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LETTER TO MEMBERS President Lee Dickerson's Letter to the Membership: Our annual meeting was one of the most invigorating meetings I have attended. The location was beautiful, the food and service were among the best anywhere. Your Board of Directors held a meeting Wednesday, a golf tournament was enjoyed by many of our members Thursday morning, and the positive momentum carried through the remainder of the meeting. Our exhibitors had all of the latest products in our industry, ranging from water soluble blocking compounds and super high-tech lathes to automated digital measuring devices. The meeting culminated in a magical night of entertainment Saturday night. For those of you present at the meeting, it was wonderful to see you again. If you missed this meeting, you missed a great one and you owe it to yourself to NOT miss the next one. I will tell you more about the meeting but first I would like to give you a recap of the Board of Directors meeting held on Wednesday, September 3, 2003. Jo Svochak, Chair of the GP Lens Committee, unveiled an exciting advertising campaign designed to bring greater awareness of GP lenses to the prescribing ECP. This program will also give great recognition to member labs proudly displaying the CLMA logo. The Board of Directors voted to change the name of the "RGPLI" to more accurately reflect today's nomenclature to the "GPLI." At the Board of Directors meeting held June 22, 2003, I appointed Dave Rusch to Chair an Ad-Hoc Committee to evaluate a proposal presented by two of our largest button manufacturers. Dave and his committee worked diligently to reach an understanding of their concerns and in the best interest of our Regular Members. The following is the result of much debate and compromise. While the resolutions we passed, and the change to our Code of Ethics do not require a vote, the proposed change in bylaws does require a majority vote by our Regular and Associate members. A ballot follows for those official representatives — please vote and return your ballot to Pam Witham within 30 days of date of receipt, however, we would greatly appreciate receiving your completed ballot ASAP. You may either mail your ballot to Pam at the above address or fax your vote to her at (402) 465.4187. Your vote counts! Please participate. Our Code of Ethics will be amended to reflect a reference to the FDA. The last line of the statement will be amended to read "To meet all applicable state, FDA and other national government regulations as related to the industry". In the form of a Resolution, your Board of Directors restated that it is the intent of the CLMA that GP related activities fall within the jurisdiction of the GP Lens Committee. Further, we are also resolved that it is the intention of the CLMA to use a minimum of 90% of all Associate Members button dues and the reserve for GP contact lens promotion. In order to maintain continuity from one administration to the next the following format was agreed upon to staff the GP Lens Committee. Every CLMA Associate button manufacturer desiring to serve on the GP Lens Committee will have a seat on the Committee. There are currently six CLMA Associate Member button manufacturers. The President of the CLMA will select three Regular Members who are qualified and willing to voluntee r to serve on the committee. The above mentioned (9) committee members will submit a list of Regular Members they deem qualified and acceptable to serve as Chair of the GP Lens Committee. The President of the CLMA will select a Regular Member from this list to become Chair of the Committee. If the person selected to serve as Chair was one of the three already selected by the President, an alternate Regular Member will be selected to serve on the Committee. In essence, the GP Lens Committee will be chaired by a Regular Member and comprised of nine others (6 Associate Member button manufacturers and 3 Regular Members). If you would like to volunteer or recommend someone else to serve on the GP Lens Committee, please list as many as you like on the ballot that is following. I encourage each and every one of you to participate in this process. The decisions made in the GP Lens Committee affect our businesses so be a part of the decision making process. Volunteer and Serve. The proposed changes in our by-laws are in Article II — Purposes and Article IV — Officers and Directors. The proposed changes in Article II are to delete item 6 which reads "To provide credit information to the industry." While we have attempted this function at some times in the past, we have never been effective with it. There are many reliable credit reporting agencies that perform this task with much more credibility than our Association is capable of. Modify item 9 to read "To provide a forum to evaluate new inventions and ideas related to the industry". The proposed changes in Article IV, Section 1 (a) are to allow an Associate Member to serve as an Officer. If an Associate Member serves as an Officer (President, Vice President or Secretary/Treasurer), no more than