KCBS Board Meeting Agenda for March 10, 2026

   
Membership Requests to Address the Board:   

• None

Call to Order – Paul Buob

Roll Call:
Carol Bigler, David Qualls, Donna Fong, Jeanne Titus, Luke Darnell, Blake Moore, Paul Buob, Randy Todd, Thomas Gearhart; KCBS Office: Rod Gray
Absent: NA

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

Discussion of any items removed from Consent Agenda:
Chief Executive Officer’s Report:

• CEO Report attached.
• The Board may take actions based on Topics and Discussions from this report as New Business.

Old Business:

• None

New Business: 

• Banquet Dates for 2027 (Rod Gray)
• Request to Alter Turn In Times (Rod Gray)

 
Closed Session Agenda: 
Discussion of legal, financial, personnel, and real estate.

• BBQ World Cup Agreement (Rod Gray)
• Approval of revised 2026 budget (Thomas Gearheart)
• Discussion of KCBS operations  (Thomas Gearheart)

After Closed Session:
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	City	State/Country
Scottsboro BBQ Festival (BACKYARD ONLY)	10/9/2026	10/10/2026	Scottsboro	AL
World Championship Hot Wings Contest & Festival (COMPETITORS SERIES)	4/18/2026	4/18/2026	Memphis	TN
12th Annual Slab-O-Rama Barbeque Challenge	1/15/2027	1/16/2027	Bullhead City	AZ
44th Annual Kennett Jaycees BBQ Cook Off	5/8/2026	5/9/2026	Kennett	MO
All American BBQ Cook-Off (Day 1)	6/5/2026	6/6/2026	Ruidoso Downs	NM
Bristol BBQ Bash - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES	6/13/2026	6/14/2026	Bristol	CT
Bristol BBQ Bash - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT CHICKEN)	6/13/2026	6/13/2026	Bristol	CT
Bristol BBQ Bash - CAMPGROUND BBQ SERIES (ONE MEAT RIBS)	6/13/2026	6/13/2026	Bristol	CT
Certified Barbeque Judging Class - Paxton, IL	4/4/2026	4/4/2026	Paxton	IL
Covington World's Oldest Barbeque Contest	5/29/2026	5/30/2026	Covington	TN
Cruisin' and BBQin'	7/31/2026	8/1/2026	Hampton	IA
Foothills Smoke-Off Challenge	10/23/2026	10/24/2026	Lenoir	NC
Hog Drop	12/29/2026	12/31/2026	Unadilla	GA
IBEW So Cal BBQ & Chili Cook-Off (COMPETITOR SERIES)	7/17/2026	7/18/2026	Santa Ana	CA
KTD Smokn' Gobbler	7/10/2026	7/11/2026	Worthington	MN
KTD Smokn' Gobbler (ONE MEAT RIBS)	7/10/2026	7/10/2026	Worthington	MN
Luna County Heritage Days Festival	5/15/2026	5/16/2026	Deming	NM
New Jersey State Barbecue Championship	7/11/2026	7/12/2026	North Wildwood	NJ
Spring into Summer Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY)	5/29/2026	5/30/2026	Owatonna	MN
The Downtown Grand Master BBQ Showdown	4/17/2026	4/18/2026	Las Vegas	NV
Trekking for CDH	9/19/2026	9/20/2026	Pierron	IL

 
Sanctioning Committee
Committee Members: Jeanne Titus
No report for this period.
CBJ Committee
Committee Chair: Blake Moore
Members:
See attachment for initial email to the committee from Blake Moore.
 
Contest Representative Committee
Committee Chair:  Carol Bigler
Committee Members:
No report for this period.
 
Rules Committee
Committee Chair: Randy Todd
Committee Members:
No report for this period.
 
