Last week, on March 30th, there was the famous Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the EOAN in Alexandria presented and led by the executive director of the non-profit organization, Louis Béland. First of all, the EOAN had the chance to be hosted by their member Stonehouse Vineyard for the duration of the long-awaited event. All the magic happened on the second floor in an impressive establishment where the host stores many barrels of wine which was served throughout the afternoon. In terms of food, four tables filled with cheeses, breads, cold meats and other local foods were there to satisfy the 60 people present.
After a small session of verbal exchange between the guests, having presented the agenda of the day and introducing his team, our executive director took care to present the finances of the company with the help from Louis-Charles Gascon. Then, for the fun part that everyone was waiting for, Louis Béland continued the meeting with the presentation of the two new websites that the network created during the beginning of the year. First, a site only for members of the organization with the aim of keeping them informed of the news within EOAN as such. Second, their public-facing website that helps potential consumers to find with ease the type of local business they are looking for by their specific needs through the search engine developed by the network. This element filters the desires of the public to find the member profiles suitable for the user’s request.
Finally, after the voluntary withdrawal of the president chairman of the Board, Michel Villeneuve, we had the pleasure of introducing Reine Quenneville as a new member of the Board to replace this pillar of the organization. To commemorate his past involvement and importance with the EOAN, Louis Béland was honoured to gift a Traditional San Mai sickle-style berry harvesting knife coming from a craftsman from Hawkesbury, Vans Blacksmithing, since Mr. Villeneuve is the proud owner of Vergers Villeneuve and Blueberry Farm in St-Pascal Baylon. In short, the AGM was a success for everyone, especially with the many positive comments the EOAN received during the presentation of the new websites. This bodes well for the future of the organization.
A hug thank you to the members who offered us some bites, Tom’s Pantry, l’Orignal Packing, Ferme Butte et Bine Farm, Café sur la Rive and Mariposa Farms, and an even bigger thank you to Stonehouse Vineyard for hosting and providing food and wine!
