KCBS Board Meeting Agenda for 09 December 2025
Kansas City Barbeque Society
Board of Directors’ Meeting Agenda
Tuesday, December 9, 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: Lex Vanegas
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
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.
- None
- Board of Directors Retreat: request to align with annual meeting (Donna Fong).
- Approval of 2026 Rep Fees (Rod Gray).
Discussion of legal, financial, personnel, and real estate.
- Point qualifying discussion (Rod Gray).
- Sanctioned contest discussion (Rod Gray).
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 |
| 12th Annual K of C BBQ Smoke Off 4-Life | 6/20/2026 | Kansas City, KS |
| 22nd Annual Burnt Offerings BBQ Contest | 9/19/2026 | Riverside, CA |
| 9th Annual DuPont BBQ Competition | 8/23/2026 | DuPont, WA |
| Albany County Fair Smokin' BBQ Cook-Off | 7/25/2026 | Laramie, WY |
| BBQ & Boogie | 4/25/2026 | Calhoun, GA |
| BBQ & Fly-In on the River | 8/15/2026 | Excelsior Springs, MO |
| BBQ Fest - Chippewa Falls, WI (BACKYARD ONLY) | 5/16/2026 | Chippewa Falls, WI |
| BBQ Jackpot | 11/21/2026 | Las Vegas, NV |
| Best Dam BBQ | 5/24/2026 | Boulder City, NV |
| Bloomin' BBQ Music & Food Festival | 5/16/2026 | Sevierville, TN |
| Blue Compass RV BBQ Bash | 5/2/2026 | Marriott-Slaterville, UT |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) | 10/31/2026 | Oak Grove, MO |
| Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 2) | 11/1/2026 | Oak Grove, MO |
| Boomer Backyard BBQ Cookoff (BACKYARD ONLY) | 8/15/2026 | Canton, MN |
| Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cookoff | 9/19/2026 | Ponca City, OK |
| Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cookoff (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 9/18/2026 | Ponca City, OK |
| Devils Backbone BBQ Championship | 5/31/2026 | Roseland, VA |
| Dillon Days Blowin' Smoke BBQ Cook Off | 7/4/2026 | Dillon, MT |
| East Central State BBQ Cookoff - Paola Roots Festival | 8/29/2026 | Paola, KS |
| Foley BBQ & Blues Cook-Off (BACKYARD ONLY) | 3/14/2026 | Foley, AL |
| GLBBQA Spring Fling | 4/18/2026 | Coldwater, MI |
| Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES | 9/20/2026 | Braintree, VT |
| Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) | 9/19/2026 | Braintree, VT |
| Green Mountain BBQ Championship - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 9/19/2026 | Braintree, VT |
| Horse Town Brew n Que Festival | 5/30/2026 | Norco, CA |
| Iowa State BBQ Championship | 4/4/2026 | Altoona, IA |
| Jaco Beach BBQ Challenge | 3/7/2026 | COSTA RICA |
| Jeepin 4 Justice | 3/14/2026 | Shady Hills, FL |
| Knox Co. 4-H/FFA Ring of Smoke | 4/18/2026 | Edina, MO |
| La Belle MO Show Me BBQ Showdown | 10/3/2026 | La Belle, MO |
| Meat Inferno | 9/12/2026 | Edgerton, KS |
| Meat Inferno (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 9/11/2026 | Edgerton, KS |
| Mission Farms - King of the Farm | 2/28/2026 | Iron Station, NC |
| Montana BBQ Cookoff | 6/13/2026 | Absarokee, MT |
| Montana Pitmaster Classic | 8/29/2026 | Bozeman, MT |
| Murphysboro BBQ Cook-off/Praise the Lard | 9/26/2026 | Murphysboro, IL |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) | 4/18/2026 | Blairstown, NJ |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 4/19/2026 | Blairstown, NJ |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) | 4/17/2026 | Blairstown, NJ |
| New Jersey KnoQ-out - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 4/18/2026 | Blairstown, NJ |
| Old Town Smokeout | 6/27/2026 | Van Buren, AR |
| Old Town Smokeout (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 6/26/2026 | Van Buren, AR |
| Original SD BBQ Championships | 6/6/2026 | Huron, SD |
| Original SD BBQ Championships (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 6/5/2026 | Huron, SD |
| Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championships & Bluegrass Festival | 8/15/2026 | Worland, WY |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 1) | 10/24/2026 | Jackson, NJ |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (Day 2) | 10/25/2026 | Jackson, NJ |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) | 10/23/2026 | Jackson, NJ |