Finance Committee
Committee Members: Thomas Gearhart, Paul Buob, Luke Darnell, Jeanne Titus, Rod Gray.
The committee did not meet in February, opting for an offline review of the revised 2026 budget and strategic initiatives with Clean Sheet Consulting. The committee will move forward with implementation of the "must-do" recommendations beginning in March with a goal to complete all implementations by the end of Q3.
2026 Budget
A revised budget is attached and must be approved by the Board. The budget will be presented to members at the annual meeting within 90 days of the new Board installation.
 
Note:After removing non-recurring Professional Fees, the revised budget now shows $5.1K net operating income compared to the previous forecast of a $3.3K net loss.The lower Professional Fees come from 2024 expenses that were invoiced in 2025, and reduced estimated spend with Clean Sheet Consulting.
 
Foundation Committee
Committee Chair: Paul Buob
Committee Members:
No report for this period.
Nominating Committee
Committee Chair: Randy Todd
Committee Member:
No report for this period.
 
Technology Working Group
Committee Chair: Luke Darnell
Committee Members: David McAllister.
No report for this period.
 
Hall of Fame Workgroup
Committee Chair: Thomas Gearhart
Committee Members: Carolyn Wells.
No report for this period.
 
Organizer Working Group
Committee Chair: Donna Fong
Committee Members:
The Organizer Workgroup is pleased to announce the members for 2026. Members returning from 2025 are Organizer Kathy Trainor (Taunton, MA), Organizer Jim Palmer (Riverside, CA), Representative Julie Poe (Sacramento, CA).  Chair of the workgroup is Donna Fong. Also invited in ex officio (by virtue of their position on the board) are board members Carol Bigler, President Paul Buob and CEO Rod Gray. The group will meet 5 times this year on the first Tuesday of the month which are 4/7/26, 6/2/26, 8/4/26, 10/6/26 and 12/1/26 at 6:30pm Central. We will continue our efforts to reach out to organizers who are in need of assistance. Anyone needing Organizer support can email dfong@kcbs.us.

Marketing and Membership Workgroup
Committee Chairs: Donna Fong and Blake Moore
The Marketing & Membership workgroup is finalizing members for subcommittees (Retention & Renewal Strategy, Recruitment & Growth, Perks Program, Community & Advocacy and Membership Analysis). Co-chairs are Blake Moore for Marketing and Donna Fong for Membership. Also invited in ex officio (by virtue of their position on the board) are board members Carol Bigler, President Paul Buob, CEO Rod Gray and founder Carolyn Wells. The group will meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 4pm Central. The first meeting will be on 3/17/26.

World Invitational (Public Facing) Working Group
Committee Chair: Blake Moore
Committee Members: Paul Buob, Jason Cole, Eric Cantrell, 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 KCBS Competition Enhancement Working Group has successfully completed its work and will not convene in 2026. After thorough discussion and alignment with prior Board approvals, the group's final recommendation is to proceed with the transition to a unified Masters Series featuring separate 2-Meat and 4-Meat tracks. This includes maintaining distinct Team of the Year points races for each track.
 
Key changes effective with the 2027 TOY season:

• Teams will not need to declare a series in advance.
• All restrictions on competing across the 2-Meat and 4-Meat series will be fully removed.
• This eliminates cross-series barriers, allowing teams greater flexibility while preserving dedicated points races for each format.

These updates significantly reduce administrative burden on KCBS staff and require only minor procedural adjustments and technical enhancements to the SCORE system.
 
Important notes:

• There will be no changes to the current sanctioning fee structure.
• The 2-Meat series will remain an affordable, accessible entry point for community organizers, new teams, and emerging competitors, supporting continued growth and inclusivity in KCBS events.

Next Steps: Request for KCBS CEO and Staff Support
To ensure smooth implementation and clear communication with members, reps, organizers, and the broader community, we respectfully request assistance with the following:

• Review, finalize, and publish the drafted website news article and comprehensive FAQs as soon as possible.
• Coordinate distribution of FAQs to all Contest Representatives and the Rep Advisory Group.
• Schedule and promote a series of virtual town halls for live Q&A sessions with members, reps, organizers, and other stakeholders.
• Assist in developing a scheduled social media content calendar (weekly posts recommended) to reinforce key messages, address common questions, and maintain transparency throughout the transition.
• Include this update (or a summary) in the next edition of the Bullsheet.

