KCBS Board Meeting Agenda October 14 , 2024
Kansas City Barbeque Society
Board of Directors’ Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, October 14, 2025, 6:00 PM CST
Membership Requests to Address the Board:
- None
Roll Call:
Chiles Cridlin, David Qualls, Donna Fong, Jeanne Titus, Luke Darnell, Lex Vanegas, Paul Buob, Randy Todd, Thomas Gearhart; KCBS Office: Rod Gray
Absent:
Board Pledge:
Recognizing barbeque as America’s cuisine, the mission of the Kansas City Barbeque Society is to celebrate, teach, preserve, and promote barbeque as a culinary technique, sport, and art form.
I accept my duties as a KCBS director to further the KCBS mission so that truth, justice, excellence in barbeque, and the American way of life may be strengthened and preserved forever.
Declaration of Quorum
President's Statement
Consent Agenda:
Notice concerning Committee Reports. Some committees do not meet monthly. If a report is presented, it will be included as an attachment to the agenda.
- Minutes of previous BoD meeting
- Contest Report
- Sanctioning Committee
- Judging Committee
- Contest Representative Committee
- Rules Committee
- Technology Committee
- Foundation Committee
- Nominating Committee
- Hall of Fame Committee
- Working Groups:
- Organizers Working Group
- Membership Subcommittee
- Backyard Working Group
- Sponsorship Working Group
- World Invitational Working Group
- Organizers Working Group
Chief Executive Officer’s Report:
- CEO Report attached.
- The Board may take actions based on Topics and Discussions from this report as New Business.
- Update and review plans KCBS World Invitational 2026 (Assignee: Paul Buob).
- Update of Nonprofit Financial Review (Assignee: Thomas Gearhart).
- 2026 Strategic Planning session (No update required this month- keeping item in Old Business for tracking purposes only).
- Hall of Fame trophies and rings (No update required this month- keeping item in Old Business for tracking purposes only).
- Discussion and instantiation of a KCBS AI policy (David Qualls).
- Authorization for website administration privileges (Chiles Cridlin).
- Event requests to postpone (Rod Gray).
- Competition Enhancement Working Group rule update request (Thomas Gearhart).
- Rules Committee 2026 rules update (Randy Todd).
Discussion of legal, financial, personnel, and real estate.
- Update CEO agreement (Thomas Gearhart).
- CBJ conduct (Thomas Gearhart/Lex Vanegas).
- Discussion and possible action for KCBS operating policies, procedures, and bylaws (Thomas Gearhart/David Qualls).
The Board may take any necessary actions, including motions on any or all matters discussed in closed session
Board Comments
Adjourn or Suspend
Attachments and Reports
Contest Report
| Contest | Date | Location |
| New Lowell True North BBQ Bash | 6/19-20/2026 | Canada |
| Lakeland Pig Festival | 1/22-24/2026 | Lakeland, FL |
| Smokin in the Valley | 4/3-4/2026 | Linn Valley, KS |
| Smoke in the Spring (OPEN FORMAT) | 4/10-11/2026 | Osage City, KS |
| Smoke on the Waters - The Return! 2026 | 9/19-20/2026 | United Kingdom |
| SJV Winter Rub | 1/30-3/2026 | Omaha, NE |
| Chiriqui Grill Fest Internacional | 1/24-25/2026 | Panama |
| Spitsbroek on Fire III | 4/24-25/2026 | Netherlands |
| Spitsbroek on Fire IV | 4/25-26/2026 | Netherlands |
| Smoke on the Ohio | 9/11-12/2026 | Mt. Vernon, IN |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 1) | 5/15-16/226 | Morgantown, PA |
| Twin Valley Fire and Smoke (Day 2) | 5/16-17/2026 | Morgantown, PA |
| Open Barbecue Championship | 7/18-19/2026 | Austria |
| European Invitational Championship (COMPETITOR SERIES) | 7/17-18/2026 | Austria |
| Speed & Feed BBQ Festival at Darlington Raceway | 5/15-16/2026 | Darlington, SC |
| Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest | 6/12-13/2026 | Derby, KS |
| 20th Annual Boss Hog State Championship Cook-Off | 5/8-9/2026 | Waynesboro, GA |
Financial Report
- Summary: KCBS's August 2025 financial performance aligned with expectations reported in September, maintaining stability. However, contest operations revenue is projected to decline in November and December, partially offset by a potential boost from the Royal event in November. Operating expenses and payroll are expected to remain consistent through year-end, but reduced operational revenue may pressure gross margins and net operating income.
