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At the recent meeting of the Southern Gospel Promoters Association, it was apparent that the Organization is gaining respect from all aspects of the gospel music industry.

At the first ever SGPA banquet held Wednesday, May 19th, at Music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge, the respect was very visible as many influential people attended. Clarke Beasley, Vice President of National Quartet Convention was on hand as the keynote speaker and, what a job he did motivating almost a full house of Promoters. Steve French of the Kingdom Heirs, and part owner of NQC, was on hand as was Dennis Sparks of the Axis Agency representing The Hoppers, along with Bonnie White of River Gate Talent Agency and, Eddie Crook from the Eddie Crook Company.

During the two-day event, Louise Mandrell treated the Promoters to a complimentary luncheon and a mini-concert by The Integrity Quartet at the Louise Mandrell Theatre.

Then on Thursday, May 20th, it was the annual business meeting. SGPA President, Jim Hefner, reported that the membership had increased from 32 members last year to 103 members at this time. He attributed the growth to the blessings of God and the tremendous support from the Singing News and U. S. Gospel News in making people aware of our existence. He also praised the various websites for their support. But, probably the largest factor has been the formation of the SGPA website which was put into place through the untiring efforts of Harold Marshall. Please visit the website daily at [url=http://www.sgpromos.org]http://www.sgpromos.org[/url]

Many things were discussed at the meeting and many decisions were made. A major step was to name a Membership Chairman. With the growth the Association is experiencing, it required someone to have the full responsibility of new members and Hefner stated that they could not have made a better choice. David Hartfield and his wife, Gloria, have a vast knowledge of gospel music and a wealth of experience. David and Gloria are avid gospel music fans and have worked for Singing News in the subscription area. Visit [url=http://www.sgpromos.org]http://www.sgpromos.org[/url] to learn more about David.

Another decision was to once again host the Promoters fellowship meeting this year at NQC. It was a tremendous success last year as people from all facets of our industry joined together just to visit, no business. We will advise you of the time and place for this event.

It was also agreed that we would use our website to help fund our Association. We will now offer four plaques per month to four Artists who would like to be introduced to the SGPA. The plaque will contain a picture of the Artist, the contact person, their website and e-mail information. The plaque would remain on the SGPA website for 30 days. The cost to the Artist would be $250.00, which is great publicity for the Artist, and also good income for the SGPA.

The membership also voted to raise dues from $50.00 to $100.00 annually. This is the first ever increase, but with growth comes expense. However, the benefits that we now receive far outweigh the increase. In addition to "all access" badges we will receive from NQC this year, Clarke Beasley announced in our Thursday meeting that NQC would also hold a reception for SGPA members at NQC.

So, as you can see, we are gaining members and respect. Yes, giant steps have been made, but there are still many issues that must be dealt with. The SGPA would also like to thank the Agencies and Artists that are working very closely with us in advancing our music.

The following Officers were elected for the coming year: President, Jim Hefner, 1st Vice President, Paul Shannon, 2nd Vice President, Gene Young, Secretary, Cindy Lackey, Treasurer, Rickey Lackey, and Public Relations Director, Robbie Maxwell. Jim stated that he looked forward to working with the officers and members this coming year. He said that he is honored that he was chosen again to lead this group for another year. He called the SGPA family one of the greatest groups of people you will find anywhere. He also praised the efforts of Harold Marshall and Mike Wheeler for their great contributions during the time they served as SGPA Officers.

Our website is updated daily, so check out new details at [url=http://www.sgpromos.org]http://www.sgpromos.org[/url]

And, remember, UNITED WE STAND!

Jim Hefner
SGPA President

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