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Statements of Candidacy
ALSA Election for Board of Directors 2008
(listed in alphabetical order)
Andrews, Ulin - Great Lakes
Region
Log Cabin Llamas - Oakland, Illinois
Dear ALSA Members: My
name is Ulin Andrews, my wife Debbie and I reside at Oakland, Illinois. We
have been involved with Llamas since 1994. We own and operate Log Cabin
Llamas, a herd numbering about thirty one. Showing these llamas is our
passion. I attended the University of Illinois, where I received a B.S. in
Agricultural Education, Masters in Education and an Advanced Certificate in
Education Administration. After college, I taught high school
Agriculture/Education for eight years at Oakland, Illinois. I then spent
ten years as high school principal at the same school. My last nineteen
years before retirement in 2003, were spent teaching Agricultural Education at
the high school level in Charleston, Illinois. Debbie and I have utilized
the services of ALSA since 1996. We have shown at twenty five or more ALSA
sanctioned shows per year for the last several years. ALSA has provided an
outlet for our desire to exhibit llamas. I am running for the ALSA Board
of Directors from the Great Lakes Region. Being retired, I have time to
devote to the needs of our organization and each of its members. This is
my chance to give back to ALSA. It is my intentions to help restore
stability and harmony to ALSA. I will be sensitive and responsive to all
members and their ideas. If you have any questions, contact me a
217-346-2372. I look forward to talking to each and every one of
you. Sincerely Ulin Andrews.
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Austin, Ken - Northwestern Region
Rain Dance Ranch - Newberg, Oregon
I have been showing llamas since
we purchased them in 1991. I have been involved with ALSA since that
time. I believe ALSA should be responsible for providing show guidelines
and keep record keeping of the awards of the members llamas have received.
Accurate record keeping is very critical to the success of ALSA. With
today's technology it should be very easy to have timely and accurate records of
all member' animals. Because of cost of attending shows, I have noticed a
decline in the number of llamas exhibited, this has to be addressed. In
closing I believe showing should be fun.
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Brandt-Robuck, Trish - Southwestern Region
PBR Ranch - Newcastle, California
Please vote for me, Trish Brandt-Robuck, Southwestern Region for the ALSA Board
of Directors (BOD). I have experience, integrity, and want to continue
making ALSA a better organization by addressing issues and keeping members
informed. My husband Chuck and I live on RBR Ranch in Newcastle,
California and have raised llamas since 1996, specializing in the Classic llamas
and showing in both halter and performance classes. Through my involvement
over the last 3 years with 4-H, I have developed an in-depth understanding of,
and appreciation for Youth programs. I was on the Cal-ILA BOD for several
years, superintendent of the California State Fair Show, and a member of LANA,
ILR, and Llamas of the Wine Country (LOWC). I have been on the BOD of many
different organizations, serving for more than 10 years in a variety of
positions including President, Vice President and Secretary. As an
Engineer and Science and Math instructor for many years, I have prided myself in
being a problem-solver. I've done so by identifying the real issue,
getting as much information and as many different viewpoints as possible,
developing alternative and then analyzing the pros and cons of each prior to
making a decision or formulating a position. ALSA has been through some
significant challenges in recent years and I want to help the organization
address those challenges and build a strong and more effective
association. I will work to make the nomination and election process more
transparent and user friendly through the use of modern technology. I will
also work hard to allow members in each region to vote for their own candidates,
thereby ensuring that each region is represented by one of their own.
