Spotlight On...

Spotlight Article  Benefit Designs & Associates, Inc.

Rep:   Jerry Jo Shires

The question of the week is --- What type of design do you do????  When I answer with "Employee Benefit Plans" --- what type does your Company need?   I usually get Ohhh!!!!.

 I formed BDA in 1986 to fill a missing service need in the installation and administration of employee benefits between the Employer and Employee and then the Employer and the IRS.  Today, a company must have a good benefit program to attract, retain and keep great employees.  That is what Benefit Designs has to offer. Our primary service is in the tax-shelter areas including 125 (cafeteria/flex), 401(k), 403(b) and 457 Plans, to name a few.  We also have the full array of group health and related insurance plans available.  Our clients are in six states and are composed of public schools, private schools, municipalities, counties and of course, businesses. Our clients range in size from 1 to 2500 employees. We have found no matter the size or type of service our client offers-they all need help with Employee Benefits in one or more sections, be it the ever-changing governmental regulations, communication to their employees, or the filing requirements. We can help in all those areas-from the selling to the filing, we are a full-service company!   We have been very successful I believe because as a small Company, we  are able to provide quality service at reasonable fees, still with a human voice to answer your questions and/or provide the information requested timely.  As a small business, we like to know our clients-even those located states away-and   are proud that we have a very high retention rate with several clients entering their 18th year with us.  As employees and employers, you know that benefits are looked at and bid on annually.  We feel that our long time clients are one of BDA's greatest service accomplishments.     

What does Margaritaville, a Baptist church, oil company, public schools & a law firm   have in common with Op-tech Labs, WallaceVision Pottery and a physician's office to name a few----- Benefit Designs & Associates.  Call and give us the chance to add your company to our client list.  Contact:  Jerry Jo Shires (590-7643) or  bdadmim@msn.com.

President's Message We Need YOU! By Marti Hartman

If you missed the meeting at the Phantom Canyon, you missed another outstanding job done by our Programs Committee, headed up by Karen Schwartz and Kathy Kelly.  The presentation by Trudy Strewler, Executive Director of CASA, and Cari Davis, Executive Director of TESSA was truly outstanding.  Thanks to each of you.

You also missed the "Call to Arms".  If you haven't already been contacted by someone from the Ways & Means Committee to help support the ASIST Scholarship Golf Tournament fund-raiser - you will!  We need Sponsorships; we need door prizes; we need players; we need donations.  And we need YOU to contribute in any way you can! 

Here's the deal! this fund raising event is one of the things we're all about.  We ask our members to contribute whatever they can, in whatever way they can.  It's only one time a year, and we need EVERY member firm to step up to the plate.

Now this is where Jean Roblewsky will ask the tough questions! "So, Marti, what is it you really mean?  Are we supposed to get involved here, or what?"  And I answer "Yes, Jeannie, this is where we all need to step up and get involved".  And Jeannie says "OK.  Just checking."

For flyers, posters, brochures, and to get involved! - contact Verna Severson 572-2647 or Joan Saucerman 598-1118. Or click on the links above and download.

June 15 at the Kissing Camels Club.  Be there!

News!

Please send submissions for the Chapter Pulse to:

Contact: Kathy Wallace

Phone: 548-0582

E-mail: kawallace@msn.com

Next Deadline
May 20

Please email as
MSWord attachment.

Thank you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Last Month's Meeting

No summary provided.

Did You Know?

by Wanda Reaves

She was born in Kansas City but she doesn't call it her home state. Her grandfather was mayor of Kansas City for eight years and one of her fondest memories is of riding with him in the annual parade. His name was H. Rowe Bartle. Now that's a name that sounds like it belongs to a mayor! At the age of five her family moved to Texas where she went to school and graduated from Arlington High School in the Ft. Worth area. At Stephen F. Austin University she received her degree in Speech Pathology and Educational Psychology. After graduation she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas and taught Speech Pathology for four years. Her summer work was done near Austin at Lake Travis at summer camp. She was camp director and a counselor in training. She taught swimming and sailing among other skills to campers. She moved to Austin where in 1976 she was offered a job as a membership director for a non-profit organization. She excelled with the organization and moved steadily upward to higher levels of responsibility and leadership. After seven and a half years in Austin, she moved to a higher position in Dallas and then to New York City where she worked in midtown Manhattan before being lured to Colorado Springs in 1992.

Her work has given her many opportunities to exercise her leadership capabilities! .these include such weighty issues as water rights, restructuring the volunteer segment of her organization, the building of a new five acre office facility in Briargate and major improvements to a training center on Academy Boulevard.

She is very active in the North Colorado Springs Rotary Club where she has served as President. Currently she is organizing a 50 year anniversary event for that club. The club raises money to purchase wheelchairs and she has traveled to Lima, Peru with other Rotarians to deliver the wheelchairs to those in hospitals and orphanages. The trip was one of the most wonderful experiences in her life. She said had she stayed longer she would have tried to bring some of the children back home with her. While in Peru she visited the ruins of Macchu Picchu in the Sacred Valley.

What she likes about EWI is the networking and the opportunity to bounce ideas off of one another. The fact that our meetings are not "run of the mill" is a factor in her enjoyment of our chapter. She is proud of the fact that EWI supports other women with our ASSIST scholarship fund.

She broke her leg on her 50^th birthday while vacationing on Dominica Island. It was with some trepidation that she submitted to having a makeshift cast on while there until she could get home to a medical facility that could put on a plaster cast. All is well with her leg though. The cast required that she work from home for some weeks and allowed her to "catch up" on a lot of work away from the busy telephones of her office.

