Jim Elser served as a Director in 2015, Vice-President in 2016 and President in 2017. As a cook team

pitmaster, Jim and Sweet Smoke Q won the Professional Team of the Year award in 2014 and 2016. He,

also, has appeared on the television show, Barbecue Pitmasters.

Jim is one of the greatest ambassadors and supporters of the FBA. He is a great mentor to the other

cook teams and is always willing to give any advice and support that they might need. Jim has always

gone above board to promote the FBA at any opportunity that he gets.

Jim owns the company, Sweet Smoke Q, which manufactures drum smokers and sauces and rubs. In

additional to making his own outstanding product line, he makes sauces and rubs for other top cook

teams and companies. Jim currently makes the FBA Team of the Year trophies for both the Professional

and Backyard teams.

Steve has provided exceptional service to the FBA since 2006, in the capacities of President, Vice President, Board Member, Lead Representative, Rep Trainer, Judge Trainer and Master Judge. He stepped forward during FBA times of true crisis and imminent peril. As Vice President, Steve took over as President when the sitting President resigned under extreme pressure from the Board of Directors and membership, while abstaining from that vote. When Steve took over as President, there was $748 in the FBA Treasury, and several thousand dollars in debt. Steve led the FBA recovery to financial stability and formed a fully-functioning Board of Directors, forfeiting some dear friends along the way due to his insistence to always place the FBA well-being over personal desires. He was ultimately elected as President in his own right, then served again as Vice President and finally as a Board Member.

Steve is the longest serving Board Member in the history of the FBA. He wrote or rewrote almost all of the then-existing policy documents, as well as one major revision of the by-laws. He also trained approximately 150 new judges over the years, including special sessions for the 2014 FBA-sanctioned Black Gold BBQ Blowout in Hobbs, New Mexico. At least twice, he carried on with judges training in periods of blackout, i.e., no electricity.

Steve appeared twice on national television during the filming of BBQ Pit Wars while working in Rep capacity and was selected by American Queen Steamboat Company to be a guest lecturer aboard their live-aboard paddlewheel riverboats. His lecture topics were how to judge barbecue and his wacky journey through the world of competition barbecue.