Jaclyn Arens
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Our Annual Meeting looked a bit different again this year. Instead of our normal member appreciation dinner and meeting at Beseda Hall, our Board of Directors decided to hold a Drive-Thru Meeting due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic and because at the time of planning, the CDC still advised against in-person gatherings.
The meeting was held as a Drive- Thru meeting on August 10th from 5:30-7:30 pm. Members drove through three stations to register, enter for door prizes, receive their gift, submit their ballot, and choose their $20 meal certificate.
Prior to the meeting, we sent out our 2021 Annual Report as an insert in our August 2021 Cooperative Connections issue. This report included the Leadership Report from General Manager Stephanie Horst and Board President Paul Voigt as well as the Treasurer’s Report from Board Treasurer Robert Ruppelt that are normally presented at in person meetings.
The Annual Meeting was set to start at 5:30 but demand dictated we start allowing cars to go through the meeting Drive-Thru just after 5pm. Board President Paul Voigt called the meeting to order via Facebook Live.
From 5:00 to about 6:45, we had a steady stream of members driving through the meeting. We formed two traffic lines, and for a while, both lines stretched from the first station just in front of our main office all the way to Highway 50! Our employees were very busy during the meeting, but they enjoyed the opportunity to visit with all the members who attended.
To conclude the meeting, Board Secretary Dave Sternhagen went live on Facebook at 7:40pm. He concluded that a quorum was met, and that 505 registered members were in attendance. He also confirmed that the 2020 Annual Meeting Minutes and Financials were approved.
When Dave was finished conducting the official secretary business, attorney Shelia Woodward oversaw the seating of directors. She confirmed that the unopposed ballot was officially approved via voting ballot during the Drive-Thru meeting with oversight by the appointed election committee.
Dave Sykora was reelected to represent District 3, and John Lillevold District 5. Paul Voigt then adjourned the meeting. After the official business was conducted, directors Dave Sykora and Robert Ruppelt drew for the door prizes.
Thank you to all the members who attended our annual meeting, and we sincerely thank you for your patience and understanding! We normally have around 300 registered members at annual meetings, but this year we had over 500!
We unfortunately ran out of the cargo organizer gifts, so we had to supplement with annual meeting gifts from previous years. We also ran out of 2021 cookbooks. However, we have more cookbooks in stock, so if you didn’t get one and would like one, stop by our office!