This awesome leader has done much to strengthen girl scouting. She has helped bring the organization into the 21^st century with programs that meet the needs of the girls of today. The Girl Scout Wagon Wheel Council has 7,000 members and 602 on the waiting list. An outreach program such as the troop that meets in the Citadel Mall attracts many girls. That troop alone has almost 40 girls in it. Girl Scout leaders are needed to whittle down the waiting list. Wagon Wheel Council employs twenty-five full and part time people.

You know now of whom I am writing. She gives her all to the girls who will become our future leaders. We must remember to tell her thanks now and then. Click here to find out!

May
Chapter Meeting

RSVP Guests & Regrets Only

RSVP by May 7th!
Click Here to RSVP

Center for Creative Leadership
850 Leader Way
Phone: 633-3891
(off 8th Street almost across from Daniel's Chevyland)
Parking in lower lots; sign direct you to entrance

Date: Wednesday, May 12, 2004
5:30 PM-Sign In; Wine Social
6:00 Dinner & Business
6:45 Program

Program: Dr. Roberta Kraus, Senior Faculty Member

Topic: Optimizing Performance for High-Achieving Women
Optional Tour of Center following meeting

Cost: $30 - includes wine

MENU

Cold Appetizers
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
Smoked Salmon
Roasted Vegetables
Assorted Cheeses

Hot Appetizers
Tempura Shrimp
Pork and Vegetable Eggrolls
Vegetarian Spring Rolls
Crab Rangoon
Pork and Shrimp Potstickers
Vegetarian Potstickers

Assorted Desserts
Coffee

If you have special dietary needs, please advise in the comment area of your RSVP.

Membership Postings

Lionstone Properties, Ruthie Lowen, representative;  Major: real estate; minor: development

New Members

Casey Cool.   Major: Medicine, Minor: Psychologist

Ann Carlisle, MD  Major: Medicine, Minor: Psychiatry

Lazy Boy, rep: Lisa Washko, Major: Furniture, Fixtures & furnishings, Minor: Household furniture, retail

Changes

None

Congratulations

Congratulations to Judy Cara of Intel, who is being admitted into the Alpha Sigma Nu honor society for Jesuit University nationwide.  Also, Regis University will be giving Judy a Community Service Award when she graduates at the end of May.  Yeah, Judy!

Announcements

Upcoming EWI conferences!

Portland Spring Conference:  May 20-22 at the Benson Hotel.  Contact Jeri Petrella at jeri_petrella@pgn.com.

EWI Leadership Conference & Annual Meeting: Sept. 23-25, New Orleans at the New Orleans Marriott.

Minutes

Executive Women International
Colorado Springs Chapter
Record of Board of Directors Meeting
April 8, 2004

Members present: Kathleen O'Leary, Verna Severson, Susan Wood-Ellis, Marti Hartman, Kathy Wallace, Jerry Jo Shires, Lorrie Todd, Bea Steahlin, Cathie John, Linda Williamson, Kathryn Flobeck, Joan Saucerman,

Meeting called to order at 5:00 PM by President Marti Hartman

Secretary Report: Minutes from the last board meeting were approved.

Sergeant-at-Arms:  Feb meeting attendance: 87 total - 58 member firm reps, 2 sustaining, 1 life, 1 posted member, 25 guests 

Membership Report:  Not present at meeting

Treasurer Report: As of 3/31/04 here are the balances:

Scholarship  $11,445.17

Operating     $39,333.27

Endowment   $79,651.84

Also, it was reported that there are several membership issues needing to be resolved with regard to payments made - Susan will get with membership.

Ways & Means Report:  Golf Tournament - June 15^th Kissing Camels. They need players and hole sponsors. Everyone should be trying to come up with foursomes or sponsorships! Brochures will be made available on web site and at meetings.

Publications:  PLEASE BE PROMPT IN GETTING ARTICLES, PICTURES, MEMBERSHIP INFO, ETC. TO KATHY BY THE 20^th OF THE MONTH DEADLINE!

Directory: Cathie John has not heard from any volunteer to help with formatting our local directory into PDF format, but will seek out help from a couple of people that were mentioned in the meeting as possible resources.

Hospitality: Not present at meeting

Programs: Jerry Jo reviewed upcoming meeting programs. She raised the issue of us needing to purchase a sound system for future meetings. She will research and bring a proposal to the board at the next meeting.

Publicity: Not present at meeting

Historian: Kathryn wanted to say thanks for all the help recently.

Nominating: Not present at meeting

Scholarship: It was reported that this committee is working on linking our local scholarship recipients with the national scholarship program. Michelle is investigating further.

Next board meeting will be Thursday, May 6 at 4:30PM at Accent Photo.

E X E C U T I V E
W O M E N
I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Corporate Office Contact Information

515 South 700 East, Suite 2A

Salt Lake City, UT 84102-2801

Phone (801) 355-2800

Fax (801) 355-2852

Website:www.executivewomen.org

Email:ewi@executivewomen.org

P R I N C I P L E S

• To bring together key individuals from member firms of EWI to achieve world-class status as an organization through applied standards of excellence.

• Forge and cultivate mutual business and professional goals through personal association and interchange.

• Afford the opportunities and structure for leadership and professional development.

• Provide a wide scope of community, educational, and philanthropic services and contributions.

• Encourage flexibility and adaptability in a membership as diverse in its demographics as in its interest, needs, and staying power