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Home My WebLink About2026-01-26 - Minutes -Fayetteville A&P Commission – Meeting Minutes January 26, 2026, 2pm Virtual Only due to Weather Present: Chair Moya, Commissioners Hamilton, Wiederkehr, Stafford, Sanderson, Hunt, Kinney Staff: Ryan Hauck, CEO I. Call to order at 2:00p.m., Chair Elvis Moya II. Approval of Minutes December 15, 2025 Minutes Motion: Sanderson | Second: Wiederkehr | Approved unanimously via roll call III. Vote. Appointment of a commission chairperson for 2026. Motion to appoint Commissioner Elvis Moya for another term as Chair was made by Commissioner Wiederkehr | Second: Commissioner Hunt (and several other Commissioners) Approved unanimously via roll call III. Reports A. New commission member: Chair Moya thanked outgoing City Council Member Sarah Bunch (unable to attend) who had served on the A&P Commission for 6 years in an appointed role. City Council Member Bob Stafford will now serve in that appointed position and was welcomed today at his first meeting. He shared a few words of introduction and expressed interest in the organization’s mission. B. Meet the Team: Three team members introduced themselves and explained their roles. • Brannon Pack, VP of Marketing and Communications • Jason Sample, Facilities Coordinator • Jose Romero, Sports Sales Manager C. TheatreSquared Update, Shannon Jones, Executive Director • Theater Squared, founded in 2005, is Arkansas’s largest professional nonprofit theater, producing 5–8 shows and nearly 300 performances annually, with work developed locally reaching stages nationwide. • The organization has received national recognition from the American Theatre Wing and multiple architecture awards for its 2019 building. • The partnership with the A&P Commission supports facility needs and shared tourism goals. • Nearly two-thirds of Theater Squared’s audience comes from outside Fayetteville. • Executive Director Shannon Jones invited commissioners to attend an upcoming production. D. Downtown Master Plan Update, Britan Britin Bostick, AICP, Long Range Planning, City of Fayetteville • Britton Bostick shared an update on the Downtown Master Plan being created. • Early public engagement this fall included 40+ events and over 1,100 comments collected in person and online. • Key themes include support for local businesses, parks and trails, walkability, tree canopy, transit, third spaces, and strong downtown partnerships. • The Downtown Fayetteville Coalition has been engaged to support public outreach and planning work. • The draft plan is scheduled for September 2026, with adoption anticipated by the end of the year and continued opportunities for public input. • Bostick answered questions concerning the age of the current plan E. CEO Report, Ryan Hauck. An executive overview of the previous month Hauck shared title and personnel changes: • Title Changes: o Monica Jannati, formerly Director of Events (Town Center), now Director of Operations o Miletus Barille-Callahan, formerly Facilities Supervisor, now Director of Facilities o Jose Romero, formerly Sales Coordinator II, now Sports Sales Manager o Julie Pennington, formerly Vice President of Destination Services, now Vice President of Destination Services & Group Tours • Staffing Updates: o Brannon Pack, formerly Director of Cycling Initiatives (2019–2023), rehired as Vice President of Marketing & Communications o Jennifer Walker, Vice President of Finance (hired October 2020), departing; Gretchen Hunt, formerly part-time Finance Team member, appointed Director of Finance o Jerel Stewart, Event Coordinator (Town Center), departed; position will be posted • Marketing & Media: National exposure on Fox & Friends (2.5M viewers) for Lights of the Ozarks, plus regional TV, livestreams, and cyclocross coverage. • Agency Updates: Transitioned advertising agencies; onboarded VERB Interactive as agency of record, AM Group, a local firm for Public Relations. Contracted with Anna Claire Day for organic META posting and more. • Planning & Staffing: FY25 review and FY26 marketing/sales plan in development; hired Brandon Pack as VP of Marketing Communications from a pool of 80+ applicants. • Visitor Services & Events: 941 Visitor Center guests; strong December event lineup; ongoing destination outreach and sales activity with international and national buyers. • Sales Wins: Secured NICA Central States Championship ($2.2M impact) and Fayetteville Half Marathon ($204K impact). • Fayetteville Town Center: Strong year-end performance, $831K YTD revenue, rapid 2026 bookings, and continued focus on training, safety, and guest experience. F. Financial Report, Jennifer Walker, VP of Finance • December financials