The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission has all the staff it needs, according to executive director Mike Maloney.
Maloney relayed that to commission members during a workshop held Nov. 13 to discuss the possibility of bringing back the event coordinator position, a role that hasn’t been filled the past few years.
“So, if we need an event coordinator, I really don’t know exactly what they would do that we aren’t doing right now,” Maloney said, later adding, “I respectfully submit to you as a commission, we do not need another person to do events because we already do it all in house.”
Maloney said the five-person CAPC staff, along with Madden Media advertising agency, already handles all of the roles included in a 2016 job description for an event coordinator.
Going down each job duty from the role in 2016, Maloney described how each duty is being covered by a current staff member, frequently saying, “we already do that.”
Danyelle Harris, the CAPC’s administrative manager, technically does a lot of what an event coordinator would do and is able to focus more on those things with the addition of Ty Reed as a full-time finance director, commissioners were told.
“We’ve taken quite a bit of responsibility off Danyelle’s plate upon the turn of events from June,” Maloney said of the month when former finance director Scott Bardin unexpectedly resigned, by text message, with no notice. “Going forward, she no longer really has to take care of the financial things that she was doing. Those are all Ty’s right now. Her job is really concierge. She’s the one that’s basically helping manage the events right now, and helping Jana [Olhausen-Kaylor] in group sales … it’s a cooperative effort.
“It’s one of the best dynamics I think I’ve seen.”
Commissioner Bradley Tate-Greene asked Maloney that if an event coordinator is not needed, is there a new position the staff could use.
“Well, I guess you could make one up,” Maloney said. “But right now, I really don’t know what that is. The reason I say that is that so much of the responsibilities, for instance, I had a few years ago, we have a very good ad agency that does our marketing, our publicity, our public relations, our media buying, the things that basically made the phone ring off the hook a long time ago. We don’t have to do that today.
“We don’t need to have that type of a person on our staff. We really don’t have a specific position right now that we find a void for at all.”
Maloney said he would like to give it at least six months, then re-evaluate where the staff stands.
“…We’re coalescing around each other and we’re discovering how as a team or a unit, we can work effectively together,” he said. “If we were to add someone, I would say in six months, look at the numbers. If the numbers don’t substantiate the work that we’re doing, sure, but right now … I don’t feel it’s necessary.”
Commissioners said they just want to make sure no single staff member is overworked.
“We want to make sure you guys have what you need and not be overwhelmed or stressed,” Tate-Greene said.
Commissioner Heather Wilson said Reed’s arrival makes things seem less overbearing for office staff.
“I think that until Ty came on, the CAPC staff was doing multiple roles,” she said. “Obviously, with Ty’s arrival and now going full-time, taking those responsibilities from Danyelle in order to allow her to do that full-time concierge and collaborate with Jana and also [communications manger] Katelyn [Jerrell], I could see that’s been very helpful.
“But the same, I want to make sure that the team is supported. And, I also think that it’s fair to say let’s wait and see if the numbers and work substantiate bringing on another person after the new year.”
Commission chair Steve Holifield told Maloney he didn’t want staff to become burned out.
“I do worry, too,” he said. “When I come to the office, you and Danyelle are there. When I come to an event, you and Danyelle are there, and I wonder how many hours do you work, you know? On the other hand, I don’t want to push to hire staff. … Just want to make sure you all are not going to burn out and crash and make it where you can’t work anymore because you hit the wall, so to speak.
“I know you’ve been a manager for a long time. I’m sure you know how to take care of people, but we just want to make sure you understand that we’re just concerned…” Maloney responded that the fact the staff has such a small office is definitely a positive.
“One of the great things about our staff is that we … have no cubicles, so there’s no walls and people don’t go hide in an office,” he said. “I think one of the reasons that works so well for us right now is because we’re in constant communication with each other. That’s kind of a great thing in a small office, and no one throws things at each other. It’s really pretty nice.”
Maloney said he’s currently researching possibly making all of his staff salaried so that employees can take time off as needed.
“If the city comes back with a proposal to go ahead and eliminate comp time, which I understand is a very strong possibility, then what we would do is probably go ahead and shelve that,” he said. “Right now, they accumulate overtime hours. The problem with that is that’s an incalculable expense right now. What we’re trying to do is expand our working right now to try to raise that level up to a point where these positions become more salaried under themselves. So, if you have to take time off, you just do it.
“In the healthcare industry they have a thing called mental health days. We don’t have those. Maybe we need to, but it becomes a situation here where, you need to take a day
The 2024 Carroll County Collection Center for Operation Christmas Child’s gathering of gift-filled shoeboxes for children in need around the world is First Christian Church, 632 Passion Play Road in Eureka Springs.
Participating churches and collection places should deliver the boxes there at the following times through Monday, Nov. 25.
• Thursday and Friday, Nov. 21 and 22, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 23: between 10 a.m. and noon.
• Sunday, Nov. 24: between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 25: between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.
To volunteer to help during the local collection week, call Mark Mills at 316-644-1146. For more information or to fill a shoebox online, go to samaritanspurse. org. off to do something, then just do it. We’re not going to be arbitrary about holding your hand to the time clock.”
FINANCES ON GOOD PATH
Maloney also told commissioners that he did an analysis and that the CAPC is “$300,000 away from doing the same thing we did in 2023.”
“That means, if in October we only bring in $100,000, and we know that’s way low, and in November we only bring in $100,000, and in December $100,000, we will have basically what we did in 2023,” he said. “We’re on track based upon what we see for October numbers right now to probably do well better than that.
“Just based again upon the number of events that we have, the number of people we know that are coming into town, the number of events that seem to be accumulating for the last two months of the year, should be great. Assuming the weather treats us well, we’ll probably break that budget figure that we created in 2023 going into 2024.”
“… If we go into 2025, based upon what our Madden team is wanting us to take a look at and we’ll examine, then that will be huge.”
