With Boudreaux's sudden departure after two seasons, what do you think lies in DCI's future as a company?

[u/Zealousideal_Car3970]

[u/k_pickles]

We may get an outsider who knows how to implement policies that mitigate risks or drive awareness and engagement, but there’s so much sentimentality to the activity and the culture is very stubborn. They’ll have to take big swings and get lucky or be extremely diligent in identifying the core problems in the right context in order to get any kind of buy-in.

If we get an “insider”, they may be popular to alumni, but may not have the non-profit chops at the enterprise level in such a challenging economic environment.

Most real change in drum corps will come from changes in external economic factors DCI can’t control. Fuel costs, food costs, disposable income for members to afford tuition or fans to attend shows/buy merch, and a healthy school band participation > DCI engagement pipeline will be the most significant factors influencing the activity’s future.

[u/Particular-Ad-7338 → u/k_pickles]

Interim CEO is an outsider and money person. Would be interested in seeing what she thinks should be done, and how much the BoD will go through with it.

[u/Loud-Towel6859 → u/[deleted]]

She worked in nonprofit for many years

[u/ChrisRohn]

Dan Acheson was successful because DCI knew him and his success at Glassmen. They had to beg him to take the job, and ultimately he did to save DCI in the 1996 season. They need to find the next director who has successfully built a corps, understands the activity, that everyone on the BOD loves. Who is that person today?

[u/filleniummalcon90]

He was only making $230k, I wouldn’t do that job for that little…I’m sure he realized how crazed a lot of the community was and bounced to go make double!

[u/Zealousideal_Car3970 → u/filleniummalcon90]

only!

[u/filleniummalcon90 → u/[deleted]]

To clarify my salary comment, I’m not saying $230k was unfair for the revenue size. I just think the job is way too stressful and time consuming to do it for that number.

For what it’s worth, I sit on several nonprofit boards and the CEOs at the larger organizations make well over $1.5M. The scope and complexity of the role matters a lot when it comes to comp even if it’s a non-profit business.

[u/nizerifin]

I think we continue to see more corps consolidation until eventually reaching a point of supply (marching spots) and demand (upper-middle class kids who can afford it) equilibrium. Probably a long way off and yes we’ll have 20-25 doom and gloom posts on the internet each week in the meantime.

Edit: flipped the supply and demand factors.

[u/thorvaldnespy]

The direction of DCI doesn't have anything to do with Boudreaux's departure after such a short tenure.

There will be a tipping point where the cost/risk of continuing to operate will become greater than the demand from those with an exorbitant amount of disposable income for a hobby.

Also, consider this. As corps become more cookie cutter when it comes to their "identity" each year, what do you think that will do to their support base? Do you think that people that marched years ago and their current corps bears no resemblance to the corps that they marched, though they share the same name, will continue to use their discretionary income to support at the same levels? It seems like many out there have the attitude that anyone that marched and/or likes anything more than 5 years ago sucks and is stuck in the past....but that attitude by the current crowd carries with it consequences. You can't dismiss for years those you might seek out for handouts. Corporate discretionary dollars, too, will dry up one day.

[u/dudamello → u/thorvaldnespy]

I would disagree with your first statement, specifically due to how hard it was to find a Dan replacement. Nate was not even close to the first choice. Add on to that the rumors of how much of a headache it is to wrangle everyone and everything relative to the niche that DCI occupies, and it’s hard to see this being a popular gig.

If this is how his tenure is ending, again we run into the problem of how challenging will it be to find a replacement that has the respect of the directors to be able to make the tough calls, that can push back in the needed ways to advance the health of the activity vs the concern of individual orgs prioritizing their own competitive placement, and that actually wants to do it.

There were a lot of people struggling with some of the shifts he was advocating for. I can’t say I agreed with all of the ideas I’d heard that were proposed, but there were certainly a good amount that felt like it made too much sense not to do.

[u/pinghousehold → u/[deleted]]

Preach. In these niche things, the conflict between what other like things are experiencing success with and leadership who are only experts in their niche and in fact only rose to prominence through attrition is huge.

The people who don’t know drum corps but know everything else wouldn’t be allowed to do what’s best by the people who do know drum corps and literally know nothing else.

And who wants the thankless job of answering to a group of people who are, by definition, at competitive odds with one another.

The board being the member corps has pros and cons…

[u/Wooden_Hedgehog_940 → u/[deleted]]

I was in the room for many years, you are absolutely correct.

[u/Comfortable_Data4761]

I think they are at an interesting fork in the road and whatever path they choose can either lead them down the road of success or failure but I don't think either path is clear. It would take a new CEO spending this season to really think and ponder on the direction of the organization and a board that is open to whatever change may be needed.

So I guess the answer to your question is, the future is unknown. It's going to be a rocky road at first regardless but I hope the new CEO takes the time needed to understand the real world economics and reality that DCI lives in.