Restaurant Association of Maryland Blog

Strategic Planning Recap

Michael Gallery summarized our day into a report that outlines next steps.

For the full report.: Download RAM report

For the Performance Spec Sheet:  Download Performance Specification Sheet

The Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM), founded in 1936, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry in Maryland. RAM seeks to promote, protect, and improve a rapidly growing industry composed of 9,600 restaurant and foodservice outlets employing over 170,000 people. Working with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF), RAM provides member restaurants with a variety of benefits such as credit card processing, electronic marketing solutions, workers compensation insurance, discounts on educational products, and job boards. 

RAM and their Educational Foundation (RAMEF) face many challenges, including growing its membership and revenue base, maintaining its relevance in a rapidly changing business and legislative environment, serving a diverse industry and membership base, and using resources effectively. Combined RAM & RAMEF have 60 Board Members, a staff of 17, and budget of nearly $3 million.

The organization has sought the services of a professional association consultant to assist it in developing a strategic plan outlining a vision for the future as well as designing strategies that will enable RAM & RAMEF to realize that vision. Organizational Performance Improvement Systems (OPIS) was engaged to assist the Boards in implementing the strategic planning process. A report of the planning committee’s efforts to identify organizational outcomes follows.

Strategic Planning Follow-up and Next Steps

After a great day with both boards looking towards the industry's future we now turn to defining the next steps based on that days outcome.  We need to insure that we define the plan and the process to execute the plan.  From this point staff and some volunteers will work on defining the plan so that they can present at the Fall 2009 Board Meeting.

Download Strategic Planning and Governance ACR

Download RAM Survey

The following items will need to be addressed for each objective that is undertaken.

1.    What will be done to complete the objective?
2.    Provide a brief explanation of why you believe the suggested activities will help the organization successfully accomplish the objective.
3.    Please list the specific major steps you will engage in to accomplish the proposed course of action. For each step, tell us who will be responsible for completion as well as your estimate of the amount of time, in weeks, you project it will take to perform each step.
4.    Indicate any special resources the project would require. When in doubt, include rather than exclude specifying resources.
5.    Provide a ballpark estimate of the cost (excluding staff time and overhead) you estimate it would require completing the proposed project. If there are multiple projects, please provide an estimate for each project. Providing a range (e.g., $30,000 to $35,000) is acceptable.

Some of the comments we've received:

Chris M. Attridge, Vice President, US Direct Sales, Global Payments
“Just wanted to let you know I thought the strategy session yesterday was very well done – I really liked the consultant.  Sorry I had to leave early – wanted to see what next steps are and how I can help.  Thanks!”

Jeffrey R. Owens, Chief Financial Officer, Clyde's Restaurant Group
“Thanks for yesterday’s session.  Seems like a good step in the right direction.  Please send me that dude’s contact info. I want to give him a call.”

Michael Birchenall, Editor, Foodservice Monthly
“I hated to leave just when it was starting to be fun (but I can't disappoint my advertisers, they are my financial board) ... I can't wait to see where things ended ... we had a great table and open dialogue -- that's always motivates me. I'll be checking the blog for the PowerPoint and the results.”

Henry Pertman, Micros
“...this was one of the best learning experiences of my career. Not only am I overjoyed at having the opportunity to be part of such an important process, but what I learned yesterday is going to help me and my cohorts literally forever. I would have paid to be part of this process and I am not kidding. It was stimulating (and still is), thought provoking and just plain fun. I sincerely hope that whatever my contribution may be or has been, it will be enhanced and better focused as a result of this experience....”

RAM & RAMEF Meet to Plan for Industry's Future

Tomorrow the boards of both The Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) and the Restaurant Association of Maryland Educational Foundation meet for a day long discussion about what issues the industry needs to addresses today to best prepare for the future. 

The Strategic Planning Steering committee under the leadership of Rob Beall, CEO Ledo Pizza hired a top facilitator, Michael Gallery, to help with the process.  The boards will be using member surveys, reulsta from focus groups of members and non-members and interviews with some of Maryland influetntial restaurant leaders.

Dr. Gallery has a doctorate in instructional design, research, and performance measurement. During his 23-year career with the American College of Emergency Physicians, he held a variety of positions, including 14 years as the college's chief operating officer.