- Strong Revenue Performance: KCBS's gross income through August 2025 reached $807,803, exceeding the 8-month forecast of $723,695 by $84,108, driven primarily by favorable variances in dues, contest operations, and sponsorship revenue. Sponsorship revenue was a catch up from June when a large check was cashed.
- Cost Overruns Impact Margins: Despite higher revenues, the gross margin percentage was 60.1%, lower than the forecasted 65.0%, due to a unfavorable variance of $68,944 in activity costs, particularly $62,688 in other costs (CBJ, Advertising, World Invitational, Banquet, Misc.).
- Improved Net Operating Income: Net operating income was $42,407, surpassing the forecast of $33,533 by $8,874, achieving a net operating income percentage of 5.2% compared to the forecasted 4.6%, indicating better-than-expected profitability despite cost challenges.
- Ongoing Sponsorship Risk and Call to Action: The US Soy sponsorship for 2026 remains uncertain due to the Soy Board’s ongoing budget reallocation toward individual state programs, threatening a potential decline in KCBS’s sponsorship revenue. KCBS must immediately initiate targeted outreach to state soy boards and event organizers to secure alternative partnerships and lock in 2026 funding commitments. By leveraging existing relationships and highlighting the value of KCBS events, the organization can mitigate the risk of significant revenue loss. Delaying action could jeopardize financial stability in the upcoming year.
- Financial Assessment Update: Clean Sheet Consulting's (CSC) assessment is progressing on schedule, with 18 hours (20%) of the 90-hour contract completed through the first five weeks (40% of the 12-week timeline). Interviews with KCBS staff have been conducted to map KCBS' processes, including membership lifecycles and revenue streams. The office staff have been extremely helpful, providing meaningful supporting data (e.g., event organizer details, invoices, membership samples, etc.). CSC has analyzed 2023-2025 membership data, creating a dues schedule by renewal date with deferred/revenue breakdowns, and discussed accrual accounting implications with Rod. Deliverables in progress include an ASC 606-compliant revenue recognition chart and process workflows for internal control best practices. Upcoming steps include meetings and additional sessions with Rod and staff to refine financial statement analysis. While the initial phase has been slower due to scheduling, work is expected to accelerate as interviews conclude and deliverable preparation intensifies. A preliminary report remains on track for the board in approximately 30 days.
- 2026 Budgeting: The Finance Committee will work with Rod Gray to develop a budget for 2026 with the goal of presenting a draft to the Board at the December meeting.
No report for this period.
Judging Committee
- Date: September 24, 2025
- Attendees: Donna Fong, Chair; Randy Todd, Co-chair, Paul Buob, ex officio, President, KCBS; and Rod Gray, ex officio, KCBS CEO, Jeanne Titus, Advisory Rep, and members Myron Berry, Cliff Brockman, Joe DeBella, Ron Keefover, Bryan Stewart and Mark Tuttle.
- The Award subcommittee continued to receive nominations for Outstanding CBJ of the Year through September 30th. Now that the deadline has passed, the CBJ committee will consider nominations at its October meeting.
- The Rules subcommittee has requested two corrections in the CBJ Manual. The Rules committee met on September 29th, 5 days after the CBJ meeting. The Rules Committee has adopted the proposed change to eliminate backyard contests as an option for judges seeking to become a Master CBJ. Judges seeking their MCBJ status must fulfill their team cook requirement by participating in a Master contest. The Rules committee also adopted a protocol change in the CBJ manual that complaints of rules violations by a CBJ at contests shall be reported to the CBJ Committee Chair rather than a non-specific committee chair. Both proposed rule changes will be forwarded to the BoD for action.
- The Training subcommittee is authoring a survey to better understand issues around the lack of CBJ engagement. The idea for hybrid certification classes has been tabled.
- The next CBJ meeting will be on October 22, 2025.
- The Rep Committee discussed the KCBScore Beta testing and whether there had been any issues with using the version in the field (none).
- Discussion of possible HoF names. Some of the people, suggested were not known to all the committee members and it was recommended to take the favorites to Carolyn Wells for her opinion.