 
Monthly Experience Survey (MES) Results – January and February 2026
Member sentiment decreased MoM from December to January from 4.04 to 3.88. Total respondents declined by 65 contributing to the decline (likely due to the holidays). In February, sentiment increased by .96 points and reached 4.04. Currently, 75.56% of members have a positive view (response greater than 4), while 88.06% maintain a neutral or positive view (response greater than 3).
January

Score	Members Voted	Percentage or Total
1	15	5.6
2	23	8.58
3	49	18.28
4	74	27.61
5	107	39.93
Total	268	100%
Score	3.88

 
February

Score	Members Voted	Percentage or Total
1	17	4.72
2	26	7.22
3	45	12.50
4	100	27.78
5	172	47.78
Total	360	100%
Score	4.04

 
CEO Report

Key Highlights -

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Annual Awards Banquet are now in the books.  By many accounts, this was a successful year.  The weather was better than we’ve had the previous two years, we were in familiar surroundings, the breakout sessions were engaging, and the evening flowed well and the event ended in a reasonable amount of time.  Special thanks to Prairie Fresh and US Foods for providing the proteins for the evening meal, elevating the dinner.   We received great feedback.  People were pleased.  In my book, that is a win.

 
I would like to consider entering into a multi-year deal with the host hotel.  I have an appointment to explore that with the management. I’ll report to the board with my findings.
 
Humphrey’s Smokers knocked it out of the park with the Hall of Fame Inductee awards.  There were tons of comments about their creations.  A special thank you to Thomas Gearhart for the design inspiration. 
 
We successfully surprised the Gary and Carolyn Wells award winners.  Neither Eric Cantrell or Forrest Bruce had any idea they were receiving among the most prestigious awards KCBS bestows on our members. The awards from Metal Art KC were impressive.  We recognized two of the most deserving people in our barbeque community.
 
The KCBS staff now has its full focus on the KCBS World Invitational.  We meet regularly to keep track of the many details as we move forward.  We have received the award ribbons, and the trophies are ordered.
 
Together, these efforts align with KCBS’s ongoing focus on member value and event development.

Membership

As of March 6th, 2026, KCBS membership stands at 15,033, up from 15,006 reported on February 13th.

January’s expired-member postcard campaign resulted in 46 renewals. Postcards for February expirations will be mailed this week. 

Contests

12  contests completed in 2026
          321  contests scheduled for 2026
8  contests canceled in 2026

CBJ & Table Captain Classes

             18  CBJ classes scheduled in 2026
 8  Table Captain classes scheduled in 2026
 

Marketing & Communications

Bullsheet
The March issue of the Bullsheet was emailed to 13,361 recipients. The digital publication was opened by 6,690  members as of 3/6/26, reflecting a 50.07% open rate.
Social Media (as of 3/3/26)
Engagement and audience growth continue across all platforms.

• Current Follower Counts

• Facebook Performance
  • Views: 211,150 (previously 191,111), reported as down 20% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
  • Interactions: 5,589 (previously 3,687) reported down 24% in the previous 28 days via Facebook
  • New followers: 130 net new followers in the previous 28 days (uncertain of the discrepancy in reporting)

Website Performance (per Google Search Console - February 2026)

• 6,980 clicks from Google Search
   
• 122,000 impressions
• Top-clicked pages:
  • Homepage: 6,106 clicks
  • Explore Events page: 991 clicks
  • WI page: 290 clicks
  • Judging Classes page: 280 clicks
     
• Top search queries:
  • kcbs 2,580
  • kcbs bbq 1,110
  • kcbs events 349
     
• Device usage:
  • Mobile: 4,717
  • Desktop: 2,088
  • Tablet: 178
     
• Top countries:
  • United States: 88%
  • Canada: 5%
  • Costa Rica 2%