Constitution & By Laws

CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS

CONSTITUTION

Article I – Name of Association

The name of the organization shall be the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Engineers Association and shall be referred to as the Association throughout the Constitution and By Laws.

Article II - Mission Statement

TO
Provide a forum in which hospitality industry engineers can exchange ideas, experiences, technical information, and procedures to benefit the growth and development of individual members and the hospitality industry.

IN A WAY THAT

Individual members can openly discuss problems and concerns to enhance their understanding and knowledge
Supports consistency in managerial technology and training skills
Increases resources for business needs
Encourages a climate that produces quality engineering

SO THAT
Hotel Engineers enhance their knowledge and techniques and improve the quality of required services within the hospitality industry.

Article III – Elected Officers

The elected officers of the Association shall hold the offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The term of each office shall be two calendar years.

An additional elected officer of the Association shall hold the office of Associate Member Representative. The term of this office shall be one calendar year.

No limit shall be placed on the number of consecutive terms an officer may serve. Past officers, with the exception of Associate Member Representative, shall become lifetime Regular members by a quorum majority vote of Regular Members in good standing.

These officers shall be known collectively as the Board of Directors. The offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be elected by a quorum majority vote of Regular Members in good standing at the January general meeting of each even-numbered year. The office of Associate Member Representative shall be elected by a quorum majority vote of Associate Members in good standing at the January general meeting of each calendar year.

Article IV - Officers Rights and Responsibilities

The President, Vice President or any Regular Member which the President chooses shall conduct and preside over all general meetings of the Association, preserve order therein, and vote on all motions and amendments only when the Association is divided. The President shall have the power to appoint committee chairpersons, select committee members, and execute the activities of the Association.

The Vice President shall conduct and preside over all general meetings and assume the duties of the President in the President’s absence. In the event of death, resignation, or removal of the President, the Vice President, followed by the Treasurer, shall succeed the President and serve the balance of the remaining term. The Vice President shall perform other duties as assigned by the President.

The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of the monies received and paid out, collect all memberships dues, pay the bills authorized by the Board of Directors, and keep an update on all paid members. The Treasurer shall keep the books ready for inspection at any time the Association may require seeing them. The Treasurer shall verbally update the financial status of the Association during each regular meeting.

The Secretary shall keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of the regularly scheduled meetings, mail all notices and minutes and perform all duties which may be required by the Association. In conjunction with the President, the Secretary must promote the Association's contacts with other hospitality related organizations. The Secretary will be compensated by the Association as stated in the By Laws.

The Associate Member Representative shall represent or give voice to the interests and concerns of the Associate Members. The Associate Member Representative shall also serve as an alternate Board member in the event that either the Treasurer or the Secretary cannot fulfill their duties. The Associate Member Representative shall not be eligible to fill the office of either President or Vice President. The Associate Member Representative shall have full voting rights within the Association, except for elections of Board members.

In the event that the Associate Member Representative cannot fulfill their duties, the Associate Membership may nominate and elect a new Representative as stated in the By Laws.

Sitting Board members may be removed from office as stated in the By Laws.

Article V - Regular Members

Any person who is employed in the hospitality or related industry, whose total responsibilities include the physical plant operation, maintenance operation, and all property operations concerning the mechanical and structural aspects of that building shall be eligible for membership to the organization.

All candidates for Regular membership must be employed by the hospitality or related industry and shall attend at least one meeting as a guest of a member sponsor. All candidates must be approved by the Board of Directors and voted in by a quorum majority of Regular Members in good standing during a regular meeting.

Regular members in good standing shall have full voting rights and may hold any office of the Association with the exception of Associate Member Representative.

Article VI - Associate Members

Any person (a.k.a. vendor) who is employed by a company that does business with or relates in some manner to the hospitality or related industries shall be eligible for Associate membership to this organization. Associate membership shall be subject to payment of annual dues.

All candidates for Associate membership shall attend at least one meeting as a guest of a member sponsor. All candidates must be approved by the Board of Directors and voted in by a quorum majority of Regular members in good standing during a regular meeting. Also, a specific representative shall be voted in along with their company.

Associate Members shall have no voting rights and may not hold any office of the Association, except for nominations and elections of Associate Member Representative, and holding the office of Associate Member Representative

Article VII - Honorary Members

Any Regular Member in good standing with the Association who leaves the hospitality industry or business related to the industry may be given honorary membership by the Board of Directors. Honorary members will have the same status and rights as an Associate member.

Article VIII – Meeting Attendance

The Association encourages regular attendance by its members at all of its activities. The Association also encourages attendance at any function by prospective Regular and Associate members affiliated with the hospitality industry. A guest must be accompanied at the regular meetings and functions by a member sponsor. A guest cannot attend more than one meeting without applying for membership in the Association.

Article IX – Changes to Constitution

This Constitution cannot be altered or amended in any way unless changes are proposed at a regular meeting and receive the approval of at least two-thirds of the Regular Members in good standing present at the following meeting. All members must be notified at least one month prior to voting on any changes to the Constitution.