- Review and agreement of the Rep ‘on-call’ schedule that was created with the committee members taking turns on the different weekends for the rest of the calendar year. This would alleviate the Rep Chair to being on call EVERY weekend while they are repping or not. Rod Gray sent out the schedule to the KCBS Contest Representative distribution list.
- Rod Gray hosted the Rep Town Hall on 15 September 2025. The next KCBS Rep Town Hall is scheduled for 20 October 2025.
October 6: Attendance: Present were Randy Todd, Committee Chair; Thomas Gearhart, Committee Vice Chair; Paul Buob, President, KCBS Board of Directors; Rod Gray, KCBS CEO; and members David Puckett, Charlie Brinza, Mike Wozniak, and Ron Keefover, Committee Secretary.
- The meeting began with Randy mentioning that the Rule Committee’s decision at the last meeting that CBJs must cook with a Master Series Team needs to include language grandfathering existing Master CBJs. Committee members agreed that the grandfather clause is needed.
- Randy convened Monday’s meeting to discuss the use of transglutaminase (TG) or what is commonly referred to as meat glue as mentioned in Rule 7 of the Masters Series 2025 Rules. The provision has been interpreted to mean both that its use may or may not be legal, depending on who was asked. Charlie and Thomas emphasized changing language in the rule change would not provide a significant competitive advantage or disadvantage, and the group agreed to clarify the language in the rules to reflect this decision.
- David Puckett and Mike Wozniak noted that TG is not effective for its intended purpose and is rarely used, while Randy Todd suggested making the rule clearer by explicitly stating whether TG is legal or illegal. The group ultimately decided to leave the current rule unchanged, as Charlie Brinza and Thomas Gearhart said addressing the issue ahead of time was more important than including it in rep advisories or rules.
- Following the discussion to leave the rule unchanged, Charlie Brinza said the rep committee is working to update old advisories and will submit rule changes to the next Board of Directors for approval, with a deadline set for the October board meeting to ensure decisions are made before the 2026 rules take effect.
- Randy convened the meeting at 6 p.m. and turned the committee’s attention to two relatively easy changes brought to the Rules Committee by the CBJ and Rep Committees. The first item was a request to make wording in the CBJ manual consistent with requirements to become a Master CBJ to cook with a team. The current language on one page provides that the team cooking requirement could be satisfied by participation in a backyard contest, while on another, the team cooking rule specifies that the requirement could be met only by cooking in a master series contest. The Rules Committee adopted the proposed change to eliminate the backyard contest wording.
- The Rules Committee then adopted a protocol change in the manual to comply with a provision in the KCBS by-laws specifying that complaints of rules violations at contests shall be reported to the CBJ Committee Chair, as opposed to the existing language in the manual indicating that the violation should be reported to a non-specific committee chair.
- Both Rules Committee proposed changes will be forwarded to the Board of Directors for action.
- The committee then took up as the third agenda item the Master Series Rules provisions under Rule No. 19. The issue is whether provision 19(i), which was adopted last December, should be repealed after questions were raised about its impact on a rule requiring a fire extinguisher be in place at every cook site. The question arose about whether a team without a fire extinguisher should be disqualified and evicted from the contest per the interpretation of Rule 19(i).) After discussion about the fire extinguisher, Thomas Gearhart proposed moving that rule to a provision under the rule covering safety and cleanliness. The motion was unanimously adopted, and the committee then turned its attention to the broader issues stemming from the addition of19(i) in 2024.
- Under the new amendment, Jeanne Titus, Rep Chair, said her committee had an issue about whether a team must be completely disqualified if they cook a single meat category on another team’s smoker or site. Or should only that single meat category be disqualified, allowing them to cook other meats at their own cook site. She reported Reps were very undecided on what to do, with some saying DQ for that meat only, while others thought the DQ should apply to the whole contest.
- Paul Buob said the incident, giving rise to the discussion involved a team that used another team's cooker after their own cooker failed, leading to their chicken being cooked at another site. Paul explained that the violation was unintentional, as the team had never used their cooker before, and they went into panic mode when their original cooker quit working. The key question was whether to disqualify the team from the entire contest or just the specific category. Mike Wozniak and other committee members agreed that proper procedure would have been to contact a representative before doing anything that could be considered a rules violation.
