2020 February - Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 📝
Item 1: Call to Order
o Meeting called to order (9:15am)
Item 2: Approval Minutes – Plan B Meeting
o Approval of January minutes tabled until March meeting
Item 3: CEO Update
o Wine BID Update
§ Wine BID now called SBC Wine Preserve; the name Wine BID is owned by an online auction house who asked us to please stop using the phrase “Wine BID.”
§ DTC sales data from Santa Barbara County was inaccurate
§ SBV tried best to estimate DTC numbers
§ Civitas was provided accurate sales tax data and shared aggregate of all DTC sales: $1.6M
§ Based on new total numbers, we may structure BID differently
§ Unofficial poll: 40-60% of wine revenue generated from wine club
§ Alison will send e-mail to wineries with options based on new data
§ Options will include a self-reporting model
§ We will survey wineries on what structure they prefer
§ Will try to make the Board of Supervisors meeting agenda in April and try for May petition
o Financials
§ Looking at financials, you will see office rent removed, but moving expenses have been added
§ Co-working space in Santa Barbara is an option for Alison and Nicholas is offering space at CCWS (Central Coast Wine Services) in Santa Maria
§ SBV will send office needs to Board to see if they can accommodate
§ Will move out of office at end of March
§ SBV will announce to membership
o 2020 Grant Update
§ The administration of this grant is proving to be cumbersome and time-intensive
§ We will have an audit in summer
§ Invoices must be very specific
§ Trying to keep up with reporting schedule
o 2021 Grant Update
§ We will submit Phase Two by Friday, February 15, 2020
o Vintners Festival 2020
§ Kady Fleckenstein of Kadydid will be marketing festival
§ ½ of tickets sold at 2019 VF were from Santa Barbara County
§ Three-pronged marketing plan between Kadydid, KPS3 and IMW Agency
§ We will send requests to wineries for items we need for festival that might save us $$: handtrucks, spit buckets, ice buckets, etc.
o Plan C for Funding
§ Plan A=BID
§ Plan B=Altered BID
§ Plan C=Updated membership tiers if BID fails
o Open Board Seats
§ Currently have one seat open, another may be opening up
§ Holding seat open for new structure if BID goes through
§ Tyler Thomas now on Ag Advisory Committee with County
Item 4: Guest Speaker: Keith Saarloos
o BID is creating dialogue within the wine community
o PAC cannot be created by SBV, but should be formed
§ [Alison’s note: PAC can be formed by SBV if Board by-laws are amended]
o Recent meeting with Supervisor Hartmann and wine community at the Grange was beneficial
o Feedback was that there should be one contact for SBC wine community – one government liason
o We are a two-billion-dollar industry and should be recognized as such
o BID will increase DTC and create more opportunity for local vendors
o Political advocacy will make or break our industry
o Saarloos & Sons is 100% behind the BID
o Must keep in mind this is a census year and district lines may be adjusted
o New Membership Organization can dictate for & against legislation down the line
o Less vines being planted and 50% of our grapes leaving county
o We have the ability to make more wine and keep our grapes here
o Need to have more beds for our customers
o Alison is leading the way and is the right person to do this
o SBV should update by laws to be more politically active
o To start a PAC, it costs $5,000
Item 5: Educational Tastings
o Board members are asked to attend the tastings and give update to attendees
Item 6: SBV Monthly Newsletter
o Hope to implement new format in March
o Sponsorship/Membership spots at bottom
Item 7: Meeting Adjourned
o Adjourned at 11:56am