Dr. Gallery has also held a variety of leadership positions in the association management profession. He is an ASAE fellow and a past chair of the certifying body for the profession. He has authored more than 40 books, magazine and journal articles and presented at over 50 national and international meetings in his career. He was the recipient of TSAE's Professional Excellence Award in 2001.

Dr. Gallery recently served as the chair of the Center for Association Leadership's Measures of Success Project. This landmark research effort in association management applied the work of Jim Collin's Good to Great to association management. By comparing good associations to visionary ones, the measures task force identified those factors uniquely shared by visionary associations. Jim Collins served as an advisor to the project and wrote the forward to the task force's book on the results: 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't.

Strategic Planning Steering Committee Starts work on Industry Survey

We’d like some feed back/approval on these questions. 

Questions submitted by Michael Gallery for his in person interviews:

1.    What, in your opinion, is the major mission and purpose of Restaurant Association of Maryland?

2.    What external environmental factors help or hinder Restaurant Association of Maryland’s ability to meet its mission?

3.    What are the strengths of the Restaurant Association of Maryland?

4.    In what areas does Restaurant Association of Maryland need to improve?

5.    What is the most serious problem facing the restaurant industry?

6.    What two major objectives would you like to see Restaurant Association of Maryland achieve in the next 12-24 months?

7.    Is there anything I haven’t asked you about the organization that you would like to tell me?
Note that the Restaurant Association of Maryland Educational Foundation will be used when the people being interviewed are addressing that part of the association.  As the overall strategic plan is for the entity, (both RAM and RAMEF) the end game will be for both organizations.

Also the process is first to gather data from the representatives of the sector so that relevant survey questions can be asked of our industry.

OPIS Lays Out Next Steps For Strategic Plan

The staff at the Restaurant Association of Maryland had a call today to lay out the next steps with Michael Gallery and OPIS for the strategic plan for the association and the foundation.

1.  We need to pull together a list of 10 influential members plus me.  Questions to be approved by Committee with the draft submitted by OPIS.  They will need their names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

• 6 non-board members
• Chairman
• Vice-Chairman
• 4 Directors

2.  OPIS would like to schedule three focus groups of about 8 – 10 people to be interviewed by them during the week of April 6th. Questions to be approved by the committee, draft submitted by OPIS

• Members
• Non-members
• Allied or Suppliers

3.  By April 21st the committee will have:

• The results of the interviews
• The results of the focus
• A draft of the survey

4.  In May the survey will be sent out to the members using the association’s survey tool

5.  We will look to schedule a Board “Retreat” in July. Open dates – week of the 5th and the 26th except 07/29th – 07/30th. This retreat will include homework for the board including:

• Executive Summary of 2008 Board Assessment (Has already been provided and is posted on our blog under resources)
• Executive Summary of 2008 National Restaurant Association Strategic Plan (ditto)
• Survey Results from Maryland Restaurant Operators
• TBD

6.  In August OPIS will meet with RAM/EF Staff for one day to develop the strategies.  This meeting will have homework and will take about a month to complete.  Once the strategies are finalized and budgets are built around them they will be presented to both Boards.  Since RAM/EF will already be in budget cycle for that fiscal year staff will need to plan accordingly.  It is possible the strategy(s) will need ramp up time…depends on what we look to undertake on behalf of the industry.

Agreement with OPIS

This will serve as the letter of agreement between Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) and OPIS, LLC (OPIS) for working with your board and staff to develop a systematic strategic plan.

Deliverables

Due Date

• Conduct a member survey to identify needs March 31
• Assist in identifying critical strategic issues facing RAM March 31
• Work with RAM to clarify its mission April 17
• Facilitation of a strategic planning session of the board to develop outcome statements April 17
• Assistance with strategy development May/June
• Presentation of a final plan document June 30

Process
OPIS will carry out the procedures described in its proposal of November 5, 2008 (proposal link). Both parties must agree to any material changes to those procedures in writing.

