2020 May - Board of Directors Meeting Minutes 📝

MEETING NOTES 

IN ATTENDANCE:  Stephen Janes, Katy Rogers, Laura Booras, Wayne Kelterer, Nicholas Miller, Tyler Thomas, Riley Slack 

Item 1: Call to Order

o   Meeting called to order (9:06am)

Item 2: Approval Minutes – March 2020

o   March 2020 minutes approved

Item 3: CEO Update

o   Re-Opening Updates

§  Alison is team lead for the Beverage Industry Committee for SBC Re-Opening

§  Each County has to design a re-opening framework and attest to keeping public safe

§  Governor has to approve attestation plan

§  REACH consultants have been overseeing the RISE framework development for the County; each industry is working with REACH consultants.

§  SLO was blueprint, but their attestation was recently denied due to Covid cases

§  Had the first meeting with SBC Beverage Industry via zoom and discussed requirements and guidelines

§  Also seeking expansion from ABC for licenses

§  Lompoc Federal Prison is skewing SBC covid numbers & County has requested that State allow it to be removed from the aggregate numbers reported for attestation.

§  Must meet state requirements before SBC approved to move forward to Stage 2B (# of deaths, new cases, etc.)

§  Stage 2B would allow wineries to act as dine-in restaurants=seated full meal, BTG, BTB

§  SBC currently doesn’t allow this, but will in this stage temporarily. Must coordinate:

·      State

·      County

·      ABC

·      County Dept of Public Health

·      County Dept of Environmental Services (food permits)

·      County Planning Dept to over-ride Winery Ordinance with Emergency Ruling

·      Dept of Public Works to allow footprint expansion into street/alley/sidewalk

§  Can contract with food truck only right now

§  Board of Supervisors will address at their next meeting

§  Dept of Public Works is pursuing closing of public streets and sidewalks so consumers can be outside and distancing

o   Financials

§  Presented four cashflow scenarios including VF20 in-or-out scenarios

§  Scenario #1 includes CDFA reimbursement

§  CDFA reimbursements total: $57,000

§  VF20 Cancellation: Donate or carry sponsorships to next year. Do we need to refund or will they roll-over to next year?

§  Expenses have been paired down to minimum

§  PPP Loan approved but we were classified incorrectly as a C-corp instead of a nonprofit so we returning to government and will reapply correctly.

§  SBV should be able to get a loan in next step of relief, called the HEROES Act

§  IMW costs going up so will need money in account to cover their invoices until the State can reimburse us

§  Talked to CDFA about money in & money out, cash flow problems; applied for  advance: up to forty-five days to receive

§  Expenses this summer will be beyond the advance

§  Scneario #2: Cancel VF20 and replace with virtual event

§  Forecasting that we’ll run out of money by July

§  Board would have to execute grant if organization were dissolved

§  Trying to get AR in to shore up cash flow

§  Scenario #3 includes operating with VF20

§  Can we hold festival at half occupancy and cover costs?

§  Scneario #4 is if we can’t resolve anything, must cancel VF and do not receive any loans

§  Can we re-vamp VF20?

§  Organization would need to be restructured: Determine if we want to raise dues and redo tiers

§  PPP emergency loan: Best option, but not available until next round of emergency funding in the HEROES act.

§  Need to determine where we stand with BID – send out survey to get straw vote

§  More sponsorship opportunities in bringing VF20 into SYV?

§  Need to determine how to proceed with VF20 since we’ll need to start marketing in June

§  Convert to passport format?

§  Tyler makes motion that board members help chase dues on AR and help recruit new members. Second: Karen. Unanimous approval

§  Table decision to hold or cancel VF20 to June meeting

o   SB Wine Preserve Update

§  Survey was sent on structure of BID going forward

§  1.5% was structure approved, but margin was thin

§  A “no” vote was not an option in this structure e-mail, but will be in next survey (see above)

o   Grant 2020 Update

§  Ad campaign on hold

§  May need to ask a vintner to cover grant expenses then reimburse=cashflow issues

§  IMW will execute plan the second we open

o   Grant 2021 Update

§  We were disqualified due to an administrative technicality: incorrect budget was uploaded into the system. Appealed to allow correct budget to be submitted, was denied.

Item 4: SB Vintners Foundation

o   As a board, we are hoping to be more aligned with Foundation

o   Open Board seat proposed for Jessica Gasca, President of Vintners Foundation

o   Katy makes motion to nominate and approve Jessica Gasca as a Board Member. Second: Riley. Unanimous approval

Item 5: Honoring of Larry Saarloos & Steve Arrowood

o   Should a grant or scholarship be established in their names? Annual memoriam?

o   We will contact the families to see how they would like us to engage

Item 6: Matt Kettman & Macduff Everton Book

o   Both are authoring a book on the history of Santa Barbara & wine

o   They have been contacting community with offer to purchase $1,500 of books

o   SBV not in position financially to pay for this amount of books

o   Offered to promote book to local vintners

Item 7: Cannabis Discussion

o   We have been involved with regulation and appeals

o   These first appeals happen to be next to Pence

o   Does Stephen need to recuse since associated with Pence? Timing is coincidental.

o   Should SBV take an official stance on cannabis?

o   We are not the only industry being affected by cannabis grows

o   Tyler offers to have a Zoom call with membership to give a cannabis update

o   Come up with position statement

o   Laura makes motion to write a position statement and schedule a Zoom call on subject. Second: Karen. Unanimous approval

Item 8: Meeting Adjourned

o   Adjourned at 12:10pm