| Red White & Que - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 10/24/2026 | Jackson, NJ |
| Rekindled Ironman | 4/4/2026 | Seven Valleys, PA |
| Ribs on the Ridge | 2/21/2026 | Haines City, FL |
| Robertson County Fair Assoc. Barbeque Throwdown (COMPETITOR SERIES) | 6/13/2026 | Springfield, TN |
| Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (Day 1) | 9/26/2026 | Egg Harbor, WI |
| Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (Day 2) | 9/27/2026 | Egg Harbor, WI |
| Rollin Smoke at Rustic Timbers BBQ Bash (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 9/25/2026 | Egg Harbor, WI |
| Rose Festival's 25th Annual KCBS BBQ Competition | 6/20/2026 | State Center, IA |
| SD BBQ Shootout @ Huset's Speedway | 9/5/2026 | Brandon, SD |
| September Fest | 9/12/2026 | Coldwater, MI |
| September Fest (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 9/11/2026 | Coldwater, MI |
| Shenandoah ShenDig | 7/18/2026 | Shenandoah, IA |
| Shenandoah ShenDig (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) | 7/17/2026 | Shenandoah, IA |
| Smoke in the North (Day 1) | 8/22/2026 | SWEDEN |
| Smoke in the North (Day 2) | 8/23/2026 | SWEDEN |
| Smoke on the Falls | 4/4/2026 | Gadsden, AL |
| Smoke on the River (Day 1) | 9/5/2026 | Burlington, KS |
| Smoke on the River (Day 2) | 9/6/2026 | Burlington, KS |
| Smoke on the Sound | 9/20/2026 | Redmond, WA |
| Smoke-N-Wings | 6/27/2026 | Blackfoot, ID |
| Smokin Downtown (BACKYARD ONLY) | 8/8/2026 | Warsaw, IN |
| Smokin' in the Creek BBQ Contest | 4/25/2026 | Sugar Creek, MO |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 1) | 4/11/2026 | Bristol, CT |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (DAY 2) | 4/12/2026 | Bristol, CT |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN) | 4/11/2026 | Bristol, CT |
| Southern New England Barbecue Throwdown - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS) | 4/11/2026 | Bristol, CT |
| Stoney Creek BBQ Cookoff | 8/22/2026 | Edinburg, VA |
| The Great Lenexa BBQ Battle - Kansas State Championship | 6/27/2026 | Lenexa, KS |
| Tom Brigham Memorial BBQ | 4/18/2026 | Iola, KS |
| Transylvanian Steak & BBQ Fest | 5/10/2026 | ROMANIA |
| VPD Back the Blue BBQ Competition | 10/24/2026 | Vidalia, LA |
Financial Report
- Summary: KCBS's 11-month financials through November 2025 show continued strength in core operations, with gross income reaching $1,033,331, 3.9% above the 11-month forecast. This was primarily driven by stronger than anticipated contest revenues that offset softer membership dues and other income categories. Higher-than-expected activity costs, particularly in contest operations and other areas, pressured gross margins to 61.3% versus the 65.0% target. Net operating income came in at $17,917 (1.7% margin), below forecast but reflecting typical year-end dynamics as contest operations wind down and administrative expenses remain flat. The Finance Committee did not meet this month due to schedule conflicts.
- Revenue Growth: Gross income totaled $1,033,331, exceeding the forecast by $38,711, led by contest operations at $336,605 (+26.6% vs. forecast), sponsorship at $132,711 (+11.8%), and modest contributions from other areas. Membership dues were $375,107 (-3.7% vs. forecast), likely due to timing or renewal patterns, while other income (CBJ, advertising, World Invitational, banquet, misc.) lagged at $188,909 (-14.3%), potentially from a decline in CBJ classes, and delayed or lower participation in events.
- Cost Pressures: Activity costs rose to $400,320 (unfavorable variance of $52,593 vs. forecast), with overruns in other costs at $175,410 (+$34,949), sponsorship expenses at $22,772 (+$5,721), and a modest increase in contest operations costs despite higher revenues. This contributed to gross margin dollars of $633,011 (slightly below forecast) and a percentage decline to 61.3% from the 65.0% target.
- Operating Income: Net operating income was $17,917 (1.7% margin), impacted by the margin compression, though G&A payroll and expenses remained well-controlled at $615,659 (favorable variance overall). The G&A ratio to gross income improved slightly to 59.6%.