Article X – Changes to By Laws

By-laws, not contradictory to this Constitution or to the Constitution of the United States or the State of Pennsylvania, cannot be altered or amended in any way unless changes are proposed at a regular meeting and receive the approval of at least two-thirds of the Regular Members in good standing present at the following meeting. All members must be notified in writing at least one month prior to voting on any changes to the By-Laws.

BY LAWS

Article I – Meetings and Events

Regular meetings shall be held on the third Wednesday of each month at a time and place that shall be designated before the meeting and shall be noted in the monthly minutes. Though not mandatory, it is very important to notify the Association Secretary prior to attending Association meetings.

Special meetings and outings may be held in place of regular monthly meetings. Information on these special meetings shall be discussed during regular meetings and sent out to Association members with enough advanced notice to allow members to make arrangements for attendance.

The Association may place restrictions on the number and type of attendants for special meetings and outings. The Association may require additional attendants to pay a fee or “cover charge”. The selection of special meetings, choice of restrictions, and assessment of fees shall be determined by a quorum majority vote of Regular members in good standing during regular meetings prior to sending out the required notification of special meetings to Association members.

Article II – Policy

The minimum required number of members to be present at a regular meeting before it can validly proceed with business is a total of seven, including two members from the Board of Directors. Voting will carry the majority of the quorum.

Article III - Regular Meetings

Order of Business

Call meeting to order
Welcome and introduction
Roll call of attendees and guests
Educational presentation
Break
Reading and approval of minutes
Financial report
Review and approve new members
Old business
Employment and open positions
Committee reports
New business
Round table comments
Next meeting information
Adjournment

Article IV - Membership Dues

Dues will be assessed in January of each year with the amount per year determined by majority vote for both regular and associate members. If an individual applies for membership on or after October 1, the dues will cover the remainder of the present year and the next year.

Any member who, after due notification, becomes delinquent in the payment of dues after the March meeting of each year, shall be dropped from membership in the Association and must reapply and pay present dues. If dues cannot be paid due to financial constraints for the member, the Board of Directors may still allow membership.

Article V – Nominations and Elections of Officers

Nominations for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be made at the December general meeting of each odd-numbered year. Only Regular Members in good standing shall be eligible for nomination and/or election. These officers shall be elected by a quorum majority vote of Regular Members in good standing at the January general meeting of each even-numbered year.

A quorum of Regular Members shall consist of seven Regular Members in good standing.

Nominations for Associate Member Representative shall be made at the December general meeting of each year. Only Associate Members in good standing shall be eligible for nomination and/or election. This officer shall be elected by a quorum majority vote of Associate Members in good standing at the January general meeting of each year.

For the purpose of replacing the Associate Member Representative, in the event this officer is unable to fulfill their duties, the Associate Membership may make nominations for a new Representative during any general meeting of the Association. Election by quorum majority vote of Associate members in good standing for the new Representative shall be held during the following general meeting, provided that no less than three months remain in the outgoing Representative’s term.

A quorum of Associate members shall consist of seven Associate Members in good standing.

Association members must be present at the time and place of elections to cast their votes.

Votes for elections shall be cast by written ballots. All ballots shall be anonymous. No marks or other identifying indicators of any kind may be placed on ballots.

Write-in candidates for officers shall be allowed on ballots.

During meetings in which Regular Members are to vote for Board members, Associate Members shall cast their votes for Associate Member Representative and have them tallied before Regular Members may cast their votes for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

All votes shall be cast and tallied during the same meeting in which elections are held.

Article VI – Removal of Officers

The President, Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary may be removed from office by the following procedure:

A Regular Member or Board member may make a motion at a regular meeting of the Association to remove an officer.
During this same meeting, the motion must then receive unanimous approval from all sitting Board members, with the exception of the Board member facing removal.
The motion must then receive the approval of at least two thirds of the Regular Members in good standing present at the following meeting. All members must be notified one month prior to voting on removal of any officer.

The Associate Member Representative may be removed from office by the following procedure:

An Associate Member or Board member may make a motion at a regular meeting of the Association to remove the Associate Member Representative.

During this same meeting, the motion must then receive unanimous approval from all sitting Board members, with the exception of the Associate Member Representative.
The motion must then receive the approval of at least two thirds of the Associate Members in good standing present at the following meeting. All members must be notified one month prior to voting on removal of any officer.

Article VII – Compensation

There shall be no compensation for the Board of Directors, except for the Association Secretary. The amount and type of this compensation shall be reviewed annually by the Board of Directors. The Board shall submit recommendations concerning this compensation to the Association Membership. Approval of these recommendations shall be determined by a quorum majority vote of Regular members in good standing.

Article VIII – Members in Good Standing

Regular members in good standing shall mean:

Regular members who attend no less than four meetings during the previous 12 months

Associate members in good standing shall mean:

Associate members whose membership dues are paid and current
Associate members who attend no less than four meetings during the previous 12 months