2022 Year-End Review
I can’t believe another year, 2022, has come and gone but it has. It was a year of inflation, volatile markets, rising interest rates, tight supply chains, wars, high gas prices, housing shortages, ongoing political instability, and drought. The one big new thing in 2022 that affected everyone was the ability to travel without restrictions. Wow, what a change.
Christie and I were able to return to our beloved Point Roberts, albeit a seriously overgrown Point Roberts home, which required many, many hours of work to bring it back into shape. We had 60 trees growing out of our deck that were four feet tall coming out of nowhere. The grass was also four feet tall and there were weeds everywhere. But, overall, it was good to be back. We only got asked to do one random COVID test on re-entry and it was 5 days before the restrictions were lifted. It punctuated the absurdity of the whole system quite nicely. Christie and I had a good laugh about it.
One negative of lifting the travel restriction was the sudden exodus of people that we could normally count on whenever we wanted to talk to them. We were back to the “out of office” messages that were much less seen during the pandemic. The logistics around getting things done seemed to be more difficult almost overnight. I guess that’s a small price to pay for freedom, right?
Many of you would have received our Year End Update letter via the mail in hardcopy along with Christmas cards. We have decided, for environmental reasons to send all our communication out electrically this year. Any savings we realize from a monetary point of view is being directed to local community programs to help make someone’s Christmas a little brighter. Let us know what you think.
2022 Cove Highlights
A year has gone by since our next gen crew and Jonathan joined our team so 2022 was in many respects a year of settling in. We needed to find our stride with all the new bodies and minds in the mix and I am proud of what everyone accomplished this year. We are all still here! Plus, we have a revamped website. Jonathan is building out our social media presence, updating our emails, and creating specific email series that dive into specific topics, from technical stuff to issues that are important to us to share with you.
Our team continues to learn and grow together. With the easing of restrictions, we began in-person meetings in and outside of the office. This took some getting used to because doing everything online is incredibly efficient even with its pitfall of not being able to have in-person conversations, so allowing for time to travel and find parking was hard at first. I am not sure we will ever go back to the frequency of in-person meetings we had before the pandemic, but I am sure we will find a balance that works for everyone. We are very fortunate to be able to bring on some great new clients, partners, and collaborators into our community. We are grateful to be able to provide our services to so many good people.
Family Enterprise Canada
Late in 2021, I was appointed the Chair of a new initiative for Family Enterprise Canada (FEC) called Family Business for Sustainable Development. Family businesses in Canada make up about 35% of Canada’s GDP and are important employers. My goal as the Chair is to help FEC build the capacity to help business families lean into the global movement around sustainable development. We are partnering with Family Business International and the United Nations to solve some of the world’s biggest challenges that include climate change and social inequity. We have built an amazing volunteer steering committee of inspiring leaders and have our sights on doing great things in 2023 around education, community building, and activation to meet our goals.
1% For the Planet
In April, we hosted what we plan to be the first annual webinar and campaign to raise funds to support an important cause, Clean Up Canada. We partnered with 1% For the Planet and Ecojustice to talk about the power of businesses to drive positive change and the need for Corporate Climate Accountability legislation in Canada. Cove provided funds to match donations during the campaign and we raised over $15,000 for Ecojustice.
1% For People
In the fall we hosted our first Truth and Reconciliation webinar and fundraiser, ReconciliAction with Kileepi Piseesi. We partnered with Laara Yaghujaanas to learn about the history of Canada’s first peoples and the movement to take action to develop a more inclusive society.
You can find our Impact Report for 2022 here.
Kananaskis 2022
In November, Christie and I were invited to share Cove’s B Corp journey story at a national insurance conference in Kananaskis, Alberta. It was the fist time we presented together, and we felt proud and delighted by the positive feedback we received. The host of the conference, PPI Advisory, put together an amazing event focused on Responsible Stewardship, and they shared their journey to become B Corp certified over the past few years.
PPI was acquired by Industrial Alliance Insurance company four years ago after decades of leading the insurance industry as the largest independent managing general agency in Canada. We are proud to have had a significant role in inspiring PPI to pursue B Corp certification and we’re honoured to be featured at this outstanding event. Our goal is to push for billions of dollars of capital towards sustainable impact investments and the B Corp platform has given us a voice to be able to do that with the insurance industry.