- Ongoing Sponsorship Risk and Call to Action: Significant risk remains for 2026 that has yet to be addressed. Unless offset by increases in contest operations, CBJ classes, or other income sources, the potential lack of sponsorship dollars without an associated reduction in expenses could be detrimental to the organization in 2026, potentially leading to significant losses. Immediate action is recommended to explore alternative sponsorship opportunities and begin planning for corresponding expense adjustments if key renewals or new sponsors do not materialize.
- 2026 Budgeting: The Treasurer and CEO have met to review a first pass of the 2026 budget. It requires further refinement, but we anticipate having a draft ready for presentation and discussion at the January board meeting.
Members: Luke Darnell.
No report for this period.
Judging Committee
Committee Members: 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, and Bryan Stewart.
- Date: November 19, 2025
- Attendees: Donna Fong; Randy Todd, Paul Buob, Rod Gray, Jeanne Titus, Myron Berry, Cliff Brockman, Joe DeBella, Ron Keefover, and Bryan Stewart.
- The committee worked on hosting an End of the Year Town Hall with CBJ Membership on December 17, 2025, at 6pm Central. CBJs interested in joining the call can register via an email that will be sent prior to the meeting. Registrants will be sent a link the day before the Town Hall. Topics would include a brief introduction of the CBJ committee members, summary of the committee's work, introduction of the Outstanding CBJs and Hall of Fame member and an open session for member ideas and feedback.
- Among next year's goals are an update and alignment of the CBJ Manual and the CBJ class PowerPoint slide deck.
- The committee chair and the CEO thanked the members of this committee for their year-long effort towards furthering the committee's goals.
Committee Members: Jeanne Titus, Lex Vanegas, Charlie Brinza, Laurie Tweten, Bob McKee, Dave McAllister, Kelly McIntosh, Dave Druetzler, Sarah Wickham, Debby Gage.
- Rod Gray hosted the Rep Town Hall on 17 November 2025.
Committee Members: Randy Todd, Chair; Thomas Gearhart, Co-Chair; Paul Buob, President; Rod Gray, KCBS CEO; David Puckett, Charlie Brinza, Mike Wozniak, and Ron Keefover.
No report for this period.
Finance Committee
Committee Members: Thomas Gearhart, Paul Buod, Chiles Cridlin, Lex Vanegas, Rod Gray.
To be discussed in Closed Session.
Foundation Committee
Committee Members: Chiles Cridlin, Nancy Goldsmith, Bill Jones, Matt Greer, Beth Salz, David Qualls, Rod Gray, Paul Buob
No report for this period.
Nominating Committee
Member: Jeanne Titus.
No report for this period.
Technology Working Group
Members: Lex Vanegas, Chiles Cridlin, David McAllister.
Discussed KCBScore updates/release and possibility of looking at alternative scoring system collaborations.
Hall of Fame Committee
Members: Thomas Gearhart, Chiles Cridlin, Carolyn Wells.
No report for this period.
Organizer Working Group
- As reported last month, the workgroup concluded its final formal meeting on November 4, 2025. The Organizer Workgroup will be hosting the KCBS Organizer Town Hall Zoom meeting on December 16, 2025. Organizers have been sent a calendar invite. The guest will be Christie Vanover who will speak about the team and judge recruitment. Anyone interested in joining the virtual meeting can email dfong@kcbs.us.
Member: Luke Darnell.
No report for this period.
Backyard Working Group
Member: Thomas Gearhart.
No report for this period.
Sponsorship Working Group
Member: Luke Darnell.
No report for this period.
World Invitational (Public Facing) Working Group
Members: Paul Buob, Jason Cole, Eric Cantrell, Blake Moore, Cliff Brockman, Rod Gray
No report for this period.
KCBS Competition Enhancement Working Group
Committee Members: Thomas Gearhart, Blake Moore, David Puckett, Josh Yagel, Pat Larisey, Garry Edwards
The Board has approved the necessary rule changes for the 2026 Team of the Year (TOY) year, removing restrictions on existing Backyard teams as the first phase of the transition to a unified competition structure. However, KCBS has not yet published or communicated this change to the membership. Immediate action is required to inform members transparently and proactively.
The Working Group has drafted a news article for the KCBS website and a comprehensive set of FAQs that explain the rationale, timeline, and impact of the 2026 changes. We request staff support to review, finalize, and publish these materials as soon as possible. Additionally, we need assistance from staff and our third-party social media provider to develop and execute a series of targeted social media posts to reinforce the message and address member questions.
