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Lerner board accepts treasurer's report and approves $26,490.56 in marketing spending
Summary
The Friends of the Lerner board approved the treasurer's report, authorized a claims register of $59,227.18 and approved three marketing expenditures tied to a city-budgeted promotional initiative totaling $26,490.56; General Manager Carl Thompson previewed more than 75 events planned for 2026 and announced new marketing hires.
The Friends of the Lerner board accepted the treasurer's report and approved several marketing expenditures during a meeting that included a General Manager update on the theater's 2026 season.
Nick, the board treasurer, presented year-to-date financials through Jan. 31, 2026, reporting gross profit from theater operations of $12,977 and a year-to-date net loss of $91,758, an improvement of $25,813 from the prior year. The report noted city operational support of $175,091 through January. The board moved to accept the treasurer's report and adopted it by voice vote.
The board then approved the claims and allowance docket as presented, authorizing payment of $59,227.18 from the register. A motion to approve the register was made, seconded and adopted by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
Carl Thompson, general manager of the Lerner Theater, delivered the monthly GM report, saying, "We currently have over 75 day or night events scheduled for 2026," and outlining a marketing push supported by funds included in the City of Elkhart’s 2025-approved budget. Thompson said the combined $125,000 appropriation for promotional costs and marketing includes a quarterly utility-bill insert planned to reach about 15,000 households and a direct-mail postcard campaign targeted to roughly 30,000 households.
Thompson asked the board to authorize three vendor expenditures related to those outreach efforts. The board approved:
- A $2,340 MOU/quote with Infosend Inc. for the quarterly utility-bill statement insert, approved by voice vote.
- A $5,000 purchase of a targeted acquisition mailing list from Alpha Graphics (30,000 households across a regional radius from Plymouth to South Bend to Elkhart and Goshen), approved by voice vote; Thompson said the list license was intended for multiple uses but clarified the details would be confirmed.
- A $19,150.56 direct-mail production and postage quote from Alpha Graphics to deploy the postcard to the purchased list; Thompson said this quote covers one mailing, and the board approved the expenditure by voice vote.
Thompson also announced staffing and programming updates: Jacob Jones was introduced as the new marketing and communications coordinator and Norman Romero as a marketing intern; Thompson said Becca Keaton has joined the Crystal Ballroom team as the ballroom’s new lead. On programming, Thompson noted upcoming shows and festivals, including a Celtic Woman tour campaign and the Leroy Robinson Festival, and confirmed plans to keep Celebration Under the Stars open to the general public as a free event while offering VIP tables and sponsorship opportunities. On that event Thompson said, "For the general public, there will be no ticketed event. It'll just be general public seating."
No public comments were offered during the meeting. The board adjourned after the scheduled items were completed. The meeting transcript does not record individual roll-call vote tallies or identify movers and seconders by full name; actions were carried by voice vote as noted above.
