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2004 Packers Stockholder Trip Report

There is no practical way for me to provide a word-for-word transcript of the Packer Stockholder Meeting so my intent is to provide an edited version that gives you a feel for what it was like to be there and what was discussed. Here's my notes on the 07-28-2004 Stockholder Meeting:

The meeting starts with a moment of silence for Mark Hatley, vice president of Football Operations, who had just passed away at the age of 54.

Football Operations

The meeting is called to order and Mike Sherman (greeted with a standing ovation by stockholders in attendance) delivers his Football Operations report; high points included:

A) Mike Sherman gives tribute to Mark Hatley, saying "He was a good man."

B) Said he was disappointed with the playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but there was a difference between being disappointed and being discouraged.

C) Discussed game plan for personnel; went over the various positions and specific players for offense and defense.

D) Draft Plan: As always, the plan going into the draft is to "Be aggressive and flexible on draft day." Discussed the players obtained in the draft.

E) Health of players: Of note, when Sherman mentioned the release of Joe Johnson, the crowd applauded.

F) Need a Run Game: Discussed the need for controlling the run game on both offense and defense.

G) Third down production for both offense/defense.

H) Giveaways/Takeaways for offense/defense.

I) Quarterback Sacks, offense/defense.

J) "Explosive Plays" and how it affects offense/defense

K) Red Zone; Packers were the only team in the 2003 season to be in the top 5 for both offense and defense categories for red zone situations.

L) Finished season strong in 2003 and looks to continue the trend.

M) Recapped key points of the 2003 season.

N) Briefly went over the 2004 season. Recently met the NFL commissioner and mentioned how the commissioner wanted the Packers on Monday Night Football. It's a great honor to receive such recognition.

O) What we need to do better in 2004:

N) Finished report saying how both he and the players appreciate Packer fans. Playing here is unlike other teams where the support isn't the same.

PLAYER FINANCE

Andrew Brandt discussed high points of player contracts. When he was getting Chad Clifton to sign, Clifton was there with his wife. He flippantly asked Chad "Did you ever expect to sign something like this?" Both Chad and his wife welled up with tears; after his horrendous injury from Warren Sapp's cheap shot, they didn't even think he would ever walk again. Brandt was emphasizing how touching and true-to-heart the process can be despite working in a show-me-the-money environment.

Treasurer Report

The cut and dry numbers of the Packer organization were glossed over.

Investment Committee Report

Discussed:

Audit Report

An independent auditing firm gave the Packers high marks for their bookkeeping.

Corporate Marketing Committee

Discussed team revenue, including an optimistic report over how the stadium renovations are exceeding expectations. Mentioned that 43 weddings are scheduled to be held at Lambeau Field for the 2004-2005 season.

Packers Foundation

Went over the numbers of money the Packers have contributed to charities.

Management Operations Report

A report delivered by John Jones (the most likely successor to Bob Harlan) which was mostly a feel-good type of report. I will write down good quotes but it was a very generic along the lines of "The Packers are a great team."

Director of Affairs

I don't have any notes here so I guess noting noteworthy was said.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

This was a little disappointing this year. Instead of the usual procedure of having people line up behind a microphone to express their concerns or ask questions, the format was changed this year. Apparently people have maid comments saying they were uncomfortable addressing the meeting publicly so stockholders were going to be given the opportunity to meet with the various directors on an individual basis. I myself was in fact planning to address the crowd with some points I feel are important and I was denied this opportunity. I also was denied the opportunity to hear what other people thought.

What happened then is people rushed the stage in order to get autographs and their photos taken, mostly with Mike Sherman. This format was announced at the beginning of the meeting and I figured there'd be some kind of rush so I had maneuvered myself up front when the meeting showed signs of ending so that I could talk to some of the directors. I was expecting all the directors to be available but only Mike Sherman was put out front so I could only talk to him and my concerns were not within his domain.

I did tell him one of my concerns, I don't like how commercials are played in the stadium during crucial and emotional points of the game. The commercials silence the crowd and we lose our home field advantage. It's also a lot less fun to be at the game when they do that. Sherman said he doesn't like it either but it's part of the television contracts. Sherman also kind of blew me off because a huge crowd had formed by then and he had to be short in order to accommodate everyone. The effect is my concern is lost within the crowd.

I wandered around for a while, and ran into John Jones in the crowd. I told him about my dislike for the commercials and I told him my other point of issue, and that's the fact that the Lambeau Field parking lot is half full on game day. It's another point of concern where it's just a lot less fun going to the games. Jones acknowledged this, saying Lambeau id the "nirvana" of tailgating but the policies in place affect how parking is now handled with the renovated stadium. Again I felt like he was blowing me off, partly because he had to with the crowd and partly because it went in one ear and out the other as he was bombarded with questions and concerns.

The guy in front of me who was talking to Jones while I was waiting, he wanted shareholders to get access to game tickets via a lottery, similar to the Brown County resident lottery. This is not the first time people have brought up different "ideas" to get tickets to fans one way or another, but it was explicitly stated in the shareholder documentation, the last offering would not grant any rights for Packer tickets. With the ticket policies in place, there's just no way you're going to make any kind of change without causing problems for someone. Regardless, it's just a demonstration of how bad people want tickets and Jones had that "I need to blow this guy off" look. I suppose the board hears all kinds of ideas on a regular basis and it just becomes noise after a while.

Speaking of tickets, I did run into Mark Wagner, director of Ticketing. I know of a few "tricks" for getting Packer tickets and I told him what I knew and asked if there was anything that I didn't know about. He couldn't offer me anything new for tickets that sometimes become available.

THE SURPRISE

 Stockholders were treated to a surprise this year! After the meeting, Bob Harlan led the stockholders over to Lambeau Field where everyone was let out onto the field (not he actual field but the track around the field) which allowed everyone to get in a little Lambeau atmosphere. Some people were on their cell phones, needing to tell people that they were going inside the stadium. In the tunnel where the players come out, portions of the old tunnel where Vince Lombardi and great players of the past used to walk, were cut out and put into the new tunnel. I saw one lady put her feet on one of the slabs and then take pictures of her feet. Just being there was a treat for many people.

And, speaking of treats, everyone got ice cream as they left the stadium. Bob Harlan remained and shook hands and answered questions to everyone who wished to do so. Many directors of the different departments were also on hand though most of the departments are generally obscure to the average person. I did seek out the director of Premium Services to find out if any Club Seats would be available. The answer was "yes," a small amount of indoor Club Seats were for sale through them, fans only needed to call and they could get them for any game. Face value is $175 which is a lot, but it's a lot less considering what scalpers are asking for to certain games.

All in all, while I didn't like the format of the question and answer period, it was still great that the directors were available and were willing to listen. The Packers are the only NFL team where the fans are the owners and that their concerns will be acted upon, whenever possible.

What other team will you find people taking pictures of their feet because they're standing on hallowed ground?