From The President

Much has been written in the first six months of 2009 on change and the economic challenges each of us are encountering, both in our daily personal lives, as well as our own businesses. TABB members businesses are no different; they have not been insulated from this economic downturn, and have continued to be challenged by tightened lending requirements and lack of lending in general.

Additional challenges come from the sellers erosion of their business performance, buyers lowering their standards on evaluations of a business’ worth and coping with the change in the
government climate to mention only a few. Members of TABB have managed to endure today’s challenges and they have continued to achieve success in the brokerage arena.

The old cliché becomes ever apparent for brokers in our industry, “tough times are not forever, but tough people are”. All of us have had to rise to the occasion to become creative, to cut where we can and find new methods to market our companies as well as the companies of our clients.

Your 2009 TABB Board has accepted these economic challenges and industry changes to continue to build on successes of past TABB leadership. Your TABB leadership is here and ready to move into the future.

In January 2009, the TABB Board began working with the new organization of EAMI Inc., Austin, TX who has been contracted to conduct and support the day-to-day business operations on behalf of TABB Members and the Board. This organization has years of service in professional association management with the leadership of Michael Marks, President and owner. The support staff, Jennifer George and Stephanie Bulak, is second to none and have risen to every occasion to support the membership and the Board with the requests that have been placed before them.

Your Board of Directors has been very active during the first half of 2009. The Board has conducted monthly meetings since February, first establishing strategic goals and working their plan. Year to date, the Board is on task. The Board identified four separate significant key goals that would benefit the TABB organization to continue to enhance and build on the strategic plans that had been established by Boards of previous years.

These four strategic goals are

1. TABB CHAPTER PROCEDURES – Committee Chairman and Past President Keith Chapman

This committee is made up of TABB Members from each Chapter and the committee members have worked very hard to bring together continuity between all four of the statewide Chapters. The committee has reviewed the procedures of all of the Chapters and has established guidelines for the individual Boards to follow that are consistent with TABB Policy and Procedures. The Chapter Boards have reference guidelines to follow without having an affect on the Chapter’s individuality.

2. EDUCATION – Committee Chairman and Vice President, Eduardo Berdegue

This committee has been working hard this year in supporting TABB’s education courses for BCB and Continuing Education. In April, the committee conducted an Educational Conference with courses for the BCB and Continuing Education, at the Marriott Hotel in Austin, TX. During this conference over thirty students participated in the education opportunities.

The committee is preparing for 2009 ANNUAL CONVENTION & EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE to be held September 8-12, 2009 at the Sheraton Beach Resort in South Padre Island, TX.

The theme this year is “Staying Alive”. The committee has organized the Education Conference with courses September 8 through September 10.

The Opening Reception for the Convention is the evening of September 10th and is the kickoff event for the Annual Convention running from September 10th through September 12th.

September 11th & 12th offers excellent Speakers that you won’t want to miss and the convention closes with the Annual TABB Membership Meeting. The evening of September 11 there will be a Luau and Casino Night.

September 12th also will have the BCB Examination offered for those members who have completed all the required course study.

Early registration for September’s Convention has begun and is proving to be very successful. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of the Convention, network with your fellow TABB members and guests to see how they are “Staying Alive” in 2009.

Jeff Jones, Treasurer has been coordinating with EAMI and securing site locations for 2010 and 2011 Conferences. Jeff has begun the planning for 2010 Education Conference in Galveston and our Annual Meeting conducted on a Cruise ship. The 2011 Conference is in planning stages to be held in New Orleans more to come.

3. TABB.ORG WEB SITE – Committee Chairman and President of DFW Chapter, Ben Johnson

This committee has taken responsibility to oversee the maintenance of the TABB.ORG website. This includes the on going monitoring of keeping the site clean and up to date. The committee, along with John Willems, Legal Counsel, has had legal updates for the “Validity of Qualification of Buyers”

4. AFFILATE MEMBERS – Committee Chairman Lucy Higgins, Secretary and Co-Chair, Eduardo Berdegue

The committee has focused on Promoting Affiliate Involvement and Programs to recognize Affiliate Members for their contributions to TABB. The Committee has encouraged Affiliate involvement with posting of featured articles from Affiliate Members.

John Willems, TABB Legal Counsel, has been working on letters to the Security and Exchange Commission to support TABB position of why Main Street Business Brokerage should be able to perform without the necessity of registration or licensing. John has done an exceptional job in writing of the support information to advocate on TABB’s position.

Jeff Jones and Keith Chapman have developed letters that we will be mailing to the respective government authorities conveying the Association’s position. You as members will be called on to reinforce this position and will be supplied with form letters and addresses so you can participate in this campaign to help defend our position.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Special recognition is called for two members who have given to TABB over the last 25 years and continue to give of themselves. These two notable members are Dominick Caravella and Jeff Jones. This year the Houston Chapter had gotten off to a slow start and was deliquinent in having Chapter meetings. There was little networking among the Chapter’s membership. Dominick and Jeff rose to the occasion once again and put themselves forward to reorganize the Houston Chapter.

Dominick stepped forward to accept the leadership role to serve the balance of 2009 as Chapter President. Dominick and Jeff re-established the Houston Board and laid out a very good schedule of programs for the balance of the year. EAMI has assisted Dominick and Jeff with their efforts in supporting their mailings and promotion of meetings to the Houston Membership.

In August, the TABB Board will be conducting their Board meeting in Houston and will participate to show the Board’s support for the Houston Chapter. This effort by Dominick and Jeff certainly deserves the recognition and big thanks from all members of TABB for stepping up to the plate one more time and supporting an organization that they have continued to give of themselves over the last 25 years.

In summary, your 2009 Board of Directors have been hard at work continuing to build to on the foundation of the leaders that lead TABB before us and to continue to value add the organization for the future.

I look forward seeing all of you in South Padre September 8-12, 2009!