Looking ahead to Phase 2 (full implementation targeted for the 2027 unified series), the Working Group seeks direction from the Board and input from the Technology Committee on a key structural decision: whether teams should be required to declare at the start of the season whether they will pursue TOY points in the Two-Meat or Four-Meat format (with the declaration binding for points accumulation), or whether separate TOY point standings should be maintained for both formats, allowing teams to accumulate points in each independently. Board guidance on this question will help shape the next phase of planning and ensure the technology platform can support the chosen approach.
Monthly Experience Survey (MES) Results – October 2025
| Score | Members Voted | Percentage or Total |
| 1 | 20 | 5.85% |
| 2 | 32 | 9.36% |
| 3 | 50 | 14.62% |
| 4 | 70 | 20.47% |
| 5 | 179 | 49.71% |
| Total | 342 | 100% |
| Score | 3.99 | |
- Member sentiment declined slightly MoM (4.01 to 3.99 overall). However, 70% of respondents still maintain a positive view, while 85% maintain a neutral or positive view. The proportion of 5 ratings reached an all-time high of 49.71%, beating the previous high of 48.02% in September.
Key Highlights:
The 42nd Annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue is now in the books. The weather for the Open was the only hiccup. Despite experiencing all four seasons in three days, with winter hitting on Sunday, our KCBS Contest Representatives run these contests as well, if not better, than I’ve seen in my tenure at KCBS. Team count was down by about 10%. The location for 2026 is still under discussion, and the American Royal staff is working to determine next year’s dates. We hope to know before the end of the year.
The 2026 KCBS Hall of Fame Inductees have been determined. Formal invitations have been sent. Soon we’ll reveal next year’s class. It’s an outstanding list of people, and KCBS is well represented. Congratulations to all of them.
This year’s Meet the Candidates is in the books. There are ten people on the slate for three seats on the 2026 KCBS Board of Directors. The polls open on January 1, 2026, and close at 11:50 PM CST on January 15, 2026. Many qualified people are running this year. Best of luck to everyone.
The World Invitational registration is open and has received positive initial registrations. Social media was active, with teams reporting that they had received their invitations. KCBS is receiving positive feedback about the World Chicken Finals and World Rib Finals. Additionally, the KCBS banquet registration is open. Again, registrations are prolific.
As the season draws to a close, the November stats include 12 sanctioned contests. We also hosted 3 CBJ Classes, and added 77 new Certified Barbecue Judges.
Membership
As of December 5, 2025, KCBS membership stands at 14,800, down from 14,834 reported on November 5.
October’s expired-member postcard campaign resulted in 8 renewals. Postcards for November expirations will go out this week.
Contests
388 contests completed (year to date)
28 contests canceled
173 contests scheduled for 2026
CBJ & Table Captain Classes
38 CBJ classes scheduled in 2025
24 Table Captain classes scheduled in 2025
10 CBJ classes scheduled in 2026
6 Table Captain classes scheduled in 2026
End of Year Comparison
| Categories | 2025 | 2024 |
| Contests* | 388 | 347 |
| Cancelled | 28 | 44 |
| CBJ Classes | 38 | 41 |
| TC Classes | 24 | 23 |
Marketing & Communications
- Bullsheet: The November issue of the Bullsheet was emailed to 13,213 recipients. The digital publication was opened by 6,777 members as of 12/4/25, reflecting a 51.29% open rate.
- Current Follower Counts (4 November 2025):
- Facebook: 79,217 (up 188 followers)
- Instagram: 27,165 (down 39 followers)
- X: 22,163 (up 30 followers)
- Facebook Performance:
- Views: 348,099, reported as up 139% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
- Interactions: 10,938, reported as down 231% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
- Website Performance (November 2025):
- 10,907clicks from Google Search
- 146,036 impressions
- Top-clicked pages:
- Homepage: 8,223 clicks
- Explore Events page: 1,002 clicks
- WI page: 271 clicks
- Judging Classes page: 252 clicks
- Top Search Queries
- KCBS: 3,904
- KCBS BBQ: 1,794
- KCBS Events: 629
- Device usage:
- Mobile: 8,409
- Desktop: 2,235
- Tablet: 263
- Top countries:
- United States: 89%
- Canada: 4%
- Italy: 1%