in the packet are draft and unaudited and will be finalized after audit adjustments. • Year-end revenue finished 5% over target, driven by stronger HMR collections and a strong Q4 at the Town Center; expenses came in 7% under budget. • HMR collections totaled approximately $5.3M (1.8% over budget), and the Town Center finished 22% over budget. • Net income was $745K, though capital expenditures will reduce the amount added to fund balance; current fund balance is approximately $8M, plus $1M in operating reserves. • Cash and investments ended the year at $4.8M, with $267K in Town Center unearned revenue already booked for future events, reflecting a strong start to the new year. • Walker ended her report by thanking the commission for their service and expressing appreciation for 5 years and shared that she would be joining the city of Fayetteville as their new Deputy Chief Financial Officer. • Commissioners asked questions about the fund balance which Walker reminded everyone included cash, investments and properties. Furthermore, she reminded everyone that included in that balance is an operating reserve of approximately 3 months. • Questions regarding type of investments we can make were answered with reminders that we operate under GASB, and that we are a component unit of the city and they handle our investments and if the commission wanted to make changes or increase the amount invested, they could connect with the city on that matter. • Walker also gave an estimate of the amount of interest the commission has earned from investments, stating a range of $50,000 to $60,000 as an approximate yearly return. • Walker answered another question asked related to best practices and reducing fiscal risk by ensuring the commission review the financial policies on an annual basis and continuing to ask questions. • It was also mentioned that our organization worked with a financial consultant prior to hiring Walker in 2020 who helped the CEO and the commission review practices and made suggestions. In this time of transition and even on a regular basis, this could be a service to consider. • Chair Moya concluded by sharing words of appreciation which the commissioners echoed. IV. New Business A. Additional Tourism & Hospitality commissioner opening • Commissioner Sanderson announced that after 9 years, she would be stepping down to handle increased responsibilities with Mockingbird Kitchen. Fellow commissioners thanked her for her accomplishments. • The vacancy will be posted by City Clerk’s office on January 30th with applications due February 20th and this position must be an owner or manager of a hotel, motel or restaurant. B. Discussion and Vote. MOU with NWA Equality. CEO Ryan Hauck • CEO Hauck discussed this proposed 5-year MOU with NWA Equality, focused on Pride Week as a topic that’s been discussed at the retreat last fall and shared how this partnership aligned with our Destination Master Plan and was a continuation of a long time partnership. • With no questions, Chair Moya asked for a motion. Commissioner Stafford recused himself from conversation and vote as NWA Equality is a long standing and current client of his. • Chair Moya made a motion to give authorization to our CEO to sign the presented 5- year agreement on behalf of the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission at an annual cost of $30,000, which has been budgeted and is consistent with the terms presented. Commissioner Sanderson seconded it and it passed unanimously with Commissioner Stafford recusing himself and Commissioner Kinney having departed the meeting due to an obligation. C. Discussion and Vote. Commissioner applicants, Commissioner Mike Wiederkehr • Commissioner Wiederkehr shared an overview of all three applicants for the Tourism seat opening currently occupied by Chair Moya with a term starting April 1, 2026. • He shared many commendable items about all three applicants and stated that the formal recommendation of the selection committee would be to appoint Elvis Moya for a second four year term and asked if there were any questions. • With no questions, Commission Stafford made the motion that the A&P Commission’s recommendation to the City Council’s nominating committee would be the re- appointment of Elvis Moya. Commissioner Hamilton seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Chair Moya thanked the commissioners. V. Good of the Order/ Adjournment, Chair Moya and CEO Hauck • With no other items, Chair Moya asked for a motion to adjourn which Commissioner Sanderson made, seconded by Commissioner Stafford. It was approved unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 3:29 p.m. Minutes by Amy Stockton, Experience Fayetteville