- Randy Todd discussed Thomas Gearhart's suggestion to strengthen Rule 19 by adding that any violation of KCBS Rules 2 through 7, in whole or in part, would result in disqualification from the contest. Mike Wozniak clarified that eviction was not being added, and Randy Todd explained the need for safe and feasible eviction procedures due to public safety concerns at events like Greenwood. Ron Keefover and Randy clarified that Thomas's recommendation is included eviction under the heading "Causes for Disqualification and Eviction."
- The group discussed and approved Thomas Gearhart's proposed rule amendment regarding contest disqualifications, with all members voting in favor. The amendment adds language that states "shall result in disqualification from the contest" for violations of rules 2 through 7, while maintaining the rep's discretion under rule 1.
- The last item discussed was KCBS Cook's Meeting Attendance Requirements. The group discussed whether the Cook's Meeting is mandatory per KCBS rules, with Rod Gray and others searching relevant manuals and finding no explicit requirement for attendance. They determined that while contests can make the meeting mandatory, the KCBS rules do not specify it as a requirement. However, organizers may enforce attendance due to potential consequences for missing important information. The discussion concluded with confirmation that the meeting is not officially mandatory according to the rules, though teams are typically expected to attend.
- Whereupon the Committee adjourned until the call of the chair.
To be discussed in Closed Session.
Foundation Committee
No Meeting Held for September 29th, 2025, 7PM CST, email discussion only
Scholarship awards review schedule
- 2026 Scholarship discussions.
- Nancy has all the online forms in order and ready to launch for January 1st, 2026.
- Consider putting a reminder in the December BullSheet as well as Social Media for the opening of the application period.
- $8,000 already received, we are very behind.
- Are the KCBS Reps due a reminder so that every contest has an announcement at the CBJ and Cooks meeting?
- Review the schedule and tasks below.
- Email blast to past or inactive members scheduled, over 58000 emails scheduled in 5K groups over the next two weeks.
- Article for the Bullsheet / Flyer in every Bullsheet through Nov. (check with Office, make sure it will be in the Oct issues).
- Social Media post schedule?? / FB pages, one per month (Check with office).
- The Foundation is looking to establish continuity. Currently there are no BOD members that have indicated interest. Headhunting tactics among the qualified candidates that could be interested in running.
- Planning needs to start for 2026 WI Pop-Up Shop.
- Chiles will ensure all receipts to 2025 contributors are sent.
- The foundation may receive funds as a passthrough for HOF BullSheet scanning, to preserve our competition history for others to embrace. No updates provided
- CBA wants to donate through KCBS Foundation for Kids Queue. No updates provided.
No report for this period.
Technology Working Group
No report for this period.
Hall of Fame Committee
No report for this period.
Organizer Working Group
- Date: October 6, 2025
- Attendees: Donna Fong, Chair; Julie Poe, Advisory Rep, Rod Grad, ex-officio, CEO, KCBS; Paul Buob, ex-officio, President, KCBS; and members Chiles Cridlin, Joe Osbrink, Kathy Trainor and Christie Vanover.
- The committee considered Hall of Fame nominations and reached a decision.
- Julie Poe has submitted the latest revision of the Organizer Guide which is in the final stage of review. The Organizer Guide is to be released later this year.
- The next KCBS Organizer Town Hall Zoom meeting will be Christie Vanover who will speak about the team and judge recruitment. Christie will review the KCBS judge signup interface, review Google Forms to register teams and how to use PayPal invoicing to collect team registration. The date is December 16, 2025. Email dfong@kcbs.us for a link to the zoom call. A flyer will be publicized in the Bullsheet for November and December.
- Joe Osbrink gave an update on his mentorship of a new contest organizer. We have requested that the organizer write an article for the Bullsheet about his experience.
- The committee talked about recruitment of new judges as that remains a challenge in some regions.
- The next Organizer Workgroup will be held on November 4, 2025.
No report for this period.
Backyard Working Group
No report for this period.
Sponsorship Working Group
No report for this period.
World Invitational Working Group
No report for this period.
