The 2016 AGM was held at the Schubert Centre on October 19, 2016. Thank you to all the members who attended and also to the many volunteers who planned and attended to the Open House An Open House was held from 5:30 – 7:00 to provide members with an opportunity to meet and greet, meet staff and volunteers and learn about exciting new initiatives for 2016-17. This was followed by the Annual General Meeting which kicked off with a really fun fashion show. Thank you to Theresa and the gang at Stussi Sport for a fun event. Excerpt from the Chairmans Report. Brian Wills The AGM is now to be held in the fall so complete financial report can be made for the previous season Thank you to 3 Board members who are not returning: Doug Geller, Shane Pearce, Shirley Pommier We had a good season financially. Our Treasurer, Sandra Ecclestone will provide details.    We will be reviewing and updating our Strategic Plan over the 2016-17 season.  Our General Manager, Troy Hudson, will provide the highlights of the past and the upcoming season.    General Managers Report. Troy Hudson Thank you everyone for coming to the 2016 AGM. It is a pleasure to discuss the numerous exciting initiatives that are taking place in out Club. 2015-16 was my first full season with Sovereign Lake. We hosted a series of successful events and enjoyed an abundant snow year with record breaking skier visits. We streamlined our budget to reduce expenses and increase revenues. Most importantly I had the opportunity to work with an outstanding team of employees and club volunteers. Volunteers! Thank you. Without you this club would cease to exist. There are hundreds of you out there working to create a dynamic, diverse and inclusive ski culture in the Greater Vernon area. We are stronger as a whole when we work together to create opportunity for others. I have two people that work by my side throughout the season that help me to keep my head above the water. Without them, and their tireless passion and enthusiasm, day-to-day operations would be in a far worse place. So Don Wylie and Frances Weeks please come up here to accept my thanks for not only being great employees but also great ambassadors for our club and operations. Sovereign Lake and Silver Star created a joint program, Supercamp, which brings top quality instructors together with skiers from all over the globe. In addition to showcasing everything our amazing ski area has to offer, Supercamp has already exceeded last seasons target ahead of schedule and is producing new revenue for our Club. During the 2015-16 season SLNC made some decisions to increase capacity in our skill development program. As a result we have a revised coaching structure, a new Programs Committee consisting of 11 parent volunteers and a part time SDP Coordinator to assist our programs to deliver its goals for the upcoming season. With registrations coming in, coaching training courses commencing and dryland training underway there is a lot of momentum to build success. Thank you to all of those hard working team members. There are numerous big ticket expenses that the general membership just don’t always get to see, but without them our skiing would not be nearly as good as it is. Of note for the 2016-17 season the club has purchased a new snowcat. With strong revenue last season we were able to secure a fully refurbished Pisten Bully 400 snowcat with a custom designed nordic tiller that will not only reduce our fuel consumption and emissions but will also lead to superior grooming. This machine is the first step in a new groomer replacement strategy that will see us set aside funding every year to replace our equipment more regularly. This will ensure that we have the best quality grooming while minimizing breakdowns and maintenance costs. We have also purchased a smaller groomer which can be pulled with our quads and snowmobiles. This machine will allow for low-cost grooming after light snowfalls, for night skiing and for the newly rebuilt Jessica’s Trail. We will be seeking volunteers to help this supplementary grooming program. This fall the club improved Jessica’s Trail and the Animal Trail. These trails have been brushed and widened to allow us to use our new smaller grooming equipment. These two trails provide additional safe play areas for kids in our skill development and S’cool Ski programs. Thank you to Don for leading the work parties and to Darren, coaches and athletes who came out to assist with the final cleanup of these trails. On the lodge front The lodge has a fresh coat of stain on the exterior that matches the remaining out buildings. We are redesigning the counter space to increase traffic flow and decrease long waits to pick up season passes and rentals. We have purchased a TV monitor that will be positioned upstairs on the main floor that will provide latest weather, a daily grooming report, and upcoming events. We have increased our youth ski availability for Programs with additional small boots and skis. We purchased a new season pass printer, computer and webcam to provide higher quality and faster produced passes. And finally we have a new website! While there are a few kinks to still work through we are receiving much positive feedback on the overall design. The prospect of a new day lodge still remains uncertain. It is likely that the funding from BC parks will be less than anticipated. We will need to investigate alternate avenues of funding for the replacement of our aging building. While paint and cosmetic changes help, it does not alleviate the congestion and growing safety concerns. This lodge replacement was a key priority in the last Strategic Plan. The replacement of this building should be one of the highest priorities for our club. I look forward to working with the Board, the membership and the community to bring this to fruition. Finally I would like to thank you our members and the Board for giving me this great opportunity to be part of this team. My family and I are very committed to Sovereign and cant wait for the snow to start flying! Go buy your 2016-10 Season Passes if you haven’t already done so as early bird registration closes October 31st. We will see you soon. Excerpts from the Treasurers Report. Sandra Ecclestone.    Sandra Presented the 2015 & 2016 Year End Financials prepared by Romei Plummer,  CA Our club is seasonal, complex and capital intensive. We require regular replacement of grooming equipment to provide the core services that are expected, especially well groomed ski trails. The Finance Committee and General Manager have cut costs, put financial controls in place and focussed on priorities to help manage the financial demands. 2015 was a poor snow year resulting in a loss of $7,000; 2016 was a good snow year resulting in $108,000 of excess revenue over expenses. This positive cash flow is due in part to good snow conditions and improved financial systems. This Operating Profit has been committed to purchasing a used Snow Groomer and ATV For both 2015 & 2016 the Balance Sheet is much stronger and Net Assets are up by $100,000 more than 2014 Total Revenue for 2015 was $640,000 and for 2016 was $738,000. Ticket Sales, mostly day tickets, are the source of the $100,000 increase for 2016. Revenue from day ticket sales is highly weather dependent and cannot be counted on every year. Total Expenses are lower by $13,000 compared to 2015 despite the increase in Volume of Sales and reduced by $55,000 compared to 2014. We are on track to continue this season with good financial results but must be cautious about the costs and benefits of future expenditures. Report of the Elections Committee. Hugh Hamilton The AGM included the selection of up to five (5) members of the Board of Directors. There are a total of 10 members of the Board. Members are elected for two-year terms, with five being elected each year. This is to provide continuity, as half the board carries on each year into a second term and half “turns over”. All Board members are volunteers, donating their time and talents to contribute to our club. The returning members of the Board are Liz Ariano, Sharon Clarke, Pat Pearce, Sandra Ecclestone, and Rob Madden. In August 2016 an Elections Committee was struck to oversee the election of the new members to the Board at the 2016 AGM. The Elections Committee is made up of SLNC members Hugh Hamilton, Olaf Plummer and David Thomson. The call for nominations went out to all members in several emails in September and October 2016, and was posted on the SLNC web site. According to the club by-laws, nominations closed at midnight on Monday October 10. Four nominations were received before the deadline. The nominees (in alphabetical order) are:  Brent Ree  Bruce Sandilands  Brian Wills  Michelle WolfeThe biographies of these volunteers were sent to all members and are posted on the SLNC website. Because there were fewer than six nominations Michelle, Brent, Bruce and Brian were acclaimed at the AGM. As a result no election was held. The Club would also like to thank the outgoing members of the Board who have served over the past term. They are Doug Geller, Shane Pearce and Shirley Pommier. The Elections Committee thanks all those who took the time to consider volunteering for the Board, and to the four members who stepped forward. Signed, Hugh Hamilton, David Thomson and Olaf Plummer Elections Committee Sovereign Lake Nordic Club AGM 2016 Date: October 19, 2016