2018 October - Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 📝
MEETING NOTES
IN ATTENDANCE: Stephen Janes, A.J. Fairbanks, Katy Rogers, Ross Rankin, Sonja Magdevski (phoned in), Peter Work, Norm Yost, Laura Booras, Callie Gleason, Karen Steinwachs, Justin Willett
Item 1: Call to Order
o Meeting called to order (9:09am)
Item 2: Review and Approve August Minutes
o Minutes for September 19, 2018 approved by Board
Item 3: Financials
o $8,000 still outstanding for Mission SB participation fees
o Money from SOMM III is coming from Nightout; Solvang paid their sponsorship directly to vendors
o $1,500-$2,000 profit
o Civitas retainer payments are on hold due to County’s inability to provide the tax information required to move the BID process forward
o American Express used more to help cash flow issues
o If we invoice membership dues in November, we should be OK financially
o Board members please pay membership dues ASAP if possible to help with cash flow problem
o Invoice in November, due date for payment December 31, 2018; this is a change from previous years. Dues have been accepted until April for participation in the Vintners Festival.
o Latest A/R generated is October 16 (yesterday)
§ Following A/R accounts not responding: Glopack, Bacara, Bottleist
§ Katy is persisting to get payment from Blackbird
o Grant from Foundation not received yet
o Ross: Similar budget cannot be done for 2019, must have $20,000 in reserve
o SOJ: Wine Auction & Futures could bring in significant revenue
o BID could go into effect on June 1, 2019, start collecting after first quarter, possibly October 2019
o Comment by Alison: It takes 12-24 months to turn around an organization; this organization is a long turnaround and will take 24 months to be financially stable and focused. The timeline is important for the Board and the membership to recognize.
o BID = projected to be reported quarterly; monthly too much
o Annual Report will be done by Friday
§ This report will be a rundown of the year; first time an annual report has been done; it will be sent electronically & physically
· PDF invoice in the packet?
· Referral Bonus for new member sign ups?
· Should we have a party for non-members to recruit?
o Norm: We need to show benefits, needs to be exciting – (AR should do this)
§ Can 360ViewPR help with these efforts?
§ Quarterly update on benefits?
o Assign Board Member to new member to welcome and orientation? Yes.
o Vintners Fest 2019 at Rancho Sisquoc a recruitment tool?
o Vinicultural updates in newsletter=Justin is interested in this
o New members must be voted in? This has not been happening; if they meet the criteria of membership, they have been approved.
o $50,000 grant from Foundation still on hold
§ Two lawyers talking ramifications of transfer, even though approved by Foundation board
o Why is the Professional Fees line item so high in P&L? Civitas included in “Professional Fees”
§ All expenses have been re-coded
§ All events have not lost money in 2018
o Allocation of salaries = with two employees is not necessary, if we add more, possibly something to consider
o Next year, collect on Mission SB [and all events that require participation fees] should be upfront
Item 4: Alison Update
o Wine Bid
§ County is supportive and working with consultant to get numbers by November
§ BID Spreadsheet based off vintners info so we can forecast
§ This sales data is completely confidential and not shared with anyone, even the Board; only Phil and Alison receive the information.
o Specialty Crop Grant
§ This is a pass-through grant from Federal Government
§ Focus on marketing/education/research
§ Focusing on the Los Angeles market
§ Ross has a lead on advertising firm
§ Our specialty crop is our grapes
o SOMM III Recap
§ Event was well-received, focused, with a new audience
§ Demographic seemed younger
§ SBV created the budget=Solvang contributed $2,500 in sponsorship
§ Could we do SOMM III at Vintners Festival?
§ AV company was amazing
o Vintners Festival
§ $20,000 donation from Santa Maria Chamber
§ Tried to get La Purisima but daily time frame was not negotiable; festivals only allowed in the evenings after the park has closed.
§ Paul Patel: No hard feelings about moving from Lompoc, wants to keep relationship
§ Vintners Festival 2019 website should be up soon
§ Working on sponsorships
§ Vintners Fest master list of logistics sent to board (Events Committee) with items that need to be done for the Festival to be a success
§ Going to find where to store dues wine
§ 360ViewPR:
· Will help promote VF19
· Have recently worked with Ray Isle
· PR report in Member Area of new site
· Press Kit is almost done
Item 5: Events
o Mission Santa Barbara Recap
§ 35 wineries participated, 34 Somms took part
§ Most of the rooms were donated thanks to help from Shelby Simm
§ 110 people attended Jim Clendenen’s kick-off party
§ Jordan Mackay was great, all events unscripted and authentic
§ Recaps coming in, and debrief with Chad Melville
§ Surveys will be coming in from somms
§ September 15-18, 2019 tentative dates
§ Harvest schedule is competitive advantage
o Wine Futures-April 13, 2019 (When did this get changed to March 30th?)
§ Use Wine Cask Futures model
§ Doug Margerum is fully committed
§ 30-40 wineries, one or two wines each winery
§ Consumer & industry
§ Bring Napa Auction tools to us
§ Trying to bring as much in-house as possible to maximize profits
§ Jordan Mackay is on board for this event
§ Tickets should cover costs
§ Specialty cuvees, no retail benchmark
§ Considering Alisal Resort
Item 6: Other New Business
o Regional Appellation Ambassadors
§ We need to establish a good relationship with them all
§ Organize a Board Member to keep in contact and help cross promote
§ Dinner to bring all the heads together for collaboration
§ Possible grants after BID?
§ Motion taken, motion approved
o Holiday Party
§ Membership potluck?
§ Callie is interested in hosting, will look at dates and get back to board
o Hoop House Ordinance
§ What position should we take?
§ 70 acre cannabis grow proposed near Dierberg tasting room in Sta. Rita Hills
§ Permitting throughout Sta. Rita Hills not done correctly
§ Aroma, security, esthetics are basis of complaint
§ Letter will be submitted to county shortly
§ Concerned about taint
§ Hoop houses with fans, lights, electricity is illegal
§ This is a political issue and should vet our response
§ Planning & Development meeting on November 7, 2018
Item 7: Meeting Adjourned
Meeting adjourned at 11:43am