History
In 1986, Govan Initiative was established and, under the chairmanship of local councillor Ian Davidson, along with Chief Executive John Scally and his deputy Ron Culley, was charged with the responsibility for the economic regeneration of the Govan area. One of their key objectives was to establish a forum within which the local business community, embracing small, medium and large-size companies, could play its part in the said regeneration.
The Initiative team approached local business leaders with the idea of forming a business club, complete with an executive committee. Once this was decided upon, Eric Mackie of Govan Shipbuilders agreed to be the first President, with his colleague Ben Donnelly as Vice-President. David Bailey of Cardonald College became the first Secretary, Allan Haldane of John S Braid & Co the first Treasurer (and still Treasurer today), and Ron Culley of Govan Initiative the Membership Secretary. The Executive having been established, the Southside Business Club was formally launched by Alex Ferguson CBE, a true friend of Govan.
Eric Mackie’s term as President was curtailed when he found that chasing an order for two container ships for China meant that he and Ben Donnelly would be out of the country for lengthy spells. Govan Shipbuilders was very keen however, to play its part and, accordingly, their Personnel Director Bob McCann took over the role of President with the full agreement of the committee. Bob held the Presidency for ten years and is now an Honorary Member of the Club and still attending Meetings.
In those early days of the Club’s existence, the energy, drive, innovative ideas and general assistance from John Scally, Ron Culley, and Jean Pollock, were a great encouragement to the Executive Committee. And when Ron Culley succeeded John Scally who departed to take up a similar post in the north-east of England, the business experience of Ron and the Executive was the additive required to achieve, in a relatively short period, a Club membership of 125 and to present, over the years, a diverse, informative and entertaining programme of events, capturing the imagination of local businesses.
In 1997, the then Executive committee, in a move calculated to expand membership numerically and geographically, decided, with the approval of Govan Initiative and the membership, to change the name of the Club from Southside Business Club to Glasgow South Business Club.
Like any other organisation, the Club has had to deal with the effects of the peaks and troughs of the Scottish economy, which from time to time impacts on the Club membership and finances. Today, with the continued support of Glasgow's Regeneration Agency (formerly Govan Initiative then Glasgow SouthWest Regeneration Agency), the Club will continue to build on what's gone before, producing a varied programme of informal and structured networking and a quality of speaker and topic which each year seems to surpass the year before.
Business Club Presidents:
- Bob McCann 1986-1996
- John McLaughlin MBE 1996-1998
- David Howard 1998-1999
- Frank Bendoris 1999-2002
- John Stevenson 2002 -2004
- Allan Haldane 2004-2006
- Ed Johnston 2006-2008
- Kathy McBride 2008- 2010
- Remo Pisaneschi 2010-
Constitution
Objectives
The Club's objectives are:
(b) To act as a promotional vehicle for Glasgow south-west and the surrounding areas.
(c) To provide opportunities for the further-education of its members by the presentation of topical and relevant business issues and thus encourage the adoption of best business practice by its member companies.
(d) To be a communication channel for the debate and the development of ideas which can be directed to the public sector in general, and Glasgow's Regeneration Agency (GRA) in particular, and developed so as to aid the economic revival of the area.
(e) To market the services within the area so as to encourage inward investment.
(f) To ensure that member companies are mindful of the relationship between business and the indigenous residential community and its impact thereon.
3. Membership
(a) Membership will be open - on payment of subscription - to all companies within Glasgow south-west and the surrounding areas.
(b) Representatives of GRA will be entitled to membership and will be nominated on a seasonal basis by the GRA Chief Executive or Deputy.
4. Management
The Club will be run by an Executive Committee comprising the following :
* President
* Vice President
* Honorary Vice President
* Secretary
* Treasurer
* One Past President
* Six Ordinary Members
(a) After two years service the President will retire to be succeeded by the Vice President in situ at that time.
