My name is Chuck Spishock (Great Pepper of Space City pod) I have decided to run for position on the CASI board of directors. After 10 years of cooking chili, I think that I can be an asset to the board. CASI is growing into a huge business. Commutation is still very important between CASI, Great Peppers and the Chili cooks. We all need enhancement to meet our goal in life and in business. I would be proud to be on board for this challenge. I believe in competition, raising money for charity and having fun. 30 years of having a construction business in the Houston area. I have stood up and supported many issues and know that things can be work on and work out during a business day.
List of efforts and accomplishments
Great Pepper of Space City Pod 2003-2010
Treasurer of Pasadena Pod 2001-2010
Treasurer of Texas Open – 4 years
Won - 2nd place Show at TICC -2003
Won -Texas Open Championship- 2009
Committeeman at Houston livestock show and rodeo – Original 13 Corral Club -8 years
Bar-B-Q committeemen’s tent – 5 years
Buying poultry, swine and cattle to help support the youth scholarship program
Married Dorothy in 1993 and together, we have 13 grandkids. We believe the Scholarship programs work for the youth today and tomorrow.
I am proud to be a chili cook and have meet wonderful people in this origination. I believe in CASI. I would like to see if I could help out any where I can. CASI has had very positive impact on the word around us. Growth is very important. Some times we forget the past and where we come from.
I would like to contact all the great pepper of CASI of their concerns.
Chuck Spishock
713-724-4122
Spacecitypod@comcast.net
From Bruce Stewart:
The black Sheep of Texas is moving it's mailing address from Mitchell RV Park to as follows:
BSOT Pod
c/o Manske Material Handling
3137 S. Main St.
Ft. Worth, TX 76110
From Steve Nadeau:
Promoting CASI by utilizing the current TICC Champion - By Steve Nadeau
The Nadeau household was very excited after Margaret won TICC for the second time in. To try and make the experience for Margaret as rewarding as possible and also given the golden opportunity to promote CASI, I sent a letter to the CASI Board of Directors to solicit their support. Here are some excerpts from letter I sent in November:
"The experience in 2005 when Margaret won for the first time was somewhat tarnished by the complete lack of participation from the board. All of the opportunities she was presented with were created by myself. There were zero opportunities presented to Margaret from the board and no work was done at any real level to promote her. I was outspoken and voiced concerns about promoting future champions and thought there was some momentum from the board in that direction. Hearing comments from the champions since then, it does not appear that much has changed since 2005 and everyone has pretty much done their own thing.
Coming from a sales and marketing background, I see this as a huge opportunity to promote CASI. I would challenge anyone to find a better personality then Margaret to promote the organization. Now having a second win only heightens the opportunity. In the spirit of full candor, I think CASI does a poor job of promoting themselves. Charity starts at home and CASI should be focused on investing and promoting themselves, which in turn will bring in more revenue allowing for more charitable giving. A good start here would be to invest in and promote the current 2 time champion.
I have already contacted dozens of media sources, both local and national, as it is important to strike while the iron is hot. The only contact from the board so far was a request from Roger for Margaret to go to Walmart and get a picture taken for CASI sponsors. There was no offer to pay for this service. Roger later then asked me to take the picture myself on a colored background for editing purposes. This is not representative of CASI taking this opportunity seriously. I would think at the very least CASI would like a professional photo for marketing purposes with their sponsors.
If we are to get (and keep) high caliber sponsors, we need to provide more then a good photo and maybe a banner. I would recommend that our current sponsors are contacted to see if they would like to invite Margaret to attend some type of corporate function (company cookoff etc.) or other marketing opportunity. Margaret is willing to travel and use her personal vacation to attend these events. I would recommend the cost of this travel be negotiated between CASI and the sponsor. There are also many other opportunities not involving current sponsors out there that can be obtained if the effort is put into it.
As I said in the beginning that my goal is to make this experience as rewarding as possible for Margaret. I can guarantee you that CASI participating in promoting her will play a big part in achieving this goal. CASI is going to get some excellent PR from the opportunities I create, but we can take it to a much higher level if we all work to find and create the opportunities together.
Please take this email in the positive spirit it is intended. My minor criticism is in no way meant to be confrontational, but instead an effort to help make improvements."
After sending the above letter I was informed there was a PR Committee and later asked to join by Roger Foltz.
Roger said: "I would love for you to help us on the PR Committee, if you would. Alan Dean, Dale Reinecker (also marketing background) are also on the committee. I do advise Jim Ezell on most items, trying to get sponsors involved when we can. I would like all committee members to give me feedback on items to present to the Board at our January meeting. At that meeting we will also discuss possible budgets for the coming year, so I'd like to have your input on this also."
