Message from the Chair of the Audit Committee

It has truly been an exciting year for me to join the Opimian Board of Directors and take on the role of Treasurer. 2019 was certainly a challenging year for the Society. The beginning of 2020 brought new hope and renewed energy after we welcomed our coManaging Directors, Greg Rinehart and Michael Lutzmann.

Unfortunately, by late in the first quarter of 2020 we were faced with a global pandemic. I recall on Friday the 13th of March, 2020 being told by leadership at my firm to make sure to take home our laptops since we might need to work from home for a couple of weeks. As I write this note, it has been almost 14 months of working from home.

The first few months of the pandemic were very worrying for me as Treasurer of Opimian and a new Board member. However, it was clear that we were in very good hands with Greg and Michael. Their fresh thinking and marketing prowess were evident very early on. As well, once the initial shock of the pandemic and lockdowns subsided, the fabulous selections of wines in our Cellar Offerings were hard to resist.

This momentum carried forward for the rest of the year and we ended with an impressive pipeline which puts us in a very good position to have a strong 2021. We went from a deficit in 2019 to a surplus in 2020. We have certainly turned things around from the previous year: sales are improving, there is a renewed buzz and energy in the Club. All the same, we are not where we want to be.

This is part of a multiyear turnaround and we still have lots of work to do. The Board and Management are committed to working together to continue building a great Club.