Roles and Responsibilities
OPIS will be responsible for carrying out the activities described in the attached proposals. RAM will provide all materials and data as requested by OPIS to conduct its (OPIS’) contractual responsibilities. RAM will also ensure that adequate workspace is provided to OPIS consultants when they are working on site. RAM will have the responsibility to make the decisions as outlined in the proposal.

Costs
OPIS will perform its responsibilities and provide the deliverables as described above for a fixed fee of $30,000. RAM will also reimburse OPIS for any reasonable travel costs incurred by OPIS in carrying out its duties as outlined in the attached proposal. OPIS will not initiate travel without the prior consent of RAM. RAM will not unreasonably withhold such consent. Any changes by RAM to the scope of work or deliverables described in this agreement will result in a renegotiated fee. RAM will pay OPIS for expenses within 30 days of receiving invoices and appropriate receipts from OPIS. RAM will pay OPIS a monthly fee of $3,000 each month for the ten months of March through December of 2009. Payments will be due to OPIS on the 10th of each month. Checks should be made payable to OPIS, LLC (tax I.D. EIN 20-2474513). Both parties agree that OPIS is undertaking this project as an independent contractor and not as an employee of RAM.

Property Rights
Any information provided by RAM to OPIS, regardless of medium (oral, written or electronic) shall remain the property of RAM and will be held as strictly confidential. OPIS will not release any such information without the written permission of RAM. Any forms, methods, ideas, designs, or protocols, developed by OPIS shall remain the property of OPIS. Any written materials and reports prepared by OPIS for RAM shall remain the property of RAM with the exception of any copywrited material contained therein.

Termination
Either party may terminate this agreement if the other party becomes insolvent, files a Petition for Bankruptcy, ceases doing business, or fails to cure a breach of contract within 30 days of written notice specifying such breach.

General

• Should any provision of this Agreement be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall remain in force.
• The failure of either party to enforce any term or condition of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of the either party’s right to enforce each and every term and condition of this Agreement.
• This Agreement shall not be assignable by either party without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement shall be interpreted and governed by the laws of the State of Texas.

Strategic Planning Selects Michael Gallery as Facilitator

The Board of Directors approved the Steering Committee's recommendation to move ahead with OPIS and Michael Galley as the facilitator for the association's and foundation's Strategic Planning.

Michael Gallery recently served as the chair of the Center for Association Leadership's Measures of Success Project. This landmark research effort in association management applied the work of Jim Collin's Good to Great to association management. By comparing good associations to visionary associations the measures task force identified 7 factors uniquely shared by visionary associations. The results of the study are published  in ASAE and The Centers best seller: 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Dont. Jim Collins wrote the forward to the book.

The Steering Committee under the leadership of Rob Beall, President of Ledo's Pizza is charged to manage this entire process. "It is critical that this entire organization take the time to have a plan in place so that when we come out of this present economy the association will be positioned to take off running," said Jim Breuer, 2008/2009 Chairman of the Board and owner of Maggie's in Westminster, he continued,  "RAM (Restaurant Association of Maryland) was formed back in the 1930's in times like these."

The committee and the board are very committed to engaging the entire Maryland Restaurant industry...members, those that are not yet members and our supplier partners.

If you'd like to be part of the process, please contact Tom Foulkes, EVP Restaurant Association of Maryland.

America's Restaurants: Serving Our Nation

The Resource Center

Following up on the committee's requests we have linked items that will have some value as the process continues.  This section will be where all documents will be stored.

The PowerPoint from October 1st
The RFP Draft
Vision 1997
Vision 2001
National Restaurant Association's Executive Summary
RAM 2006 Membership Survey
RAM 2007 Membership Survey
2008 Snapshot of Maryland
2008 Restaurant Industry Forecast - A copy righted resource.  At this point RAM has purchased copies for the steering committee.  If you'd like to purchase, it is available on the NRA Website and can be found be following the link.
2008 RAM Board Assessment

What is a Strategic Plan?

A strategic plan is as a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it. A “strategy” is defined as a plan of action, especially for obtaining a goal. Strategic planning is “strategic” because it is focused on accomplishing the big-picture goals and needs of an organization, rather than just checking items off a task list. It requires broad-scale information gathering, an exploration of alternatives to current practices, and an emphasis on the future implications of present decisions.