FSCT Board of Directors initiates study of future of ICE; approves joint publication agreement at January 2007 meeting.

At its January 19-20, 2007, meeting in Tampa, FL, the FSCT Board of Directors discussed and approved a number of ongoing initiatives. Following is a summary of actions taken.

ELECTIONS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS POSITIONS:

The Board agreed that the notice of slate of candidates for positions on the FSCT Board of Directors be presented as a single alphabetical listing irrespective of the source of the nominations being the Nominations Committee or by member petition.

The next election will be conducted in December 2007 to fill three Director positions. Initial notices will be sent to the membership in March. The Nominating Committee must receive member petitions by May 31. The slate of candidates will be announced at the Annual General Meeting of the Members at ICE 2007 in Toronto and published in the October issue of JCT CoatingsTech.

[At a meeting of the Board conducted via conference call on January 12, Mr. Joe Brown, of the British Society (Cray Valley Ltd.), was elected to fill the Director position vacated as a result of the resignation of Dr. Fritz Walker. Dr. Walker stepped down due to increased job responsibilities.]

FINANCIAL REVIEW:

The Board reviewed the financial statements for the four-month period ending 12/31/06. Reported were revenue at $2,641,163, or $50,600 above budgeted income, and expenses at $1,420,599, or $17,195 under budget.

The investment portfolio showed a net return of 5.94% for the quarter on investments of $1,032,110.

PUBLICATION AGREEMENT WITH OCCA:

The Board reviewed and approved a draft agreement between the FSCT and the Oil and Colour Chemists' Association (OCCA) to jointly publish the research journal, Journal of Coatings Technology and Research (JCTR). The agreement provides for a management structure to oversee the publishing arrangement with Springer.

Dr. Ray A. Dickie will continue to serve as Editor-in-Chief of JCTR. Patricia D. Ziegler, FSCT Director of Communications, was named to the position of Managing Editor. The FSCT will take on the major responsibility of administering the journal. The first issue of the joint publication will be mailed in March.

CIEF PROVIDES LIAISON WITH UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND PROFESSORS:

FSCT Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Pontoski reported that the Trustees of the Coatings Industry Education Foundation (CIEF) will meet with the students and faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi's Polymer Science Dept. in Hattiesburg on February 7 and 8. The discussion with university personnel will be held in conjunction with the regularly scheduled meeting of the Trustees.

A main topic of discussion will be how the CIEF and FSCT can work with the university community in furthering the goals of all organizations and creating meaningful benefits for students.

BOARD REVIEWS COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERSHIP:

Board Director Chris Harding discussed his study, conducted with Staff, of the vehicles by which the FSCT communicates with its membership. Noted were JCT CoatingsTech, the FSCT website, direct mailing, and electronic newsletters and bulk emails. The members of the Society Liaison Council will be asked to comment on communications with the FSCT at its next meeting, to be held on March 13-14, in Chicago.

In response to comments made at the 2006 Annual General Meeting, the Board directed that the actions of the Board and notable topics of discussion at meetings of the Board be communicated to the membership.

BOARD TO REVIEW OPTIONS ON FUTURE OF ICE:

The Board directed Staff to develop options for the Board's review on several scenarios for future conventions. Included were an every other year pattern consisting of alternating large exhibition and a smaller show with limited exhibit space. Also under consideration is a merger of the present show with other industry exhibitions. The report will be presented in time for the Board's review at its March 15-16, 2007, meeting.

OCCA COLLABORATION PROPOSAL:

In addition to the joint publishing activity, the Board heard a proposal from Chris Pacey-Day, OCCA's General Secretary, which reflected OCCA's vision of a global coatings technical organization consisting of membership from both the FSCT and OCCA. A task force, chaired by Dr. Yasmin-Sayed-Sweet, FSCT Vice President, will examine the details of the proposal.

MEMBERSHIP DUES INCREASE:

Subsequent to the January meeting, on February 1, the Board approved a proposed dues increase from $75 to $79 per year (5%) for Full Members, effective March 1, 2007. Unaffected are the dues for Retired, Educator, and Student members ($20). The Board noted that the last dues increase was in 2005. The Board agreed to consider at its March 2007 meeting a policy of annually reviewing dues adjustments.