Special VESTNIK Supplement: 2021 Pre-Convention Reports Issue in matters relating to the growth and development of SPJST. (4) A seven-member Governance Committee will be elected in caucus elections at the 2021 Convention. The Governance Committee will make recommendations to the Convention for the salaries of the seven directors. Additionally, Governance Committee members will serve as tellers for the 2024 SPJST Convention and as the Convention Grievance Committee. Any duties heretofore assigned to the various standing committees will be assigned to charter committees of the Executive Committee. (5) The Executive Committee will be solely responsible for the consideration and distribution of any cash gifts and/or monetary assignments by SPJST. Under Texas law, directors and managers have a fiduciary responsibility to the organizations which they lead and direct. The Executive Committee has a legal obligation to manage and protect the property and money of the Society. (6) Voting. The number of delegates that a lodge may send to the Convention shall be based on the following scale: (a) One delegate for lodges with 20 to 200 adult members; and (b) One additional delegate for each additional 200 adult members. A lodge represented by its delegate or delegates shall be entitled to one vote for every delegate. The system is straightforward and easy to understand — one delegate equals one vote. It is analogous to the voting method that takes place by our elected officials at the state and national levels. Upon motion, consideration, and adoption by delegates to the 33rd SPJST Convention, these by-law changes would become effective immediately. Officers and employees would retain their existing positions within the organization and become subject to the revised by-laws effective August 16, 2021. The By-Law Committee met most recently by teleconference on June 29. I had the opportunity to sit in on that
meeting. My thanks and commendations to the By-Law Committee for the diligence and attention to detail which they have displayed throughout their deliberations and in their communications with the delegates within their respective districts. I look forward to a great convention! Our job as officers, directors, and delegates to the 2021 SPJST Convention is not to simply repeat the past but to employ the convention process to shape a positive future. A future where we rediscover, or maybe reinvent, new fraternal products and services that make a positive difference in the lives of our members and the communities that we serve. A future where the emphasis is on volunteerism and reinforces the values outlined in our SPJST vision statement and that is: to provide a wholesome family environment; to encourage cherished Czech traditions; and to provide high quality, competitive life insurance for our members. The success of SPJST over the preceding five years since our last Convention reflects well on everybody — our members, lodge officers, district leaders, Supreme Lodge, Editor/Director of Communication, Home Office staff, and sales agents. Also, I want to recognize the tremendous dedication and work ethic of my assistant, Sandra Dubcak. She’s great at helping to keep me on track! Her ability to effectively multitask a dozen projects at a time is incredible. Finally, I extend my appreciation to my part-timer, Sister Ruth Hanusch — for the conscientious job that she does in helping the Fraternal Department remain responsive to the needs and concerns of our members. As a lifelong member of SPJST, it has been an honor to serve you as President these past 17 years. We’ve had a great run and are on track to achieve new heights in the years to come. With a deep awareness of the responsibility conferred by your trust. I will continue to work diligently for you as we carry our fraternal mission. Fraternally, Brian Vanicek SPJST Supreme Lodge President —SPJST—
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Pre-Convention Report Vice President Delisle Doherty When I took this position in the sec- RGA and Agent Program ond week of November, I knew we were If the RGAs did not have the right exgoing through challenging times. The pectations, then the agents would not Society has lost more than $1 million for either. SPJST has always had minimum four consecutive years, with more than standards, but they were never enforced. $2 million in 2020. We were in the mid- The first thing we did was clean up the dle of the agent program. COVID-19 panThis was not demic with no popular, but the end in sight. truth is, it costs With that said, us money to keep I’ve been a busiagents on the ness consultant books - even if for more than 20 they are not sellyears. I also ing. At the beginknew in every ning of 2020, we bad economy, had more than every industry 300 agents and has someone that only 39 percent was losing and sold two or more someone gaincertificates, even ing. The only though six was question we had the minimum to ask was, “Will standard. we let SPJST be We then the one losing or looked at the the one gaincommission ing?” With losses structure. We Delisle Doherty four years in a were paying fullrow, it was time time agents the to take a new analytic approach to turn same as part-time agents and getting 80 SPJST around. Fortunate for me, the So- percent less production. The efficiency ciety just invested in an independent ef- audit talked about us having some of the ficiency audit, and the results were highest commissions in the industry. delivered in October — just before I ar- This made sense to create two commisrived. There is no doubt this has been a sion structures and to realign all comchallenging seven months so far but missions so we were still as competitive with the right analytics, we have been but not giving the house away. This took able to make many changes in a short pressure off the agents we kept, who period of time. I hope you will find the were not producing as much and put following breakdown, not just interest- pressure on the full-time agents to meet ing, but leave you with confidence in the minimum standards. direction we are now headed. The next thing we did was work to set up a training schedule throughout the My First Goal state to allow the agents to get specific My first goal was to lay out a business topic training and receive continuing plan that was realistic and executable. education credit to stay compliant with There were five areas I felt needed atten- the state. We set up 45 classes in 19 diftion: Regional General Agents (RGAs), ferent topics, 77 continuing education Agent Program, Products, Underwriting, hours, and 47 salesmanship hours. and Branding and Marketing, which in- These were set up throughout Texas cluded the fraternal aspects. Each one of along with 12 virtual training classes these had its place within the efficiency held once a month. This allowed us to audit. This is a three-year plan that would reach every agent in every district. The take patience and focus, but I knew with 12 virtual classes were also recorded our team at the Home Office and Su- and put into a video library on the agent preme Lodge, if we worked together, website to allow agents to go back to reanything could be achieved. view the classes as needed.
