George DeMartz - Raleigh, 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 those skills would serve the KCBS board of Directors and its membership.

 
I manage a $20MM P&L in the low voltage contracting industry leading a team of 70 people.  Our CSAT is greater than 95%, and our on-time/on-budget performance to schedules/estimates is greater than 97% over the past 3 years.  Utilization of good judgement, commitment to the cause, wisdom (gleaned from experience in tough situations and some failures), courage to my convictions, and the desire to do the right thing is what drives me.  I understand how to listen, ask the difficult questions, evaluate the answers and then plan and implement strategies to achieve success.

 

2.  If you are a Cook, Judge, Organizer, 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.

 
The lack of a standardized platform across KCBS to Organize, Rep, Promote, register as a Judge, or register as a Cook to any contest currently sanctioned by KCBS is problematic.  If we had a standardize platform it should increase the overall profitability, and thus survivability, of competitions by reducing redundant infrastructure expenses for organizers while enabling them to increase their reach, while allowing teams to commit with a non-refundable deposit to secure their place, thus reducing risk for organizers while helping teams manage their cash flow.  Some basic features would be a simple standardized website layout that contains the registration links for the Judges & Teams, contest details and the ability of Reps and promoters to actively promote and track their contest from this site.    

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

 
 We should have a standing goal to continually evaluate our ongoing new judge training program and mandatory refresher training for certified judges.  Our organization is supposed to be the pillar of competition BBQ – is our current approach to new and refresher judge training an example of this?  We should evaluate how we train new judges, where we train new judges, the content that is provided in an on-site class, the possibility of providing that content in an online learning environment and then focusing on the training process for new judges learning how to judge from approved trainers utilizing competition quality BBQ. 
 

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.  Board members typically volunteer 4-6 hours a month to Board meeting; Committee Chairs typically volunteer 2-4 hours a month and general Board Work a minimum of 6-8 hours a month.

 
If I’m elected to the BOD, I’m here to serve.  I understand the time commitments and look forward to representing KCBS as required to the best of my abilities. 
 

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


I’m an active cook in the KCBS Master Series and compete on average 8-12 times per year.  I love my hobby, our sport and KCBS!  I love cooking for people that appreciate BBQ!  It has been a learning curve trying to determine what good BBQ is, however once you start to figure it out, it changes the experience for you!

  • KCBS Member – 4 years
  • CBJ – 3 years
  • Pitmaster – “Twisted Pair BBQ”

 

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

 
I have a unique ability to ask difficult questions and seek answers to what is needed, while driving change without breaking an organization.  Our membership desires change to improve our sport! This kind of change, while difficult, will allow our organization to move into the digital age, and give us new ways to become more efficient. New technologies will improve the way we register, promote contests, schedule and manage continuing education for judges and cooks, and the way we provide results to teams.  We need to listen to our membership, incorporate their ideas into how we do business, provide the membership with transparency, and implement a way to help towns and organizations keep existing contests and promote new contests by leveraging the sponsorship power of KCBS.  These are some of the reasons that I want to be on the KCBS Board of Directors, I know that I can help do these things.