Jen for additional information.

Everyone introduced themselves, gave a brief description of their business, and noted who their perfect referral would be. Beth Thompson announced the upcoming dates of Slippery Rock University orientations. Orientations are scheduled for Jan. 25, April 13, April 27, and May 4, 2013. Businesses interested in supplying brochures or information about their business can get those to Beth prior to the orientations.

Dr. Paul Suorsa reported on upcoming events for Butler County Tourism. The Bantam Jeep celebration will be held at Cooper’s Lake June 14-16, 2013. There will be fireworks at Cooper’s Lake August 10-11, 2013.

An application for membership was presented by the Graham Group. They are the developers of the Butler FastER care building. The members voted on the application and ballots were collected.

Stacey Glenn reported that there are still openings to fill for speakers and hosts for the 2013 year. A sign-up sheet was passed around.

Jen discussed upcoming activities involving Slippery Rock in Bloom and Slippery Rock Development. Members were encouraged to watch their e-mail for details. It was also announced that the SRBA was forming a downtown sub-committee. Interested parties could see Jan for further information.

The speaker was Nadine Shingleton of Playthings Etc. She was not speaking on behalf of Playthings Etc., but as a member of PA ACT (Pennsylvania Against Child Trafficking). She described the growing problem of domestic child trafficking in the US and in Pennsylvania. She shared a true story, cited alarming statistics, gave some tips on recognizing child trafficking, and indicated steps we could take toward resolving this problem. If you want to know more about PA ACT, you can e-mail them at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . To report a suspected situation, call the National Trafficking Hotline at 888-3737-888.

In attendance were: Dr. Paul Suorsa & Gert Suorsa, Arcadian Exotics; Stacey Glenn, Hampton/ Express GC; Nadine Shingleton, Playthings Etc.; Keith Warcup, SRU Federal Credit Union; Mary Whitesell, SR Giant Eagle; J. Glen, Advantage Insurance; Tom McPherson, Slippery Rock Development, Inc.; Jeff Berta, Always Summer Herbs; Mike Bencic, SR Sliders; Joleen Mentheene, Body Beautiful; Mark Flus, Advanced; T. Erdos, Edward Jones; Monique Mostard, Airport Orbit; Caren Stanton, Ultimate Images; Kerry Cassidy, Cassidy Insurance Group; Karen Kriley, Ultimate Images; Joe Barth, SR Alliance Church; Bob McCafferty, North Country Brewing; Cindy Regis, Alpha Omega Center; Jen Whitmoyer, Sandler Training; and Beth Thompson, SGA Bookstore.

Executive and Operating Board Meeting

January 9, 2013

Luigi’s Family Restaurant

In attendance were: Jen Whitmoyer, Tom McPherson, Paul Suorsa, Stacey Glenn, Beth Thompson, Dave Trozzo, Keith Warcup, Kerry Cassidy, Regina Greewald, and Cindy Regis.

Our invited guest, Regina Greenwald from Slippery Rock in Bloom, spoke regarding the results of last year’s efforts and requested the support of the SRBA for the 2013 year. She outlined the Adopt a Spot program, and indicated the borough, the township, and the garden club would help with volunteers. Last year, Slippery Rock rated 48% total in the six areas judged. The Rotary has committed to this project for the next five years. The board advised Ms. Greenwald that a written request outlining the available options was needed before the board could make a decision. The board considered being involved in both the America in Bloom and the maintenance program.

The Treasurer’s report was sent by e-mail and distributed at the meeting. The beginning balance was $8,213.07. There were normal expenses as well as income and expenses related to the Christmas dinner. The ending balance was $7,739.63.

A budget for 2013 is in the process and will be ready for approval at the February meeting. The appointment of check signers was discussed – Jen, Stacey, and Cindy. It was noted that 2 signers are required on SRBA checks.

Jen announced an upcoming January 11^th meeting with the SRIB, SRB, and SRBA at 10:00 at Luigi’s Family Restaurant, for those interested in attending.

The dues mailings are going out soon and it was suggested they be sent with the newsletter to save on postage. Tom suggested an e-mail to alert people the invoice would be in the newsletter. Following futher discussion of the pros and cons, it was decided that the dues invoices would be sent in a separate mailing to avoid any confusion or inadvertent overlooking of the invoices.

The board approved to pay two invoices from the Butler Chamber for administration fees, postage, and copies in the amount of $162.49 for October and $248.61 for Nov.-Dec. The motion to pay was made by Tom McPherson and seconded by Stacey Glenn.

A membership application from the Graham Group (They are the developers of the Butler FastER care building.) was discussed where the applicant sent in a check to cover membership dues for the next five years. It was decided we could accept a pre-payment of this sort, pending the vote and approval of the applicant for membership. A vote will be conducted at the next general membership meeting.

Membership application procedures were discussed, with an emphasis on improving communication. Normally, applications for businesses in the 16057 zip code are approved by the board, while businesses that fall outside the 16057 zip code are approved by the members at the regular membership meeting. The secretary makes the ballots. The application goes to Keith, and the check goes to Kim. Keith distributes the application to Beth for the web, Tracey for the newsletter, and gives a copy to Jen. Kerry and Keith send a welcome packet to successful applicants. To promote communication, it was decided that when the applications are received, Cindy would e-mail the applicant to confirm the SRBA received their application. In the event of an out-of-area application where a membership vote is required, the applicant will be informed of the process and the date of the vote. It was noted that ballots would also need to be sent by e-mail to SRBA members not present at the meeting on that same date, with instructions that the ballots need returned to Cindy by 3:00 p.m. that Friday.

Beth will check with Danny on setting up g-mail accounts for board members.

Position responsibilities were reviewed with board members.

It would be advantageous to the SRBA to have a representative attend Borough Council Meetings. Tom proposed a 4-5 person committee to share the responsibility of attending the meetings. The council meets twice a month at 7:00 p.m. (dates to be announced). Usually the second monthly meeting is a planning meeting, while the earlier meeting is a voting meeting.

Slippery Rock: The Story Behind the Name

In 1779, Col. Daniel Brodhead was in command of Fort Pitt at the present site of the city of Pittsburgh. Col. Brodhead begged Gen. George Washington to allow him to lead an expedition against the Seneca Indians who were raiding settlements in the area. The troops encountered the Indians and were forced to flee for their lives.