Another area I would like to explore is making changes in the performance
classes, making another tier for the ALSA Performance Grand Champions, and
letting them compete for the Champion of Champions performance class. If
elected I will serve my entire term and stay in touch with members and their
concerns no matter what region they come from. New classes and ideas are
always welcome, the more input we have the better this organization will
be. ALSA is an organization for all of us. Thank you for your time
and consideration, Trish Brandt-Robuck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kindler,
Cathie - Southeastern Region
Moose Hill Llamas - Ellijay, Georgia
My name is Cathie
Kindler. I am a candidate for the ALSA Board of Directors. I have
been involved with llamas for over fifteen years. I saw my first llama at
a show during the Ohio State Fair in 1991. After talking with various
exhibitors, I soon purchased several llamas. My herd began to grow, and I
bought an eighty acre farm. I attended my first judging clinic in the
winter of 1994. Immediately, I enjoyed the performance side of judging,
and traveled to many parts of the country to judge and conduct performance
clincs. I still enjoy traveling around the United States as a judge and
meeting llama owners from all parts of the country. The highlight of those
travels is working with the ALSA youth. Their enthusiasm and desire to
learn is second to none. I have supported many llama organization by
joining the membership of ALSA, ORVLA (Ohio River Valley Llama Association) TLC
(Tennessee Llama Community) SSLA (Southern States Llama Association) and PTLA
(Pack Trial Llama Association). I have also served as a member of several
ALSA committees including the ethics, performance, and judges committee. I
retired in May of 2007 after thirty years of teaching and coaching and
immediately moved from north central Ohio to the mountains of northern Georgia
where I had a new home and twenty-five acres waiting for me. With more
time to devote to the llama community, I agreed to run for the ALSA Board of
Directors as a representative of the Southeast Region. I believe that the
years that I spent as a teacher and coach have prepared me to work and cooperate
with other board members. I feel that my llama judging experience will
enable me to listen to the ALSA membership and take the organization in the
direction the members want it to move and grow.
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LaMorte,
Bob - Buckeye Region
Northwind Farms - Sawyer, Michigan
Bob LaMorte is co-owner of Northwind Farms in Sawyer, MI, which is home to
70-plus llamas including several Halter Champions, two National Grand Champion
Llamas and last year's Reserve Grand Get of Sire Champion. Since joining
ALSA, he and his business partner have promoted the llama community with a
billboard that reaches over 12-million people and supported over 20 llama shows
a year. In running for the Board of Directors of the Alpaca and Llama Show
association (ALSA), Bob promises that if elected, he will work to return
ALSA and its decision-making to the membership. A strong proponent of a
thriving, independent organization, he hopes to work collectively to promote and
support members' investments in the industry. His proposals include:
1. Starting in 2009, elect one Board member from each of the eight
regions, with a two-term limit. 2. Starting 2009, establish East
Coast and West Coast Grand Nationals. Over 80-percent of show attendees at
the Nationals are from farms west of the Mississippi. This means more than
half the country is not being represented. With today's economy and rising
fuel costs, East and West Coast Nationals would give many small farms the
opportunity to attend and participate. 3. All major decisions that
affect the membership should be put forth to the members, in a referendum to be
voted on by the membership. "Representation from all regions would
ensure inclusiveness for the whole country, and as terms expire, regions would
move toward equal representation. I believe, as many of you do, that
voting on major issues should always be in the hands of the members. For
example, any decision to give an or all of ALSA to another competing
organization belongs in the members' hands and should have been presented to the
members in a referendum form." Owner of four Chicago-area Robert
Jeffrey Salons' with 100-plus employees among them, Bob LaMorte has served on
the Boards of Y-Me Breast Cancer National Support Organization, Chicago
Cosmologist Association and Intercoiffure America/Canada. He asks for and
appreciates your vote. For more information, please go to www.northwindllamas.com
and access his blog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lewellyn, Larry - Rocky Mountain Region
Foothills
Llamas - Sedalia, Colorado
I
purchased my first llamas in
1982, packing with llamas was a perfect fit for
me and has been so these past 25 years. I joined ALSA and the Rocky
Mountain Llama and Alpaca Association in 1995. I have served on the RMLA
Board of Directors as both President and Vice President, Member at Large and
Treasurer and have served ALSA in different capacities. I have a simple
agenda. Get ALSA back to it’s core foundation, which is to serve the
membership, the needs of the membership, recognizing that youth are our
future and the glory of our fabulous animals. If change is not
forthcoming, I am fearful we may loose this organization which has become
a big part of many of our lives. Where did the future for our llamas go?
