CSA’s 2019 Annual Convention was Special
Thank you to CSA Northern California for hosting the 2019 Annual Convention & Educational Conference! We celebrated our 60th Year with dynamic speakers, TopGolf, and a Vendor Showcase, with a busy schedule of events Wednesday, AUG 14 through Friday, AUG 16. We feel that this year’s event was full of information, inspiration, resources and connections that empower our sign professionals to grow their business.
Wednesday, August 14, was the start of the convention, with the last meeting of the 2018-19 CSA Board of Directors taking place that afternoon at Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, CA. Then Wednesday evening, sixty-five convention attendees headed over to TopGolf, 1700 Freedom Way, Rooseville, CA, for the Convention Welcome Reception. For those of you who have not yet had an opportunity to experience TopGolf, it is something you don’t want to miss! Six bays were set aside just for CSA, with a Mexican Fiesta theme for the food served, along with desserts for those with a sweet tooth. Great camaraderie and fun were had by all!
Thursday was action packed!
August 15th began with a seminar conducted by David Goad “The Modern Buyer Requires a Modern Seller”. Those who attended this education session, learned how to optimize their profile and grow their connections in LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network. The seminar was well attended and received great reviews!
The next order of business was our annual membership meeting, where President Tibbs (2018-2019) brought the members up to date information discussing where CSA is now, and where it is going. The election of the board of directors for the year 2019-20 was conducted, along with the election of next year’s officers. The officers for 2019-2020 are: Neal Tibbs, Ad Art (Immediate Past President), Rob Riley, Keystone Technologies (President), Barbara Navarro, San Pedro Electric Sign Company (1st Vice President), Ken Person, YESCO (2nd Vice President), and Bob Shimmin, Montroy Supply (Secretary/Treasurer).
CSA 2019 General Membership Meeting moved quickly to lunch from 11:45am – 1:00pm with Lori Anderson, ISA President/CEO, as our luncheon speaker – The topic at hand “Education.” When lunch was served, we were provided insight into the online education available to CSA members through the International Sign Association (ISA). This content ties into the STEPS program, CSA’s Sign Training & Education Program Series.
Immediately following lunch, from 1:00pm – 5:00pm, the Vendor Showcase opened with 31 exhibitors who were delighted to share their new products, services and spend time with existing as well as potentially new customers.
Thursday’s activities concluded with the Annual Banquet where the 2019-20 CSA Officers and Directors were installed, the silent and live auctions were conducted, and the always exciting $10,000 Drawing was held!
Friday, August 16th opened with the first BOD Meeting for 2019-20. Discussions of the newly-elected Board included commitments, budget, and outline of a busy calendar for the year. Following the board meeting, an Education Session to challenge and test both awareness and vision was presented by Betty Jo Waxman, Productive Learning. Seminar attendees learned to reach beyond their comfort zone, to take personal and professional aspects of their life up a notch. It is amazing what proper Mindset & Mental Awareness has to offer!
Director Pete Michelini with his wife, Cecilia
Then it was off to Old Town Sacramento for attendees, including lunch at Fat City Bar & Café and an Underground Tour that started at the Sacramento History Museum.
Food for thought —
Friendships are built on shared experiences. Without active engagement and interaction with each other our bonds of camaraderie deteriorate. Associations dissolve as surely as neglected buildings do. After participating in events, celebrations and even small rituals, we remark how good it is to gather, and remember.
Teresa M. Young has been a consultant to entrepreneurs since 1986, in both retail and B2B sectors. In 1991, she became President of Sign Biz, Inc., a full-service business development company. Young sits on multiple boards, including as Past Chairwoman of both the International Sign Association (ISA) and California Sign Association. She is an accomplished code writer, web developer and contributor to the Git Repository. Young is also an in-demand speaker, engaging business owners with topical and powerful business insights and strategies in support of best business practices and modern marketing strategies under her MintyWorks and Coffee with T brands. 200 click-and-mortar enterprises were established under the Sign Biz business model with more than $19,000,000 worth of SBA-backed funding for these businesses.