Family Enterprise of the Year Award
We had not shared the news extensively before, but in October we were nominated for Family Enterprise Canada’s Family Enterprise of the Year award. In November, we found out we had been selected as a finalist for the award, and on December 8, it was announced that we had won the award for the BC region! Needless to say, we are excited about the news. We didn’t expect it, but after having submitted all the requirements to the selection committee, we realized we have a lot to be proud of.
We have been invited to Ottawa for the national Symposium in May where we will find out if we are chosen as the Canadian honour. Part of the process is creating a five-minute video about Cove, and we are all looking forward to being part of that process. We are equally excited to be able to have a dear friend, Hannah Walsh, an award-winning videographer create the video for us, and look forward to sharing the final product with you. Read more here.
2022 Team Highlights
Christie Geiss
2022 has, for me, been a year in which we have returned to doing those things we did pre-pandemic. Bernie and I spent the month of January in Costa Rica. We got COVID during our travel, but we were lucky, as it was mild, and we recovered well. We were able to return to Canada with no problem, as we were able to travel after 10 days, and our exposure was at the beginning of the month-long trip.
We were also able to return to Point Roberts for the summer season. It was nice to be back there, but it was a lot of work to get it back to where it was when we left it. It is amazing how Mother Nature takes back what is rightfully hers. What was amazing, however, is that when we opened the pool (after it sat for almost three years, which looked more like a pond than a pool) we were able to get the water back to its beautiful blue in less than 2 days.
Bernie and I spent some time again this year at the Whistler Bike Park and I am happy to report… no injuries this year! We also sent off another child into the real world; two down now, one more to go.
The summer started off slow, with a rather wet and cold June and beginning of July. But everything changed mid-July and wow, did we get an extended summer. With how hot October was, I think I honestly forgot what rain felt like! The highlight of the year for me was having the entire family at Point Roberts for Thanksgiving Dinner. It felt good to have all my children under one roof and to be thankful for all that we have and share.
Warren Campbell
After a tough past couple of years with the pandemic, it was nice entering 2022 with the hope of a restart to life. Things did get better and back to normal for the kids with school and all their activities. For spring break, we were able to drive down to California for a family vacation. I was happy to do the drive, but it was long, so I will also be happy to not do it again. While in California, my daughter Chelsea attended Weil Tennis Academy. It was a great way for her to learn from some great coaches and play against some different players.
In the summertime, we also got away up to Nelson visiting friends at their cabin—nothing like a week of hanging out on the lake, tubing, jet skiing, and swimming. Nelson’s a long drive, but short compared to our California trip. Some other family highlights were Chelsea getting her braces off and Jordan getting her braces on. Chelsea started working part-time at Cove doing some administrative work to help Luciana. And I played a lot of tennis and joined a tennis league for the first time. It was lots of fun playing with other clubs and playing as a team.
Alex Liber
For me personally, 2022 has been a big year of adventure! Most of the winter was spent snowboarding on Grouse Mountain with the spring focused on training to run the Squamish 50 this past August, which was the highlight of the year for me. It was the longest distance I’ve ever run (50 km), the most elevation I’ve ever climbed (3400 m), and I had a great time doing it! The rest of the summer and into fall was spent adventuring in the mountains—I did the 21 km Spartan Race at Big White, made three trips to Mount Baker in Washington, did some beautiful runs and hikes in Squamish and Whistler, hiked up Mount Gardner on Bowen Island, and completed the Howe Sounds Crest Trail for my second time. This upcoming winter, Shanna and I have season passes to both Cypress Mountain and Mount Seymour and are looking forward to lots of time spent snowboarding and snowshoeing. I’ll also be busy training again, as I’ll be running the Vancouver Marathon in May. Professionally, I have started working on my CLU designation, which will keep me busy whenever I’m not doing something outside!
Brent Bourne
2022 was a wonderful year for the Bourne Family! Not only did we all enjoy the freedom and increased social contact coming out of lockdown related to the pandemic, but we had a tremendous family year with our oldest daughter, Meghan, getting married to the love of her life, Brian, in Amsterdam last May! The wedding was incredible and very enjoyable with many friends and family making the trip to Amsterdam. All of the speeches were excellent along with the dinner and fellowship. The weather was incredible for both the wedding and the additional holiday 10 of us took to France afterward! We are all very lucky to be able to travel as much as we do, enjoying wonderful places, such as the Alsace Region of France. If anyone gets a chance to go to this special place, I would highly recommend it!
