Thursday, November 15, 2007

12:00 Noon

Norman’s Watson Inn
Watsontown, Pennsylvania

Please email Kari Walgran if you plan to attend so reservations can be made.

Members Present:
Maria Culp, Max Foust, Dale Moyer, Peggy Shields, Bruce Smith, Kari Walgran

Welcome:
The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. by Max Foust.

Minutes:
Minutes from the July 19, 2007 meeting were reviewed.

Discussion:
The discussion focused on the problem of poor attendance and the fact that the group has been struggling. The differences in needs and views among various members, along with the lack of available experts to provide information and services, continue to pose difficulty.

The group discussed the small-business demographic comprising most of the Chamber’s membership, as well as potential ways to serve small businesses and to utilize available IT resources in the area.

Because it is not yet clear what types of IT needs and interests Chamber members possess, no definitive mission or purpose has been agreed upon.

The group agreed to proceed as follows:

• Work on a series of articles in the Chamber newsletter to raise awareness of IT-related issues

• Gather feedback from Chamber members about their needs and interests

• Take a “case study” approach in meetings (beginning with the Chamber’s in-house networking project

• Move to a bi-monthly meeting schedule and gauge interest as meetings progress

The group also agreed to schedule a lunch meeting for its next session.

Adjourn

Next Meeting:
November 15, 2007 at 12:00 p.m. at Norman’s Watson Inn, Watsontown.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kari Walgran
Central PA Chamber of Commerce

September 20, 2007

8:00 AM

Central PA Chamber of Commerce
Conference Room

This meeting will focus on determining the direction and future of the group. Feedback is welcome and everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.

Members Present:

Maria Culp, Max Foust, Daniel Gasteiger, Dale Moyer, Bruce Smith, Kari Walgran

Welcome:

The meeting was called to order at 8:05 a.m. by Max Foust.

Minutes:

Minutes from the June 21, 2007 meeting were reviewed.

Discussion:

Max Foust led the discussion, which centered on the issue of defining the group’s purpose. Maria C. expressed her concern that the Chamber of Commerce does not have the staff, budget or resources to act as the primary driving force of the group; she emphasized that the Chamber has interest, but its resources are limited.

Daniel G. suggested that the original proposal for an IT Users Group involved a sort of “umbrella” structure in which multiple organizations shared the work of the group. He distributed a sample kickoff meeting agenda and interest questionnaire, and suggested holding an initial open meeting focusing on free resources available to businesses, to see how many people register and to gauge interest levels in the area.

Daniel G. and Jim Baker’s original proposal for a group was reviewed, and language about the intended purpose of the group was examined. Through continued discussion, the group agreed to take the following steps:

• Distribute an email with a rough draft mission statement, requesting ideas and input from members about how the statement should read.
• Request input on the name of the group, as “IT Users Group” may be intimidating or too vague.
• Plan a kickoff meeting for September or October of 2007; the Chamber will take the lead on event planning, and we will see how many people come and what their interests seem to be.
• As the group takes form, some sort of steering/executive committee will most likely be needed to function as a “core” group.

It was agreed that, after input is gathered from group members about a name and mission statement, these can be formalized at the next meeting.

Adjourn

Next Meeting:

August 16, 2007, at 8:00a.m. in the Chamber of Commerce conference room.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kari Walgran
Central PA Chamber of Commerce

July 19, 2007

8:00 AM

Central PA Chamber of Commerce
Conference Room

Members Present:
Daniel Gasteiger, Jim Baker, Peggy Shields, Dale Moyer, Kari Walgran

Welcome:
The meeting was called to order at 8:10am by Jim Baker.

Discussion:
Jim Baker and Daniel Gasteiger led a discussion about ways to generate interest in the IT Users group. Some of the issues discussed included:

• How can we redefine “technology” so that people generally realize they are “tech people” and the group will be useful for them and their businesses?
• How can we help people to better use the technology they have?
• Would it help to poll Chamber members about their interests?
• What types of events would attract people, and how could we market them to draw attendees?

Daniel raised the issue of defining our specific purpose. He suggested creating a formal mission statement or business plan, and perhaps a slogan, on which a specific marketing plan could be based.

The group also discussed the demographics of Central PA Chamber of Commerce members, including the general size of businesses, what types of organizations are represented, and how that may affect the IT Users Group marketing strategies. Kari Walgran agreed to bring statistics to the next meeting so that this issue could be addressed in more detail.

The group also discussed the new “Ask the Experts” feature on the Chamber website, and chose a topic for the next question to be posted.

Next Meeting:
July 19, 2007 at 8:00am in the Central PA Chamber of Commerce conference room.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kari Walgran
Central PA Chamber of Commerce

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Members Present:

Max Foust, Rachelle Mausteller, Marsha Sherman, Maria Culp, Kari Walgran

Welcome:
The meeting was called to order at 8:00am by Max Foust.

Introductions:
Max Foust introduced Peggy Shields of Projects by Peggy, a new member; Daniel Gasteiger of CSSI; and Jim Baker of SEDA-COG

Discussion:
Daniel Gasteiger discussed users groups generally and his previous attempts to start an IT Users Group in the area. He distributed a proposal and a list of discussion points.

Jim Baker of SEDA-COG discussed his role as director of the Broadband Advisory Committee, and offered the support of his staff to give trainings and presentations, answer technical questions, etc. He emphasized the importance of Chamber support for an IT Users Group, as previous attempts without such support have failed.

Group discussion centered on several topics:

• How would the group define itself, and what form would it take?
• What would the group want to learn? What services/trainings would it provide?
• Is it possible to generate enough interest and support among potential members?

The group agreed to add an “Ask the Experts” feature to the Chamber website, and to add a monthly IT Users feature to the Chamber newsletter.

These topics will be addressed further at a future meeting.

Next Meeting:
June 21, 2007 at 8:00am in the Wood Mode A Conference Room at Evangelical Community Hospital.

Respectfully Submitted,
Kari Walgran
Central PA Chamber of Commerce

June 21, 2007

8:00 AM

Evangelical Community Hospital
Wood Mode A Conference Room