2007 Annual Report Overview

2007 was a successful year for GSMA, albeit challenging!  We achieved a modest sales and donation increase through continued hard work and improved product mix despite yet another year of flat visitation in the visitor centers, with a slight decrease of 0.7%.  Business activity was down slightly in January, strong in February, modest in March, good in April and May, strong in June, modest in July, strong in August, modest in September, down slightly in October, good in November, and poor in December.  The last quarter of the year seemed to mirror retail activity on the national scene.

In June the board of directors held its annual mid-year retreat.  Topics included 75th Anniversary Commemoration projects and events; NPS Centennial projects for GSMNP; visitor center long-range planning; exploration of a partnership visitor center in Bryson City; relationship support for other NPS units; GSMA Home Office space needs; and power generation at Cades Cove.

We continued staffing the orientation shelter at the entrance to Cades Cove with great success.  Plans were formulated to replace the dilapidated structure early in 2008.

The year ended with GSMA staff cautiously expecting improvement in the business climate, especially in the second half in the coming year.

Aid-to-Park

The Association contribution to Great Smoky Mountains National Park falls into three broad categories: 

• in-kind services, which is primarily labor expense;
• publications, which includes development costs and free publications;
• cash donations, which are provided for a host of educational, historical, interpretive, and scientific projects.

 

The actual aid-to-park for 2007 was $1,760,866 which equaled 27.7% of gross sales and donation income.  Within this overall aid amount, GSMA guaranteed cash donations equal to 17% of gross sales.  An additional $163,270 sales-generated cash donation was unexpended in 2007 and has been carried over to FY2008.

Computer Services & Website Development

We upgraded satellite systems for improved broadband connections at Oconaluftee and Cades Cove Visitor Centers.

We improved the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage website and enhanced our GSMA organizational website with much new content and features, including new audio content (podcasting, streaming and iTunes), more blogs, photo gallery features and mobile phone ringtones.

During 2007 our website was visited by over 1 million people, with over 2 million page views.  This translates into a 2,000% increase in traffic over an 18-month period.

We upgraded hardware at several store locations and the warehouse.  We extended fiber optic cable from the home office to Sugarlands Visitor Center, which allowed them to utilize our network and phone system.

Plans are underway to replace our antiquated POS system in 2008.

Concessions

GSMA continued the search, with no success, for a private-label bottled spring water product.

Interpretive Products & Services

Over 2,273,000 people visited facilities staffed by Great Smoky Mountains Association employees in 2007, a decrease of 0.7% from the previous year.

GSMA staff continued offering off-site sales and park information at the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage, Wilderness Wildlife Week, Hemlock Tree Symposium, Discover Life in America Conference, Association of Southeastern Biologists, Sylva Greening Up the Mountains, the Appalachian Studies Conference, GSMA Annual Members Weekend, Tennessee Library Association convention, Bryson City Heritage Festival, and Cosby-in-the-Park day.

GSMA management reorganized the mail order, E-Store & wholesale sales activity into one unit headquartered at the GSMA Warehouse.  We continued expansion of our wholesale business in 2007 with staff utilizing a more proactive approach to the wholesale market in the region, especially in the counties that adjoin GSMNP.  We began to market business memberships to local businesses with plans for a big push in 2008.

Part of Sugarlands Visitor Center bookstore was remodeled into an “Old Sugarlands Store” area and we added a new, more compact poster display.

The Sevierville Visitor Center received the first fabulous new 4’ X 8’ GSMNP 3-D relief map.  Additional maps will be placed in Sugarlands VC, Gatlinburg WC and eventually in the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  The improvement in detail and accuracy is amazing.  They are certain to be a visitor favorite!

We continued to expand the number of sales items we offer on our e-commerce web site: www.SmokiesInformation.org and experienced a 36% increase in on-line sales.

Well over 1,000,000 pieces of literature produced by GSMA were distributed in 2007.

