Just prior to the Manchester Conference an announcement was made regarding a Merger of the GUILD with it's various sister ORG's. they include the TFBC, TFEC, TTRAG and ATC. This was discussed further during the member meeting.

At some point in the foreseeable future a proposal will be presented to the General Membership for a vote to determine the outcome. What are your feelings about the concept? What are the questions you would like to have answered? Suggestions? Some guidance now, may provide useful insight for the Developmental Committee.

I for one would like to see a list of benefits that this merger would produce.

Also, what the new costs would be to the memberships of different councils that I am a member of.

These two things I feel are very important to list and describe.

Jim Rogers

First off, I've let my membership lapse and I'm out of the TF business, I've aged out. Regrets aside, since you Jack are a TFBC BOD member, you should first make a case. How is the health of the TFBC? I just was on the resource page of the TFBC website and queried Timber Framers for the entire US and received 24 responses. Is that accurate or close to the truth? If so, the TFBC must be getting close to being shuttered. The TFBC was created by member companies of the Guild and freed themselves from the constraints of Guild membership to pursue commercial interests that the Guild was not inclined towards. The Guild went into the legal realm and reformed itself into an educational non profit. So is it true? Has the fickled membership found other means to sate its desires?

Happy day, Guild memberships are open to all individuals, pay dues and join, no need for power plays, leverage and politics. The current Guild BOD is very well represented with business principal owners.

Again Jack, make the case.

The so called merger seems like an undemocratic trojan horse, where a failing organization gains way more than it can possibly give. Besides of the TFBC, TFEC, TTRAG and ATC, only the TFBC is not already merged with the Guild.

Besides all that, TFBC members are companies, (I know, companies are now legally entitled to individual rights) but I believe the Guild charter only allows actual people to join.

So members don't be Blasé, examine and protect.

As I have been and am involved in the mechanics of this, I feel I should give my perspective.

To me, this move makes sense on a lot of different levels.

On a philosophical/spiritual level I think the timber frame community is stronger united than it is separated by blurry lines into two organizations with overlapping aims. Especially since we are not many.

I am familiar with many of the reasons behind the original separation and was happy to be informed that there are no longer any barriers to both groups operating as a single 501(c)3 group due to changes in the interpretation of the tax codes. A lot of those original reasons are no longer in effect.

Operationally/financially, we always have shared overhead among all of the Guild councils and other Guild programs (like our publications and conference production). To add such a strong shoulder to the wheel (the TFBC) is a good move for the Guild in a time where frankly it has been challenging to develop sufficient predictable income to operate at the levels we are all used to. (Our most predictable revenue streams are dues and ad revenue and they barely cover more than the cost to produce our journal and newsletter). I think that it could make good sense fiscally for the Business Council as well. It seems to me like an opportunity for a bigger slice of their budget to go towards their programs as opposed to basic overhead costs as they will be sharing many of those costs with other councils and the rest of the entire TFG.

Back to the philosophical (and here's where I might get carried away). Without healthy timber frame businesses we are a craft that will disappear (again) within a generation. That's a truth that we ignore at our peril. The TFBC's stated aim is to "expand the demand for timber framing". What timber framer doesn't want that?! A rising tide really does lift all boats - you don't have to be a member of the BC to benefit from their efforts if they are successful. Outside of museums and hobbyist/DIY (both important but not enough to insure the future of our craft), pretty much everyone pushing a chisel is doing so because of a business transaction. Without timber framing businesses and a customer base, we are the equivalent of the rotary phone. Still cool, but they aren't making very many more of them now are they?

Every year at the Guild conference slide show I am reminded that as a group we really know how to build some phenomenal stuff. Really amazing stuff. What if we could create that many more well designed, carefully crafted beautiful buildings out there because as a group we were able to get our share of the market from 1% of new homes to 1.5% or even 2%? That's twice the work that's out there now. How cool would that be?! How many more timber framers would have a job, how much more would they would be paid? I'd like to find out...

Enough from me, I would like to hear more from the rest of ya'll...