Aberdeen Up Date !!
I have just returned from the American Aberdeen Association National Show and Sale in Denver. It was good to see several of our SABA members present and involved in the activities. Our own Dr. Craig Walker of Roswell, NM was elected President of the AAA board. He is energized and ready to make a big difference in the operation of the entire American Aberdeen Association. The featured speaker at both the annual banquet and annual membership meeting was Paul Moya, a Business Strategy Expert and Futurist best known for his role as CEO of Millennial Labs. Paul, a native of New Mexico, has had a major impact as he encourages major corporations to interpret and act on human behavior in the workplace, marketplace and voting booth. He has worked with many Fortune 500 companies such as Visa, Honda Motors, Nestle and the United States Department of Defense. I’m not sure of the root of his connections with the Aberdeen industry, but he is quite knowledgeable of our cattle and is a believer that our breed is “readymade” to fit the desires and needs of today’s consumers typified by the millennial generation. His presentation was recorded and will be available soon for viewing by anyone wishing to see it for themselves.
For the first time, I see a major change coming to the American Aberdeen Association as it transitions from a top-down to a bottom-up organization. At the annual meeting, the membership, being encouraged by the board of directors, voted to restructure and reorganize all of the national committees to be composed of members appointed by the regional associations and open to anyone who has interest in those areas. This is really big! It means that the voice of the little guy will be be allowed to speak to situations that are of concern to him/her. Motions and suggestions will come from the committees to the board for consideration.
Because of the change, there will be a list of committees coming out soon. If you have an interest in any of those areas, this is your opportunity to either be a committee member or to sit in on committee meetings and voice ideas that you are passionate about. Now, it does not mean that you will get your way on everything, but you have never even had an opportunity before.
The regional associations are also encouraged to have a similar approach to their own committees. As president, I am going to ask you to consider your role in the regional committees that will be presented at the SABA annual meeting in Houston. Committee members at both the national and regional levels will be accountable for attendance at the meetings (webinars) as well as responsible and available for assignments and tasks regarding those committees.
As I said, this is a very big change. I’m sure there will be some bumps and pitfalls, but, things are going to get better!
Our SABA annual membership meeting will be held in conjunction with the International Aberdeen Show February 25-27 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. That meeting will be on the afternoon of February 26th. I hope that many of you will attend and be prepared to ask questions. Our AAA president, Craig will be there to speak to us and answer further questions you might have regarding the above mentioned changes.
I want to remind all of you that 2019 dues should be in by now. If you want your name to stay on the membership directory on the website, those need to be paid this week.
Here are the results of the election that was held this past fall for the three positions on the 2019 SABA Board of Directors.
Barbie Barton 26 votes
Chris Spear 25 votes
Dana Baldridge 23 votes
Richard LaBiche 15 votes
Congratulations to Barbie, Chris and Dana for running and being elected. My thanks also to Richard for his three years work on the board.
Here’s hoping to see all of you in Houston.
Bill Cabaniss, president
Southern Aberdeen Breeders Association