Haymo Gutweniger

1. Why do you want to be a member of the KCBS Board of Directors?
   I was able to serve on the Board for the last two years and worked well with the other members for that time. We passed a hard time in this year with a lot of cancelling and postponing contests due to the known problem we are having. Working hard to bring KCBS along with the help of everyone. I would like to be part of it for the next years to help on to work for our members, cooks, judges and organizers.
    
2. Identify the major issues ( Cook, Judge, Organizer, Rep or Backyard Cook) in which you are involved.
   Actually, there are different points to name. The biggest topic over the last months as Covid with all the well-known consequences. But passing these hard times we need to think on. We need to work for the future. We need to become stable again on contest with organizers. We must work with our cooks and teams so as with the judges. We need to work on the future, to have a evolution on our whole organization. Not about rules or regulations. But we have to become stable after these hard times. We have introduced the new Single Meat contests, the Burger Battle. We must stay strong on our contests, Masters, Competitors and especially Backyard. And we can create a particularly good new base with the newly introduced Single Meats and Burgers. We can bring new people in and that will bring us new strength.
   
   Another topic not to forget from my side – we must sell our Headquarter and get a new position for us. That is especially important and will us bring further on.
    
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.
   My short-term goal is to create a round table with cooks, judges and contest Reps. A base to discuss and find solutions and answers for problems that come up. A round table that is able to identify problems and find solutions together to create a new, better understanding between the parties involved in our passion.
   
   This round table can be helpful to the work in committees and to the Board in general. It can help find solutions and help in the evolution of KCBS.
   
   As long-term goal for sure is to help to make KCBS grow, in members. This goal is pointed out to new young members which are our future. With the help of our new Single Meat contests we can reach out to build a big part of new young members.
    
4. The KCBS Board of Directors is a working board that spends 10-20 hours and possibly more per month in furthering the mission of KCBS depending on your role as a member of the board. If elected, please explain “ Your level of Commitment, Time and Energy “ in your role as a director.
   I do not want to talk about hours. I know what is waiting for me. Living overseas for me the great part of meetings is during night. That means that the regular monthly Board meeting for me starts at 2 am. No problem for me, you have to organize yourself and it works perfectly.
   
   I can work with and for KCBS when it is needed, luck for me is that often I can solve things when the US is still sleeping and that can help in bring on topics in a very fast way since we can say that in that way we are able to cover almost 24/7.
    
5. List how you have participated in KCBS and for how long?
   I took my CBJ-class in Italy in 2014. Actually, I am working as a Rep in Europe, try to judge every year and cook one contest a year if possible. On the other side together with friends I am organizer of W.E.S.T. – Winter Extreme South Tyrol, a true winter contest, held every year in January in the middle of the Italian Alps. Short to say, BBQ passion keeps me busy around 25 – 30 weekends a year.
    
6. What skills do you possess that might help the KCBS Board of Directors in its mission, ie, Accounting, Legal, Marketing, etc.? How do you see using these skills as a KCBS Board of Director member?
   One of the absolute best things for me is surely my ability to talk to a lot of people in their mother language. It is clear, in our BBQ family the official language is English, but often, internationally it helps a lot being able to clear things in the mother language. So over English I’m fluent in German, Italian, have a good French.
   
   Coming out of working in International Sales business I am used to deal with a lot of different attitudes. I’m fast in understanding the situations and can find solutions between parties. I’m patient but take the decisions when they are needed to be taken and can bring people together in working for a common goal.