Suri Network Summer Newsletter
Time seems to be flying by! Summer has definitely arrived, and we are approaching the hottest time of the year, although here in the Midwest it seems as though it has been hot enough already. We are excited to tell you about two big events this summer with more on the horizon.
First up- Election results:
You may have noticed that the Board voted to hold the election a few weeks later than previous years. We felt that having the election so soon after membership renewal made things too rushed. Alpaca owners are often procrastinators, especially during our busy time with shows, shearing, and crias popping out and we wanted to be sure as many as possible had the opportunity to vote.
We would like to thank our candidates Jean Van Effen, Maureen Macedo, Julie Roy, Sue King, and Karen Ball (second term) for volunteering to serve. Congratulations and welcome to Karen Ball, Sue King, and Maureen Macedo who will be starting their 3-year terms this month! We are really looking forward to the knowledge and experience each will bring to our Board and committees.
While it is great to have new trustees, it is always coupled with sadness as two of our current trustees are moving on to other obligations. When you have the opportunity, please thank Nikki Griffith and Randy Brealey for their dedication and time spent keeping the Suri Network moving forward. The Board is grateful that both have agreed to remain on committees, so we will still be able to take advantage of their ideas and energies. Nikki and Randy have both provided their unique perspectives and experience to the Suri Network and the Board will miss seeing them via Zoom each month. Our heartfelt thanks to both of you for your service to Protect, Preserve, and Promote the Suri alpaca.
At our first Board meeting with the new trustees, we elected our officers and assigned trustees to committees. Laurel Shouvlin will once again serve as president, Sue King is our new vice-president, Karen Ball will serve as treasurer, and Maureen Macedo will round off our group as secretary.
Committee assignments for trustees are:
Auction: Candy McMahan (liaison)
Branding: Leslie Rebtoy (liaison)
Education: Karen Ball (liaison)
Fiber Committee: Leslie Rebtoy (chair)
Fleece Show: Laurel Shouvlin (chair)
Marketing: Laurel Shouvlin (liaison)
Membership: Leslie Rebtoy (liaison)
PurelySuri: Chris Fredericks (chair)
S.H.I.P.: Sue King (chair)
Committee News:
The Suri Network Fleece Show! Hopefully, shearing is behind you, and you’ve had a chance to get some fleeces skirted and entered in the show. Our Fleece Show Committee has turned into a well-oiled machine and they are looking forward to the hustle and bustle of the fleece room next week. Randy Brealey, Lisa Collura, Nancy Lindemood, and Laurel Shouvlin have been busy lining up volunteers, advertising the show, and preparing for 4 days of going gaga over your entries. Amanda VandenBosch and Stephanie Glyptis are judging the regular fleece show, and we are excited to have Wini Labrecque back judging Spin Off, Skeins, and Fiber Arts. The Boone County Extension Office in Kentucky has once again provided a venue for us, although it is in a different location from last time. The show will be running from Monday, July 21st to Thursday, the 24th.
We so appreciate the support of our donors listed below. Frankly, without their sponsorship, the show would operate at a deficit. If you see any of these folks, please make a point to thank them.
Fleece Show Platinum Sponsors:
2 Point Farm, LLC – Nancy Lindemood
Applewood Lane Alpacas, Inc – Darlene Nueske
Big Timber Alpacas, LLC – Susan King
D'Lux Meadow Alpacas – Beth & Fred Cripe
Heritage Farm Suri Alpacas – Tim & Beth Sheets
Fleece Show Silver Sponsors:
Memory Macres Farm – Robert Figular & Lisa Collura
Raynay Alpaca Farm, LLC – Ray & Candy McMahan
Breeders Cup Award Sponsors:
Chelsea Farms – Randy & Beth Brealey
Healing Springs Suris – Leslie Rebtoy
Heart & Soul Alpacas – Russell Ratti & Karen Ball
Rainbow Road Alpacas – Bart & Cheryl Snyder
Judges Choice Sponsors:
Derwydd Alpacas – Dale Davis
La Vida Alpaca – Jean Van Effen/David Bagshaw
Shelhart Acre Farms – Scott Shelhart
Color Champion Banner Sponsors:
Anderson Acres Alpacas,LLC – Rex & Roy Anderson
Macedo's Mini Acre – Maureen & Larry Macedo
Whistling Pines Ranch – Chris & Jess Fredericks
Orchard Hill Alpacas- Rebecca Hammer
First Timer Award Sponsor:
Alpaca Julie- Julie Roy
Volunteer Appreciation Sponsors:
Suri Alpacas of Indiana – Paula Clegg
The Board and the Marketing and Brand Committees are very excited to announce that a new website titled Suri Simply Stunning has been created with the help of Selle Design Group. It will launch in the very near future. Our current website will remain as it is, still providing all the essential information our members need. But we know that site is not very good for reaching the public in promoting Suris. This new site addresses that insufficiency and provides a welcoming and enticing look for those that know little about Suris or Suri products. Keep an eye out for an email announcing it going live.
The new site has 2 features that we hope you will take advantage of. There is a “Find A Farm” feature as well as a “Find a Vendor” feature. It will be populated with our current members’ information. We hope this will bring more people to your ranches and farm stores. Please look at your member profile to be certain the information there is up to date, for that is what will pop up when the public queries the site to find Suris or Suri products near them.
On the horizon there is another initiative of the Marketing Committee. We are in the process of having a professional videographer take footage of Suris in pastures, Suris at shows, Suris with kids, Suris with crias, and Suri products. Short 2-to-3-minute videos made from this footage will be available for you to place on your own websites, just as you could (and still can) place the Suri Network videos created a few years ago that focused on fiber arts. They will also be utilized on the new website to help the public discover all the great things about Suris.
Our Membership Committee has just completed the creation of a postcard providing 10 Reasons to Own Suris. These have been mailed to all current Suri owners in the AOA Registry database. We also hope to spark some interest in Suris with those that have that other type of alpaca! Those owners that have those fuzzy alpacas are the perfect target for marketing Suris because they already know about alpacas.
Don’t forget that as a Suri Network member, you can give free membership to a newcomer to Suris. Do you know a new Suri owner who isn’t a member? Send Cindy Grigg their name and contact information (office@surinetwork.org) and she will get that ball rolling. The Membership committee will also be calling those members who have not renewed. So please renew so they won’t interrupt your day with a phone call!
The next two initiatives on the horizon are PurelySuri Magazine and the Online Auction. Board member Chris Fredericks will be heading up the magazine’s publication this year with Scott Shelhart and Laurel Shouvlin assisting him. If you have any urge to write an article or have a topic you would like to suggest, please contact Chris at whistlingpinesranch@yahoo.com . It isn’t too soon to sign up for those premium ad placements or to start working on your ad copy.
Even though Nikki Griffith is leaving the Board, she has kindly agreed to stay active with the Online Auction Committee. Once again there will be herdsire breedings offered as well as the wide variety of items you are accustomed to bidding on in previous years. If there is a herdsire you would like to offer, or a herdsire you would like to have a chance to bid on, please send your suggestions along with descriptions of items you would like to donate to Nikki sandollar01@gmail.com .
Don’t forget that we are always interested in having more photos of your alpacas, crias, fleeces, fiber arts, etc. to use in promotional materials such as the website, PurelySuri, and eblasts. So please send them on to laurelshouvlin@gmail.com .
That pretty much covers what is happening with your Suri Network. If you have any interest in serving on a committee, please contact Cindy at office@surinetwork.org.
Enjoy your summer!
The Suri Network Board of Trustees