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Went to the stockholder meeting. Since it was a "trip" I'll tell about the trip. So you'll get dry-and-boring meeting notes along with fluffy-trip stuff. Went with the girlfriend (GF). I'll inject comments with EDITOR'S NOTES and if there is something I find interesting, I'll mark it with a line of "&&&&&&." Skip down to THE MEETING if you want to bypass the fluff. But here's how the "event" occurred for one Packer Fan:

Left Milwaukee Tuesday night and headed for the SANDMAN MOTEL in BRILLION, WI. We felt it would be more fun and relaxing this way and avoid the drive-up-and-back in one day thing. You get to see some of the countryside going this way, and the corn is looking good this year.

Outside of KIEL, WI, we stopped and ate at the MILLHOUSE restaurant. And my, God! I had a rib eye steak and it's been YEARS since I had one that good! Wow!

The main reason for going this route was to stop and check the progress of the lake home my parents are building. They plan to retire next year and are building the home that they'll finish their lives out in. Those of you who have read my trip reports of the past may remember the lake cottage we used to stay at. It's been sold to help finance this project, and the house should be finished later this summer. The GF and I look forward to having a free bed and breakfast for years to come on weekend excursions to Green Bay. :-) The SANDMAN is a sleep-cheap joint. While it's lacking in many ways, it's costing a lot less to stay there than the typical Green Bay locations.

WEDNESDAY

We head up the back roads and hit De Pere on the south side of the Green Bay area and make our way over to LAMBEAU FIELD. The road construction by the stadium is progressing well so it's a little easier to get around compared to when we were here a month ago.

I drop the GF off at the BROWN COUNTY EXPOSITION CENTER so she can stand in the ticket line while I go park the car. Tickets go on sale today for PACKERS FAMILY NIGHT, which is at Lambeau Field on August 7. We get 4 tickets on the 50 yard line, row 10. WOO HOO! :-)

THE MEETING

I would have like to have recorded the meeting then transcribe it, but my ability and resources for doing so do not make that possible, so you'll get a "Reader's Digest" version of the meeting. It will be fairly accurate as to what happened, but I'll have to take what people said and put it into a shortened context. I hope it works for you:

Before the meeting started, a video was presented on the Jumbotron, which highlighted the 1998 season, and it was entitled "Rhodes to Success." People applauded some of the good parts, and as it ended with some comments by Ray Rhodes, he saying that he wanted was "Success as a team." The crowd took this well and applauded.

BOB HARLAN said "Welcome to Lambeau Field" and the meeting was called to order.

REPORT OF OUTSTANDING STOCK: Details were given for shares of stock, and a "quorum" for business was present.

REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

FOOTBALL REPORT (RON WOLF) - Mr. Wolf first asked the crowd to remember Fritz Shurmur in their prayers. Then he went through the various positions and commented on them, and where he felt we were. He was glad Robert Brooks did not retire and is returning, Desmond Howard (applause) was back as a return man and receiver. He hoped Ross Verba got rid of
his "sophomore jinx" (laughter) and Reggie White (applause) is a player that you DO NOT replace. "He is the once in a lifetime type of player." There were huge problems in the secondary (1998) and he hoped these problems were fixed through the draft. He concluded by saying "We look for exciting things here in 1999."

TREASURERS REPORT (John Underwood) - Mr. Underwood went through the dry numbers and bottom line stuff. Some of his comments were as follows: We are having a reality check. We had (good cash flow) but were unable to build or replenish cash reserves. Are we in financial trouble? NO. Do we have financial challenges ahead? YES. He wants the Packers to focus on rebuilding and replenishing cash reserves. The Packers are slipping in revenue (compared to other teams) due to the money other teams can generate from their stadiums.

Mr. Underwood concluded by reading the last paragraph of his presentation in the ANNUAL REPORT, which reads as follows: "As we have stated consistently in the past, we consider the Green Bay Packers to be a 'National Treasure' and have described the major role of your Officers and Directors as that of 'preserving a national treasure.' We will continue to build the
financial resources necessary to make available the best possible experience for our fans."

BOB HARLAN ADDRESSES CROWD: (EDITOR'S NOTE: I believe Mr. Harlan was responding to the stadium revenue disparity as presented by Mr. Underwood). After television, the number one source of revenue in the NFL is the stadium. OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO KEEP THE PACKERS COMPETITIVE. We have NOT made any decisions as to improving Lambeau Field or building a new stadium. We are going to study every option before making a final decision.

