Brian Turner - Apex, NC

 

1. Please describe the skills you possess which would make you an asset as a board member, in dealing with the challenges facing KCBS and give an example of how these skills would serve the KCBS Board of Directors and its membership

I possess several skills that would make me an asset as a board member. I have successfully run and grown a business with my brother and sister for the past 25 years. On a daily basis, I deal with multiple tasks from business operations, financial decisions, managing several employees, bidding projects, job costs analysis and being able to work with siblings. This experience has provided me with patience to deal with others even when we have different views. It has also given me the ability to listen and make decisions that are in the best interest of our business and being able to work on multiple projects with people from varied backgrounds. I have also served on a board of a non-profit trade organization as a board member, vice-president and president. While on this board I helped increase membership and revenues. I also had to deal with a federal investigation of unfair trade practices by past members. I think my passion and common sense will be a great asset to the board as well of my out of the box thinking to solve issues.
 

2. If you are a Cook, Judge, Rep or Backyard Cook, please identify the major KCBS issues concerning one of the areas in which you are involved. Describe the major issue, your strategies to correct or improve the issue and what you see as the biggest challenge to the success of your plan.

 
I am a cook and a certified judge but mainly a cook. I also organize SCA contests in North Carolina. One of the areas I am concerned with is the declining number of KCBS contests and the declining number of teams attending these contests. I have spoken to numerous organizers to understand their issues. Many of these contests are disappearing because they require a big commitment and yet are typically not very profitable for the organizers and their causes. As a sanctioning body we need to reevaluate our contests costs on a whole and find new ways to make contests more successful in all aspects. At the same time, we need to keep entry fees from escalating which will discourage more teams to compete. Without successful contests, the number of teams will decrease and judge numbers will decline with less opportunities to judge which ultimately results in lost membership to our organization.
 

3. Identify your major short term goal and the major long term goal, if elected to the Board of KCBS and our plan to implement change of improvement in order to carry out each of these goals.

My short-term goal is to help stabilize the organization with honesty and transparency. In my experience, many members are discouraged with the things that have happened in the past. We need to move forward working as a team and concentrate on fixing the current issues in front of us. We need to have more member involvement and a vision for the future success of KCBS. One aspect of my short-term goal I would like to work on is judging. Many judges have been trained differently over the years. I would like to establish a new standard for judging. This would boost the confidence of judges and help teams understand how their entries are judged.
My long-term goal is to help establish a system for growth and expansion of KCBS. I would like to develop programs like a mentorship program for new teams as they get involved in barbeque and help them get into competitions. On the same note I would like to see judges and cook teams more involved with each other at events. I feel that judges would benefit with more interaction with cooks and vice versa. I would also like to see other contest formats developed to keep members engaged and challenged.
 

4. If elected, please explain, “Your level of commitment, time and energy “for committee projects and monthly reports, board meetings and attendance, as well as representing KCBS to the public and being responsive to our members.

My level of commitment to KCBS if elected is to dedicate my time where it is needed whether serving on the board, being part of a committee, communicating information to our members or representing KCBS to the public. This is a hobby that I am very passionate about and I enjoy communicating with people that have interests in competition barbeque.
 

5. Please describe your previous participation in KCBS activities and years of experience.

I became involved in competition barbeque when I started cooking with friends. Soon we entered our first competition. After that I was hooked and my wife Shannon was right there with me. We both soon became KCBS certified judges and lifetime members. We competed on a team with friends for a few years and in 2013 we began competing as Muttley Crew BBQ. We have competed in about 20-30 competitions every year since we started. We have competed at the American Royal, the Sam’s Club Series and the World Food Championships. From what I have learned from my experiences I have helped organizers improve their events and offered ideas on how to make their event more successful and continue to grow. I previously ran for the open position on the KCBS board this past June.
 

6. Please explain why you want to be a member of the KCBS Board of Directors.

 
I want to be a member of the KCBS board because competition barbeque is what I love to do and I don’t want to see it disappear. KCBS competitions have introduced me to so many great people whether they are contest reps, judges, organizers or competitors. I have gained so many great friends through competition barbeque and I want to give back to what has given me so much. I tell people that I meet how cooking barbeque is a hobby that my wife and I do together and how much fun it can be. I was asked why do we compete in barbeque competitions by a reporter once and I said this is who we are and it’s what we do.