Meanwhile, the group's board has speeded up its process for selecting a replacement for long-time president and CEO Bill Anderson, who stepped down in October.

Though formal candidates for the post have not yet been received, some people have expressed interest in the post, CBA Chairman-elect George Thomsen told Christian Retailing.

Anderson's departure after almost 25 years at the helm of CBA followed several years of declining fortunes for the association. Attendance at its conventions dropped and in a series of cost-cutting moves its workforce was trimmed from around 50 to a current 10.

Accounting and legal services and most of the work related to the International Christian Retail Show are now outsourced, said Thomsen. As a result, the board is reviewing the future of its home since 2000--on a five-acre site in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"Because of rightsizing our staff and outsourcing of many functions, we no longer need the amount of space we have previously used," said Thomsen. "While we have had several parties express interest in renting space, we prefer not to be in the landlord business. We have had people who are interested in purchasing the building as well."

Thomsen said the board had been in touch with an executive search firm, and "may or may not" use such services. Regarding the timetable for choosing a new CEO, "we had (one) established that was more long term, but are in the process of revising it to accommodate our present situation."

Read the full report in the January 2010 issue of Christian Retailing magazine.

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