The "PR Committee" consists of a number of directors (including multiple past champions). In the committee correspondences leading up to the meeting, the only people taking part in the conversation were Alan, Dale and myself. I also in good faith compiled a draft of thoughts and suggestions for promoting CASI which I was told would be presented at the January BOD meeting. Here is a copy of what I sent:
https://docs.google.com/fileview ?id=0B6RdTOfj8QEBNzk0YTUzOGItNTlmNS00MjNiLWFhMzMtZDg3ZjMyM2U0YmIy&hl=en&authkey=CLrbvIsG
Ideas and suggestions to promote CASI by utilizing the current TICC Champion
Existing sponsors - All sponsors should be notified of the willingness of the champ to travel to their events and take advantage of their sponsorship. Costs incurred to be negotiated between CASI and sponsor.
!•!Corporate events
!•!Existing or new event to recognize CASI and the current champ.
!•!Trade show or festival for their industry.
!•!Chili cookoff in their hometown etc.
!•!Provide professional photos for their marketing purposes.
!•!Custom banner for their company logo and current champ details. Cost to be split between sponsors participating. Champ to take to CCO"s and venues.
Chili Cookoff!s - Invitation to be published in TT and Blogs to all cookoff promoters.
!•!Application to filled out with eligibility criteria. Some criteria suggestion:
!•!Large public venue. Confirmed from previous years.
!•!Large number of cooks. Confirmed from previous years.
!•!Local news and newspapers notified in advance and offer for interviews.
!•!Organized recognition and planned participation of champ at event.
!•!Participation to be negotiated between CASI and champ.
!•!Travel and living cost to be covered and negotiated between CASI and promoter.
!•!Some cookoff possibilities:
!•!CA State
!•!Louisiana State
!•!Ladies State
!•!DFW: Cowtown, Stop/drop/roll, etc
!•!Texas Open (and other states)
!•!East Coast
!•!Midwest
Other venues - Non chili cookoff venues and trade-shows to be contacted for guest appearance.
!•!Meat industry
!•!Spicy/Fiery Food venues (chile, salsa, BBQ etc.)!•!Fancy Food Show and other food shows
!•!Food competitions
!•!BBQ cookoff"s
Publicity - TV, radio, print and digital medium. A continuous marketing campaign should be made all year long to promote CASI and the TICC champ.
!•!TV morning shows, both local and national
!•!Daytime and evening shows, Ellen, Leno, Letterman etc.
!•!Food Channel (multiple shows)
!•!Radio, local and nationwide
!•!Magazines, travel, food etc.
!•!Blogs, food, travel etc.
In February, after learning that nothing was brought up nor discussed about marketing of TICC champions at the January Board of Directors meeting as promised, I sent another email to the Board of Directors. Here is a copy of that letter:
"Hello again BOD et al,
It is now February and we are 4 months into the new chili year. I was hoping the the BOD would have grabbed a hold of the golden opportunity in front of them did everything in its power to try and utilize Margaret for marketing CASI, but alas it has not happened. As a matter of fact there have been ZERO results.
After sending the email below, I was asked to join a marketing committee. I was told this was an opportunity for me to help CASI with a plan for marketing the champ. I was also asked to submit my ideas for the BOD meeting that took place last month. I was told that this was a high priority on the agenda and that a plan would be submitted and voted on. I submitted in good conscious my ideas and suggestions (see attached).
After the BOD meeting was held I inquired as to what was agreed upon. I was told by Roger that "Nothing specific was discussed & nothing specific was agreed". This came as a major disappointment to me. I asked to be removed from the committee, as I get all the exercise I need riding my bike. Unfortunately I feel that many times these committees are formed as a means to move forward on the days agenda. The committee without good/proper leadership then becomes nothing more then a little girls tea party with all show and at the end of the party nothing changes.
I learned last week that Bruce Foods was looking for a good photo of Margaret to use for a banner, recipe card and other marketing purposes. If you recall in my previous email I was asked by Roger to take the picture myself and I explained this was not the actions of someone taking this opportunity serious. While on the committee, I researched and submitted to Roger the cost of having a professional picture taken for marketing purposes and for the sponsors utilization. Roger told me he would submit to the BOD. There has been no response and looks like a missed opportunity with one of our premier sponsors.
I would encourage the BOD to lose the pomp and circumstance and take action. There is a wonderful opportunity in front of you."
It is now August and the Board of Directors did not act on anything that was suggested nor create any opportunities to promote CASI. Margaret was not once contacted by the Board of Directors.
So here we are again and another wonderful opportunity to give CASI some much needed exposure pissed away. This is not about entitlements for the current champ. It is about ways to promote CASI and also create some real value for it's current and future sponsors. Isn't that what the board is in place for? To be quite honest I am not clear what the mission of the Board of Directors is. Do we really need administrative jobs to be board positions? Important roles such as CASI sponsorship and what CASI does with it's money (Scholarship) are not even board positions. Marketing is non-existent and unfortunately an afterthought. The entire Board of Directors was copied on all of my correspondences. I have heard time and again that "it has always been this way" etc. CASI members need to start questioning the rolls of the board and it's directors and define some clear goals on how to move CASI forward, instead of the recessive state it is in now. Shirt size should not be a criteria.
Regards,
Steve Nadeau
