HPIA MINUTES
Date 5/31/19
Board Members attending: Eric W, Peter H, Koji O, Toshi A, Ken O,
Others attending: Chris Wengler
Call to Order:
Meeting was called to order at 2:00 PM by Eric Weinert. A quorum of the Board was acknowledged.
Prior Minutes
A motion to approve the 3/31/19 Board Meeting was made by Peter H, seconded by Ken O and passed unanimously without changes.
Treasures Report
Treasures Report was submitted by Chris Wengler. Financial statements are being prepared on a monthly basis. April 2019 statements were presented and gone over by Chris with explanations to the Board Members. He recommended closing two special purpose bank accounts with small balances if there is no longer a purpose for the funds. Eric W checks the bank statements each month to verify the financial statements agree with the bank statements. He noted VPC is down because to 3 of the 4 packinghouses have not paid VPC for over a year. Despite this, HPIA still has a cash balance in excess of $40,000 mostly due to cost cutting of expenses. Peter moved to accept the treasurer’s report without change, Toshi seconded the motion and the vote to approve was unanimous.
Tax Return
Ken moved and Peter seconded a motion to move the preparation of the tax return to Carbonara who summitted an estimate to prepare the 2017 tax return for less than $1,000. Our current CPA firm charged over $3,000 for tax returns in 2016. The motion carried unanimously.
Produce Marketing Association Trade Show
The PMA annual trade show will be held in October 2019 in Anahiem CA. The HDOA asked last year if HPIA wanted to attend. Based on our response they paid half the booth fee, $1300 and have asked us to pay the other half now. Koji wished to attend and asked Eric if he would check with SHAC who agreed to pay for 2 persons expenses to attend. Koji stated at the meeting that 2 persons were not enough, and that he would like to have Karen U come and cut fruit. Eric suggested the board approve an additional $3,000 to pay for professional fruit cutting and sampling during the show. After much discussion, no decisions were made. Eric will call Sharon Hurd and HDOA to inform her that HPIA will be paying for the booth even if we do not attend so as to preserve our good name by keeping our commitments.
VPC
VPC is down because to 3 of the 4 packinghouses have not paid VPC for over a year. Eric said Calavo has paid and is current. Toshi explained that he intends to catch up with his VPC. Peter said he just stopped paying after supporting HPIA for years. Koji expressed concerns that the marketing monies were not being distributed equitably and that promotions are very important for his company. Everyone agreed to meet Friday June 7 at 2:00 to discuss VPC and dues. Eric encouraged everyone to bring solutions to the meeting, not just complaints.
Rainbow Seed
The board agreed to lift the acreage limitation for Rainbow Seed purchase. Any member in good standing can now buy the quantity of seed they need in order to plant existing prepared land.
HPIA now has 400 ounces of seed in inventory and all members wanting seed have been contacted and currently already have the seed they need. Diamond Head is producing 80 ounces per month or approximately $3,200 per month. For now the board will buy the monthly production and Diamond Head will store them in their refrigerators. Eric announced that Calavo has produced their own Rainbow Seed and will likely not being purchasing again from HPIA.
Website
Eric reported the HPIA website is being redone. It is now hosted at GoDaddy. Its main page is for consumers interested in Hawaii Papaya. There is also a tab for retailers. Any HPIA member current with VPC and be listed on the website in the market they serve to receive sales inquires. The Grower section will now be for paid members only. If you are not currently a paid member, you will be directed to a page to become a member including payment of annual dues.
A minority development grant is being used to produce 10 short videos. That company will hire local students to produce a series on “best practices” to train and keep current the best practices (including land prep, planting seed, fertilization, spraying and harvesting). The contract has been signed and the money is in the HPIA account. There is a calendar of events for all members.
SHAC Report
The budget for the 2020 UES and the MAP funding is wrapping up. Please submit any input asap. The best way to steer projects for foreign markets is to participate in the monthly SHAC meeting, held on the 3rd Friday of every month.
The HPIA Board meets on the last Friday of odd numbered months. Please mark you calendar. All meetings and events are posted on the HPIA website at www.hawaiipapaya.com
Meeting adjourned at 4:45 PM.