one Associate Member may serve as an Officer during any term. The proposed changes in Article IV, Section 5 are to allow the Associate Members elected to the Board of Directors to serve two-year terms instead of one-year terms. Jan Daniel, Chair of the Internal Affairs Committee, has served in that capacity and as the Vice President of the CLMA for three years. She is one of the most competent, caring and capable people I have had the privilege to work with in the CLMA. Our annual meeting this year was a full month and a half earlier than usual which placed a great deal of pressure on Jan and her Committee to develop the 2004 budget in time for our meeting. As usual, Jan was up to the task. She brought a workable balanced budget to the Board Meeting on Wednesday, and the entire Board pitched in to fine tune the new format that better recognizes sources of revenue and expenses. This budget is well within our stated goal to have 90% of the Associate Member button dues used for GP contact lens promotion. Jan has served our Association well. We all owe her a debt of gratitude for service to the CLMA. Charley Creighton, Chair of the Soft Lens Manufacturing and Distribution Committee, revealed the development of a very convenient format for the members of our Association to participate in committee discussions and stay up with activity within our industry. Please visit the Internet site developed and administered by Charley for the CLMA. The site is www.CLMATalk.net. It is an easy way to communicate ideas among our members. The site is a very user friendly site. While you are at it, send Charley a note of thanks. He deserves it! Another idea that was discussed was the possibility of a joint meeting with our European counterpart, EFCLIN. Ken Payne has agreed to test the water in Europe to get a feel for the amount of interest among the EFCLIN membership about a joint meeting with the CLMA on a rotational basis. The concept is that we could have a combined meeting one year in Europe and the next in the United States. Do you think this is a valid format? Would you attend our Annual Meeting if it were held in Europe one year? At this point this is just a concept open for discussion. Once again, your opinion matters. Janice Schramm did an outstanding job as the Chair of the Program Committee. There was something of interest for everyone in our industry. Janice brought an All-Star line up to Florida. Our speakers included:
All presentations were informative and well received. The next time you speak with Janice, let her know how much you enjoyed the presentations this year. Our Association faces many of the same concerns other organizations face in today's ever-changing environment. Due to financial considerations, it has become necessary to close our Kensington, Maryland office. Janis Marshall has served the CLMA well for the past 16 years. She has been an able assistant to myself and the Presidents before me. It is with a sad heart that I say farewell to Janis and wish her only the best in her new endeavors. A trite, but true, saying is that when God closes one door, another opens. I am certain with her skills and personality, a door of even greater opportunity will open for Janis. In the meantime, we have consolidated the majority of the functions from the Maryland office into the Lincoln, Nebraska office. Pam Witham has already stepped up to the plate and is doing a remarkable job. The transition is smooth and easy because of the professionalism exhibited by both Janis and Pam. I thank both of them for going that extra mile for the CLMA. We will miss Janis. Perhaps I will miss her most and I sincerely thank her for the job she has done. At our Business Meeting Saturday, September 6, 2003, the 2004 Budget was accepted by the membership. Your new slate of Board Members are as follows: Executive Board of Directors Board of Directors
Our Annual Gala was truly a magical event. Our entertainment was an Illusionist that kept us entertained during the meal and on into the evening. It was good to see so many friends having a good time. As announced prior to our Annual Meeting, the CLMA bestowed the following awards during the Annual Gala. Honorary Recognition Award The Dr. Josef Dallas Award The Leonardo da Vinci Award
GP Lens Practitioner of the Year We could not have had such a successful meeting without the support of our Sponsors and Exhibitors. I extend a heartfelt Thank You to each and every one of you. 17th Avenue Marketing Please complete the ballot/survey below. Official Representatives of the Regular Member Companies and the Associate Member Companies need to vote on the Official Ballot page. We welcome everyone's opinion on the final page. Please remember to mail your ballot/opinion to: CLMA – Pam Witham Or fax these pages to (402) 465.4187 Your completed ballot must be received at the CLMA office 30 days from today 9/26/03. However, we would greatly appreciate receiving your ballot as soon as possible. With Best Regards, Lee Dickerson Photos courtesy of Frank Schramm, 17th Avenue Marketing
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