KCBS Competition Enhancement Working Group
- The Committee requests that the KCBS office staff launch a comprehensive communication campaign to inform members about the rationale and details of the proposed removal of restrictions on existing Backyard teams, effective at the start of the 2026 Team of the Year (TOY) year. This campaign should clearly explain the "what" and "why" of the changes and include a Committee-prepared list of FAQs. We recommend distributing this information through multiple channels, including social media, email, and the Bullsheet. Additionally, we request support from our third-party social media provider to develop a post calendar and execute a strategic campaign, beginning in November 2025 and continuing throughout 2026, to ensure consistent and effective member engagement during the transition to the 2027 unified series.
- The Committee proposes to the Board that KCBS remove all restrictions on existing Backyard teams, effective at the start of the 2026 Team of the Year (TOY) year. This step will serve as the initial phase toward the full implementation of the broader structural changes planned for 2027. By lifting restrictions on Backyard teams, KCBS can test the impact of open participation in a controlled manner, gather data in 2026, and refine processes to ensure a smooth transition to the unified series in 2027. Restrictions on Masters teams will remain unchanged to maintain competitive integrity during this phase. (See attached proposal)
For the first time ever, we reached 4.0 or higher on the MES.
| Score | Members Voted | Percentage or Total |
| 1 | 25 | 5.8% |
| 2 | 34 | 7.9% |
| 3 | 58 | 13.5% |
| 4 | 106 | 24.7% |
| 5 | 206 | 48.0% |
| Total | 429 | 100% |
| Score | 4.01 | |
CEO Report
Key Highlights:
September was a busy month for KCBS. We sanctioned 42 contests plus 19 One-Meat contests, for a total of 62. We added 39 new Certified Barbecue Judges. We worked with the United Soybean Board to promote 2026 and partnered with Federal Export Midwest to prepare for their upcoming Buyer’s Mission. They plan to bring buyers from 15 countries to Kansas City on November 6–7 to meet with small business owners in the barbecue sauce and rub category and promote export opportunities for sauces, rubs, and fuels. Their visit will include a Kansas City barbecue tour with a stop at the Kansas City BBQ Store and a seminar in Garage A, where judging will take place for the American Royal.
I am back from the Jack Daniel’s World Invitational Championship BBQ Contest. It was a hectic few days. I met with our International Operations team, participated in the International Cook’s Meeting, met with several current and potential sponsors, and distributed supplies to domestic and international Contest Representatives. Of the 90 teams competing this year, the Head Cook of 77 teams are current KCBS members, and the vast majority of the volunteers are also members. In the judging area, 100% of the judges, all Certified Barbeque Judges, are current members.
The American Royal is fast approaching. Our bi-weekly meetings with the Contest Rep continue. Staff meets weekly to work through details, order supplies, and plan for the weekend at the Kansas Speedway.
Membership
- As of October 12, 2025, KCBS membership stands at 14,947, down from 14,955 on September 3.
- August’s expired-member postcard campaign resulted in 69 renewals. Postcards for September expirations were sent in early October.
340 contests completed (year to date)
388 contests scheduled for 2025
27 contests canceled
CBJ & Table Captain Classes
38 CBJ classes scheduled in 2025
24 Table Captain classes scheduled in 2025
Marketing & Communications
- Bullsheet: The September issue of the Bullsheet was emailed to 13,320 recipients. It was opened by 7,232 members as of 10/7/25, reflecting a 54.29% open rate.
- Social Media: Engagement and audience growth continue across all platforms:
- Facebook Performance:
- Views: 124,562, reported as up 19% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
- Interactions: 3,401, reported as up 22.4% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
- New followers: 37
- Facebook Performance:
- Current Follower Counts (September 2025):
- Facebook: 78,957 (up 13 followers)
- Instagram: 26,954 (up 98 followers)
- X: 22,172 (up 15 followers)
- Website Performance (September 2025):
- 10,500 clicks from Google Search
- 177,000 impressions
- Top-clicked pages (September 2025):
- Homepage: 7,247 clicks and 147,000 impressions
- Explore Events page: 1,261 clicks and 46,400 impressions
- Judging Classes page: 324 clicks and 22,200 impressions
- Join Now: 134 clicks and 26,400 impressions
- Device usage (August 2025):
- Mobile: 7,810
- Desktop: 2,450
- Tablet: 211
- Top countries (August 2025):
- United States: 88% (9,140 clicks)
- Canada: 5%
- Italy: 2%