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE (Bob Galagher) - The Packers have about 60 million dollars invested. Some of this is restricted money such as the monies raised from the stock sale. (EDITOR'S NOTE: I didn't take much notes during this segment. The Packers have money invested in different vehicles, and there is a committee that oversees it, basically).

CORPORATE MARKETING COMMITTEE (John Bergstrom) - The Packers have set a world's record by being able to sell out Lambeau Field since 1960. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Bergstrom mainly gave a pep talk about the "worlds best fans," etc. Fun stuff, but very little nuts and bolts). He also talked about PACKERS FAMILY NIGHT as mentioned above. He said the Packers are "enthusiastic of the spirit Ray Rhodes has brought to the organization."

GREEN BAY PACKERS FOUNDATION (Jack Mayne??? Didn't get the name) A basic feel-good report of the charities the Packers organization has donated.

DIRECTOR OF AFFAIRS (Jack Doran?) - Official note of the election of the board of directors. Over 99% of the proxies voted in favor of the recommended candidates.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION - The following are all the questions asked by stockholders and the responses. They are not word-for-word, but I did my best in capturing the context. ALL responses are by Bob Harlan, unless otherwise noted.

Q: Would it be possible if the U.S. Women's soccer team had the privilege of playing at Lambeau Field?

A: It depends on the time of year, etc. If feasible, we would be delighted to do so.

Q: Not all candidates for the board of directors appeared on the proxies. Is there a way stockholders can see who *ALL* is on the ballot? (Applause)

A: Each candidate is taken SERIOUSLY. The board then recommends the best candidates. "No one on the list is short-changed."

Q: Is it possible for stockholders to present marketing ideas to the Packers to help generate revenue?

A: (chuckle) The Packers get more ideas sent in than you think.

Q: What do you mean by the "Scratch Rule?" (EDITOR'S NOTE: Ron Wolf mentioned this during his report).

A: (Ron Wolf) Officials will now have control of the football. In the past, it was found that visiting teams had "problems" kicking field goals and it was found that balls were being "doctored." (Laughter) (EDITOR'S NOTE: Oh, so is that what happened to the Vikings in the NFC Championship game when their perfect-all-season can't-miss kicker missed? No, wait, they weren't the visitors! ;-)

Q: How long will a new stadium keep us going (money-wise)? (EDITOR'S NOTE: From the way this person asked the question, it appeared that he felt we were better off keeping Lambeau Field).

A: We're going through the process of studying what's best for the Packers. We know we're OK for the next for years but we want to make sure the Packers are OK for the next 20-30 years.

Q: What plans are there for the old stadium (if a new one is built)?

A: Lambeau Field would probably be torn down for parking. We would like to keep Lambeau Field though (cheers).

Q: The NFL logo has 3 stars on it. What do the 3 stars represent?

A: No one present knew the answer.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: How much revenue do we get from Lambeau? How do we compare with other stadiums? Where does the lions share of stadium revenue come from? (EDITOR'S NOTE: Various numbers/facts were given. These numbers are readily available of you read the newspapers. But also said...)

A: (In reference to building a new stadium) The Packers have some money from the stock sale. We can also get a loan from the NFL (EDITOR'S NOTE: I believe this is $30-some million). We'd be able to raise some money through Personal Seat Licenses. WE WOULD HAVE TO GO PUBLIC FOR THE REST.

Q: Will the new stadium have a dome?

A: No (APPLAUSE! CHEERS!) (Then jokingly) Ron Wolf   will give you the next train out of town for anyone who wants a dome (laughter).

Q: I have "Milwaukee" season tickets. The traffic is terrible going to/from games. Is it possible to set something up so we can swap with Green Bay people?

A: I'll have to talk to the ticket office. I know what the traffic is like when I went down to the Milwaukee games in the 1970's. But for the way things are, I believe the good outweighs the bad. (Applause) (EDITOR'S NOTE: The traffic isn't bad if you know the back roads :-)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: Could we move the Madison game to Lambeau Field and let "regular" people get tickets and have a game at Lambeau?

A: We opened up the game in Madison to let non-season ticket holders go to a game. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Bob Harlan seemed to like this idea. *I* like this idea).

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: I know you (Bob Harlan) are doing what you need to do, but what about the fans? We want more seats to get people off the waiting list. (EDITOR'S NOTE: This person kind of rambled. He talked about adding an upper deck to Lambeau, etc. Basically, he wants more tickets available).

