12-10-03 Florman to BoardAt CONRAD MANSION MUSEUM
December 10, 2003
Dear Board Members,
I am writing you all individually because of what I feel is a very
important and urgent issue. I realize we briefly discussed the "seasonal"
employee issue at our last Board meeting but with all due respect to you, I
don't know if you realize the significance of this issue and it's affect on the
success and future of the Conrad Mansion and also to me as the Director.
I realize that we have budget concerns and that the financial picture for
the Mansion has been bad for the last few years, but Chris and I have tried to
implement new ideas, activities, fundraisers, grants and donations all to
bring the Conrad Mansion back to being the # 1 cultural venue in the valley
and therefore increasing revenues. Although many of these new ideas and
activities are having successful beginnings, we need to continue working on
all these projects through the off season. Just as an example, we are one
week into the Christmas tours and so far the response has been great. If my
projections are correct we will gross $5,000.00 to $7,000.00 from the
Christmas tours alone and accumulate very few expenses. By comparison
the gross payroll expense to keep Chris employed for the extra four months
(Jan. through April), would be $4,000.00 to $5,000.00. Another example is
developing a membership list for the Mansion. This could have a huge
positive financial impact almost immediately. It could be developed and
implemented during this off season while Chris and I do not have the
distractions of daily operations and tours. There are so many things that
need to be accomplished during the off season. It is significantly more than
I feel I can handle alone and still keep up with normal operations. A perfect
example is the inventory situation. As many of you know Lynn did not pay
much attention to this for a number of years and it will take a few years of
off season work to correct. We need to properly record and photograph our
collection to make sure we are not under insured. This must be done during
the off season because it requires dismantling on a room by room basis
P.O. Box 1041, KALISPELL, MT 59903 ■ PHONE: 406-755-2166
The Conrad Mansion was built in 1895 as the home of C.E. Conrad, Montana pioneer, Missouri River trader, freighter, and founder of the city of Kalispell.
Restored to its original elegance, it is placed on the National Historic Register and open to visitors from May to October.
which can't be accomplished during the tour season. Another project that
cannot be accomplished during the regular season is the change over of
financials to our new computer system. We only have one common office
and it is very difficult to keep this information private with other employees
in the office and the hectic nature of our tour season. This is also a very big
project considering none of the information is in our computer system and
has always been done by Everit's office or by hand. These are just a few of
the "off" season tasks that need to be accomplished. Off season time is
beneficial management, public relations and marketing time and very helpful
for insuring the success of the upcoming season.
Right now we are in jeopardy of loosing Chris as Assistant Manager; he
has applied for and is considering other positions as of Jan. 1, 2004. I really
feel it is in the Mansions best interest to find a way to continue his
employment. The task of hiring and training a new Assistant Manager
would be both time consuming and expensive not to mention the continuity
for employees, vendors, and public relations. In addition, it is unlikely that
we will find someone as well qualified as Chris for a Seasonal position at
this wage per hour and that has management and tourism experience. Also
on a personal note, Chris has done a great job learning the daily operations
of the Mansion; this allows me to feel comfortable leaving him in charge
when I have to attend meetings etc away from the Museum. I trust his
judgment and integrity and believe that he always has the Mansions best
interests in mind. Thinking of having to train someone new for this position
not only becomes overwhelming but makes me feel that we have lost so
much in time, effort and value.
In closing, I realize it is the Holiday season and a Board meeting is not
scheduled until mid January, but with the best interest of the Mansion in
mind is it possible for you to address this issue before we lose Chris as of
January 1, 2004? Please feel free to call me with questions. Thank you for
time and attention regarding this matter.
leri
espect ,
R. Florman