A President will be an owner, executive or employee in a private sector business .He/she will then serve as a past President for a two-year period and will be second stand-in for an absent President. Should a President resign or be unable to continue during his/her period of office, the Vice President will take the role of Acting President until the next AGM Should the Vice President be unable to take this duty on, the immediate Past President will be invited by the Executive to become Acting President, failing which the Executive will elect an Acting President.
The Vice President will be elected at the AGM for a two-year period and will be the first stand-in for an absent President. If a Vice President decides not to become President, then he/she will immediately resign from the Executive Committee.
(b) Club sponsors GRA (and successors), in the time that they remain sponsors, will appoint a representative to the position of Honorary Vice President. This will be their Chief Executive or his/her nominated appointee.
(c) The Secretary and Treasurer will be appointed annually at the AGM. There will be no limit to the number of re-appointments
(d) Nominations to serve on the Executive Committee should be submitted in writing, or e-mail, to the Secretary of the Club at least seven days in advance of the
Annual General Meeting.
(e) Should insufficient nominations be so received, then nominations supported by at least one seconder may be accepted from the floor at the AGM Meeting. Elections for the various positions on theExecutive Committee will then take place by means of a simple majority of members present and entitled to vote.
(f) In the absence of sufficient nominations, the Executive shall have the right to co-opt a suitable member/members whose appointment will be ratified at the AGM Meeting.
(g) Ordinary Members will be elected at the AGM for a three-year period. An Ordinary Member, having completed that period of service, will retire and a replacement will be sought.The retiring member will remain eligible for re-election in the absence of sufficient new nominations.
5. Meetings
a) The Club shall meet on at least eight occasions throughout the year, commencing in September of each year through to the Annual General Meeting in June the
(b) The Executive Committee shall meet on at least nine occasions throughout the year plus such additional meetings as the Secretary shall deem necessary. The quorum for properly constituted meetings of theCommittee shall consist of at least five members of the Executive.
(c) The Annual General Meeting will receive reports from the President, Treasurer and Secretary, approve the audited accounts for the year, elect office bearers and members of the Executive Committee, approve the subscription levels and debate and vote on other competent matters brought before the Meeting.
(d) Only fully-paid members shall have the right to vote.
(e) The quorum for Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings shall be 20% of the fully-paid membership.
(f) Voting on matters raised, unless specified as otherwise in this Constitution, shall be by a simple majority of votes cast.In the event of an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a casting as well as an ordinary vote.
(g) Minutes shall be kept of General Meetings and Executive Committee meetings. A copy of the minutes of the previous year's Annual General Meeting shall be forwarded to the membership ahead of each A.G.M.
6. Finance and Administration
a) The Treasurer will be responsible the maintenance of accounts and administrative functions and will present the financial affairs and intromissions of the Club to the Annual General Meeting.
A summary of the current financial situation of the Club should be prepared for each Executive meeting. The Treasurer will also be responsible for ensuring the appointment of a suitably qualified and independent auditor with the annual
b) The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining up-to-date membership lists, which shall be tabled at each Executive meeting, and will ensure that subscriptions are notified timeously and duly collected.
(c) The Executive Committee will judge the merits of any requests from charitable bodies and decide upon whatever action is appropriate. The Treasurer will budget for the annual sum deemed necessary to cover such requests in his financial statements.
7. Alterations to the Constitution
A resolution to alter this Constitution, whether by a member or by the Executive, shall only be valid if :
* notice setting out the terms of the proposed alteration shall have been given in writing to the Secretary at least twenty-one days prior to the Annual General Meeting.
* seconded by another qualified member
* two-thirds of the votes cast at the Annual General Meeting are in favour of the said resolution.
8. Dissolution
If the Executive Committee, with the approval of the Honorary Vice President, shall decide at any time by simple majority on the grounds of expense or otherwise that it is necessary or advisable to dissolve the Club, it shall call an Extraordinary Meeting of the Club, giving twenty-one days notice stating the terms of the resolution.If such decision is confirmed by two-thirds of the members attending and voting, then the Executive Committeeshall expedite the transfer of all assets or liabilities of the Club to Glasgow South-West Regeneration Agency.
This Constitution was amended and adopted at the AGM 21st June 2011
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