Welcome!

Appraisal

Congratulations! You are all proud owners of a $2,200,000 facility. In accordance with our refinancing, our facility was appraised in January of 2007. You can view it on the web-site under “Current News” 2007 Arena Appraisal.

Facility Improvements

Over the past 2 years:

• Parking lot lighting

• Dehumidification system ($2,000-$3,000 per month natural gas savings!)

• Updated electrical system – capacitors ($400-$600 per month savings!)

• Auto-lights – locker rooms and bathrooms

• 2 New water heaters

• New Zamboni battery (over $8,000)

• New arena lights (Better lighting -$300 per month savings!)

• Insulate Zamboni room

• New game room

• New skate sharpening room

• New refrigerator for concessions

• Painting and other facility upkeep

• 2 New compressors

• Coaches Room These improvements represent over $160,000 in capital investment.

Financing

The Board elected to take several notes and refinance into one mortgage. The total loan is $860,000 at 8.5% interest for 25 years, renewable after 5 years. The monthly payment is $6,954.40. This loan consolidated all outstanding long term debt along with providing funds to facilitate many of the aforementioned improvements. The Board’s strategy was to make improvements that either saved money or generated income. Other than parking lot lighting (safety), I believe every improvement meets one of these two criteria.

Your Board is proud to announce for the first time in several years our financial future has a positive outlook. Our Accounts Payable are 100% current and we are meeting all of our financial obligations in a timely basis.

We want to thank our financial partners, First Community Bank of New Richmond – Somerset Branch, Loan Officer, Dave Neale and The RiverBank, President, Doug Wynveen. These two fine financial institutions share our loan 50-50. They were very patient with us over the last 2 ½ years allowing us time to get our financial house in order.

Revenue Strategy

As pointed out at the Parent’s Meeting during tryouts, the revenue generated by Association registration fees is an important, yet partial component of the overall revenue picture. We need to operate our facility year around as the mortgage payments do not stop when the rink is closed. (We tried that!) With all of our fundraisers and other revenue streams we have learned our best “asset” to sell is hockey! Therefore, under the leadership of Dan Gilkerson, hockey opportunities in the form of Blaze Teams; Stickhandling, Shooting, Skating and Checking clinics along with the Next Level Summer Camp have provided necessary revenue to “get us through” the tough cash flow periods. We encourage you to participate in and promote these opportunities to your friends in other MN & WI Hockey Associations!

We also want to continue growing our Association. We had 115 registrations this year and would like to grow to 140-150 over the next 2-3 years. Please help us as I’m sure you may know parents of young children who would like to become involved in our Association. Please refer your friends!

Revenue Generation

In addition to registration, ice sales, tournaments and concessions we generate revenue in the following areas:

Pull Tabs General Sam’s and The Sportsmen generously allow the proceeds of their Pull-Tab machines to support the SYHA. Please thank these fine businesses by visiting them often!

Advertising Signs Our walls are BARE! Signs cost $500 per year on the wall and are viewed by over 30,000 arena guests annually. Please help us fill our walls!!

Skate Sharpening – New this year! We will have the sharpener located by the game room. You can purchase a 10 punch ticket for $30 ($4 per single sharpening) and leave your skates at the Concession for sharpening.

Game Room – New this year! You’ll notice we have added video games in the remodeled game room. These also help support the SYHA! (I don’t like video games either but they make money for the rink!)

Jose Cole Circus

Coming again this spring!

SYHA Golf Tournament

Coming again at Bristol Ridge in early August!

Float-rite Concerts

When they happen . . . we are still involved!!

Please help support these important areas of SYHA revenue generation!

Coaching Curriculum

We continue to develop and improve the coaching curriculum in an effort to achieve a consistency from Mini-mites all the way to High School. We are also excited to feature 3 non-parent head coaches with outstanding hockey resumes at the Squirt, Pee-Wee and Bantam A levels. I better not forget my lovely bride, Heather, who is a Certified Master Rated Skating Instructor leading our Mini-mite program. (She must be certifiable to be married to me for over 20 years!) We are very excited to have 33 Mini-mites in our program this year! Welcome!!

We also want to acknowledge all of our other head and assistant coaches, parent helpers, managers and parent liaisons. Without you the great memories we will create this season would never have happened.

SYHA Family Experience

Everything the Board does from rink improvement to coaching curriculums revolves around improving the experience for your family. We sincerely want your entire family to develop great memories in your time spent being involved with the SYHA. Our coaches, managers, parent liaisons and Board Members are all open to listening on what we are doing right and what we can improve on. There is also a “feedback” form on our web-site which can be completed with or without your name and is reviewed at every Board meeting. Much of what’s happening today originated from your great ideas!

Let’s drop the puck!

I look forward to seeing all the happy faces of our children playing our great sport. A big thanks to all the super hockey parents who faithfully support their kids during the cold winter months. We appreciate all you do to make the Somerset Youth Hockey Association a great success!

See you at the rink!

John Gauper SYHA President

cc Doug Wynveen – The RiverBank – Osceola Dave Neale – First Community Bank -Somerset