I believe we need to stop the deterioration of the organization, thwart
personal, self-serving initiatives by some, and most importantly, plan for the
future with solid, logical decisions that serve the majority of the membership,
not just a few. This is quite obvious from what has transpired this year
on the BOD. Although I believe my agenda is simple, myself and a few
myself and others cannot do it alone, ALSA is a “member driven” organization
that needs your involvement, input and experience, to run as such. The
Board needs to hear from all of us or there will be no change. We need to
focus on how to improve ALSA not move our money to the ILR, improve
communication, improve accountability within ALSA, By-Laws need to be followed
and improved. Most importantly I assure you I will be an active
representative for the membership, our llamas and alpacas, and the ALSA
organization. Wether it me or others, ALSA Members please elect the people
who can bring a balance to this current BOD so ALSA can go back on the right
track.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
McCormick Mary Beth - Rocky Mountain Region
Llamarage - Dacono, Colorado
Mary Beth McCormick – My first llamas were purchased in 1984
(before
ALSA existed) and I have been a member of ALSA since
its inception.
In the recent past, I have maintained a breeding
herd of 75 llamas, and now board my small “herd” of only 10. I
was a Level 3 ALSA judge for 11 years, and have been an exhibitor
since 1985.
I have been a member/supporter of
several llama associations, and a Rocky Mt. Llama Assoc. Vice President and
Chairperson of the Youth Committee that originated the Llama 4-H Handbook.
I have watched as memberships
grew in number and enthusiasm and Conferences blossomed
into 3 and 4 day events, which now have difficulty getting
enough participants to justify holding the event at all.
I was at the first
Celebrity sale, and many more to come, at one time watching in
awe as a single llama sold for $175,000; and later sadly observing
sales where some llamas did not garner a single bid.
I have been on both
sides of the fence and feel I can bring a balanced perspective
with which to view the issues that are before ALSA now.
We all know that ALSA has had problems of late, with some members
believing they
are severe enough to advocate starting over with a new show association.
I cannot claim to be able to cure any of ALSA’s ills, and I
will not make promises that I cannot keep; but I do believe this
organization is salvageable and I have a sincere desire to help in whatever
manner I can.
If we can facilitate ALSA becoming more financially sound, and
more efficient in its duties and responsibilities to the members through
cooperative efforts with other llama organizations, then we should investigate those
possibilities.
The llama community needs to cultivate efforts that
are mutually beneficial, rather than propagating the current mistrustful and
destructive circumstance we are now in.
I will bring common sense, a
willingness to hear all sides of the issue, and a determination to see out my
full term, if I am elected to the Board.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zimmerman, Cliff - Southeastern Region
Zimmerman Llamas - Lake Butler, Florida
My name is Clifford Zimmerman and I am running for an ALSA Board of Directors
position.
I reside in the Southeastern Region just outside Lake Butler, Florida,
have raised Llamas sense 1995 and have been an active member of ALSA for
years. We started showing competitively in 1999 and became active members of the
Florida State Fair Llama Show Association in 2001 and assisted with the show
operations within that organization until 2004 when we established the Florida
Open Lama Show Association Inc.
I was elected to the Board of Directors in 2004 and continue as a board
member today. We
have successfully organized four shows and are on our way with the fifth show
now.
I believe ALSA has performed a viable function but as with any
organization, change is necessary.
I feel the key to effective change is a through review of all available
data to make an informed decision that is best for ALSA and its members.
I have no hidden agendas or special interest except what is best for ALSA.
I have always been a leader, not a follower, and my decisions would be based on
the above criteria alone.
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VOTE
!
The membership will be electing three Candidates to the Board of
Directors. Each 2008 ALSA member will be receiving a 2008 ALSA General
Election Ballot in the mail. Vote for no more than three candidates, use
the completed envelope to return the ballot, stamp, and mail. Complete all
information accurately in order for the CPA to verify your membership
status. You will also find instructions to fax your vote in your
ballot. Your vote must be received by July 5, 2008.
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