GSMA publications and product development staff completed the following projects:

13 signs for all backcountry shelters, rules and regulations
2007 NPS Festival of Christmas Past poster and program
2007 Tremont Program Booklet
2007 Trip Planner
2007-2008 holiday catalog
2008 GSMA Pocket Calendar
2008 GSMA Wall Calendar
2008 Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage art competition flyer
Appalachian Highlands Science Journal
Appalachian Highlands Science Journal Issue #2
Appalachian Trail Map/Guide
Appalachian Trail Profile wall hanging for backcountry office
Backcountry rules & regs sign
Bearpaw Newsletter (2 editions)
Bears are dangerous rack card
Bird Songs of the Smokies (2 CD set)
Board of Directors election materials
Cades Cove T-shirt
Cades Cove: Dream of the Smoky Mountains book
Cosby Days program
Elk viewing safety rack card
Fall Smokies Guide (2 versions)
Four new 16-page Junior Ranger booklets (Ages 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12)
GSMA ad for EvaMag
GSMA annual meeting invitation
GSMA Membership information booklet
GSMA Membership Materials
Hardback edition of The Civil War in the Smokies
Kids bear T-shirt
Mills Conference Center Display Cases
- Display story of Cumberland Jack
- Display story of Wiley Oakley
New bulletin board signs for Big Creek
New design of GSMA merchandise bags
NPS Cosby in the Park flyer
NPS Mountain Music Festival Posters (3)
Revised the Experience Your Smokies booklet
Smokies Life Magazine Issue #1
Spring mail order catalog
Spring Smokies Guide
Summer Junior Ranger program card
Temporary membership cards for membership packets
The Arthur Stupka Exhibit for the new Twin Creeks Science Center
The Mountain View Hotel wayside exhibit for the city of Gatlinburg
Three backcountry porcelain enamel regulatory signs for the Chimney Tops Trail
Tremont program booklet
Tremont program bookmark
Tremont Spring newsletter
Tremont Summer newsletter
Twin Creeks Dedication and Ribbon Cutting Invitations and Envelopes
Twin Creeks Grand Opening invitations, inserts, and envelopes
Wildflower Pilgrimage poster
Wildflower Pilgrimage program booklet
Wildflower Pilgrimage rack card
Winter Smokies Guide park newspaper

GSMA won three first place awards and three Honorable Mentions at the 2008 Association of Partners for Public Lands Media and Partnership competition in Denver for products and/or services developed in 2007.  Winners included the 2007 “super-sized” Junior Ranger program, Night of the Grizzly book produced in cooperation with the National Geographic Society, the GSMA website (SmokiesInformation.org), Bird Songs of the Smokies two CD set, 2008 GSMNP wall calendar, and the Appalachian Trail map & guide.

Membership & Special Events

The year 2007 was another busy one with planning for the 57th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in newly rebuilt Mills Conference Center, and the annual membership weekend held at the Twin Creeks Science Center & Pavilion, in Gatlinburg, TN in September.  Both events were well attended, as usual, with many indoor and outdoor programs, exhibits, demonstrations, and delicious food.

We ended the year with over 7,500 members, an all-time high.

Purchasing

The year started with a shock due to the sudden death of Buddy McDermott, our buyer of many years.  Much of the year was then spent breaking in our new buyer, Carl Gheesling.  Big new product additions include Columbia hiking shirts, with both the GSMNP and GSMA logos; Camelback water bottles, with both GSMNP and GSMA logos.  We struggled with shortages of our popular Foods of the Smokies private label products.  We offer well over 1700 sales items at our 8 sales locations with over 475 of the top sellers available on our growing website.

We experienced continued success with the Association-designed GSMNP Logo merchandise.  These items include Park logo T-shirts, a book tote bag, and expanded offering of fleece vests and jackets.

Great Smoky Mountains Institute

By written agreement, the Institute staff continued to operate the GSMA store at their location in FY 2007.  They were able to generate a $56,960 net profit for the year, which was donated to the Institute.  With the addition of a $67,500 cash donation our total Institute support for 2007 totaled $124,460.