A: The Lions are going from a larger stadium to a smaller one. I met with one owner who just built one (EDITOR'S NOTE: I think it was the Carolina Panthers) and if he had to do it over again, he would have built a smaller one. The "bowl" holds 56,000 people and we would like it to be 61,000. We're also looking at a ticket plan that will benefit EVERYONE in Wisconsin. We want to come up with a plan (stadium-wise) that will make sense. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Did you see that?!!! A "ticket plan for all of Wisconsin?" The Chicago Bears are a sold out stadium but they do reserve seats for general ticket sales. Wow! This could benefit the average fan. ANOTHER EDITOR'S NOTE: The TREND is to build smaller stadiums, both for baseball and football. This accomplishes two things: It helps generate ticket sales because they're harder to get and it eliminates "nosebleed" seats. So I would expect a new stadium to not go beyond 65,000 for general seating. Bad news for the waiting list, but good news for not losing the "Lambeau Aura" in a  mega-stadium).

Q: The Flacons seemed immune to Randy Moss and the Packers did not. Go Pack! (EDITOR'S NOTE: There was no response as this was more of a comment. I think the person had a specific question but kind of lost it once they got
in front of the microphone).

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: What's up with Antonio Freeman? Are the rumors from ESPN true that he may go to Washington?

A: (Ron Wolf) No receiver is worth investing money in. (EDITOR'S NOTE: My take? Say goodbye to Freeman if the Packers don't want to pay him more than they think he's worth). (Ron Wolf) If I had to depend on ESPN for all of my information I'd be a nervous wreck! (Laughter).

Q: In what the one person said before, could we move the Madison game to Lambeau Field and let the stockholders have tickets?

A: (Pretty much same answer as the previous question for moving the Madison game).

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: Couldn't we get the legislature to put a box on tax forms so that people can check it and have a portion of their refund help pay for a new stadium? (BIG CHEER)

A: (Jokingly) We'll have *YOU* lead the charge for Personal Seat Licenses! But actually, we have not approached the government on this because we have not decided yet as what we're going to do. We are OBLIGATED to find the RIGHT WAY to keep the Packers in the league. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The question isn't interesting, but the answer is. Mr. Harlan
stressed many times that a decision concerning the stadium has not been reached)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&INTERESTING&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: What can we do about Randy Moss?

A: (Ron Wolf) After the Vikings beat us by about 18 touchdowns, I was down at Florida State. I asked (big name coach, I forget) who was the greatest player he had ever seen here. He said "Randy Moss." (EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Wolf seemed frustrated with Randy Moss and was acknowledging that Moss is a great player). (Ron Wolf) We feel that our defenders played the ball incorrectly and (this year) will play the ball correctly. (EDITOR'S NOTE: I'll leave it to you armchair quarterbacks to decipher what Mr. Wolf is going to do with the Randy Moss problem).

Q: The 3 stars (on the NFL logo) are Hail Marys. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (EDITOR'S NOTE: The person then made a reference to the new stadium. Another case of stage fright once the microphone came into view)

Q: How can teams like the Cowboys get around the salary cap?

A: (Ron Wolf) They don't.

END OF QUESTION AND ANSWERS

A short video was then played on the Jumbotron which showed some of the great plays and players of the Packers over the years. It was a good touchy-feely type video, probably meant for ending the meeting on a positive note. The video did just that, Packer Pride was brought to a peak, and the meeting was adjourned.

Ron Wolf came up to the fence and signed autographs for everyone, and Bob Harlan was gracious to do the same, though he didn't do very many.

END OF MEETING

Not much to describe for our ride home. The business portion of the Ticket Office was closed, and I was disappointed with this as I wanted to ask a number of questions and post the answers in the newsgroup. Instead, they were busy handling the ticket sales for the Packers Family Night event, and when I got home and peeked at www.packers.com, 14,000 tickets had already been sold. The line was terribly long there, but we saw no line at the Exposition Center as we drove out.

EDITOR'S COMMENT:

Here's what I think: It's business as usual. The Packers are in good shape and are able to field a competitive team. However, in 4 years, the revenue from Lambeau Field will no longer be enough. The Packers are sensitive to the Lambeau Field issue. A final decision has not been reached. But if the right thing to do is tear down Lambeau, they will do it with no regrets. What really matters in the end are that the fans get the best football that they can get. After all, as Mr. Underwood has stated, the Packers are a "National Treasure."

I hope this presentation was worthwhile. :-)