In terms of health and careers for all, the year was a big success! No major health issues for any of us with the whole family maintaining our commitment to exercise, fresh air, healthy eating, a balanced life, and fun! Meghan continues to live in London working as a Product Marketing Manager for SalesForce, while Kristen works as a CPA in London for a retail hot beverage supplier called Knoops. Stuart left California and flying cars, and moved back to Toronto to work as the CTO for the technology company he co-founded 5 years earlier in Kingston, Ontario called Rock Mass. They all enjoy what they do and are challenged and well-rewarded by their respected companies.
Kate continues to work as a partner in her West Vancouver CPA firm called BC Partners in Planning. She is almost too busy but certainly challenged and able to use her skills and experience to the maximum. Life is good for us all and we are lucky for it!
Jonathan Poon
I’m in Vietnam right now enjoying the nice beaches, delicious food, and beautiful scenery. Some other highlights of 2022: my partner’s parents visited Vancouver for the first time (coming from Vietnam) and it was nice being the tour guide for them. I visited our country’s capital, Ottawa, in the fall, which is absolutely stunning with the fall foliage in full display. I’ve also picked up a couple of side projects to keep myself busy and attended a YMCA mental wellness program that teaches acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). This has helped a lot in practicing mindfulness and meditation, which Cove advocates for! (Our tagline is “Space to Breathe”)
At Cove, it was very meaningful to launch two new fundraiser campaigns this year, Clean Up Canada and ReconciliAction with Kileepi Piseesi. We plan to run these campaigns annually and hope to see even greater support for them next year. We’ve also started up a social committee, which I’m a part of, and it’s been a fun time creating and doing activities that gets the whole team together in a more social setting, especially as the pandemic has settled down.
Wish everyone happy holidays from beautiful Vietnam!
Luciana Alvarez
So grateful to say I am feeling free post-Covid and everyone is healthy around us, but I have to catch up on lots of hugs and kisses! We are reminded once again that family and friends are incredibly important, so we have been busy socializing and catching up with everyone. I skied the beautiful Sun Peaks, had BBQ and pool parties, did kayaking and boating, and spent lots of time at the family cottage in Shuswap. Our three children are doing well, and our boys can go out and date again. It’s so nice to be back at the office and see real faces.
I’m volunteering in the FANS (Fund for the Arts) of North Shore Board of Directors, and I really enjoyed the Gala Award and fundraising event we had in November. I had my first Art Show since Covid, which turned out amazing! I had another art show in November at The Gallery George called “Autumn Equinox”, which was also great.
My husband, Brent, and I haven’t left Canada yet, which is unusual, but we are planning a trip for next year to Africa, so we are busy researching, watching stunning documentaries, and asking for feedback from those who went recently. I wish you all a very healthy and cozy festive season and hope everyone stays warm. XO
Nikki Downie
2022 has been such a great year—I finally got back to travelling! I started off by going to Merida, Mexico for my cousin’s wedding and it was so lovely being able to see family that I hadn’t seen in quite some time. Following that, I went to Costa Rica and stayed at Bodhi Surf & Yoga Retreat, which could not have been a more enlightening experience. It really kick-started my year on a positive and relaxing note!
In my professional world, I finally started making my mark as an insurance agent. I am building up my clientele and doing everything I can to ensure clients get the best product that best suits their needs. I am continuously spending time learning everything that I can to further expand my knowledge. It has been a whirlwind of new experiences, and I cannot wait to see how the rest of my career journey unfolds.
Looking forward to the wonderful things that 2023 will bring!
Shanna Liber
A full year living in North Vancouver—wow, time flies! This year has come with plenty of learnings in business, plenty of kilometers up and down mountains, and plenty of hours in my new home, the CrossFit gym. I’m confident I have spent more time outdoors this past year than I have my entire life living in Alberta, and for that, I’m very grateful. A few highlights of my year included learning to ski and getting up to Grouse Mountain 20+ times and Whistler once, completing two major fast-packing hikes—Panorama Ridge and the entirety of the Howe Sound Crest Trail (each in one day, separately), a few awesome day-runs out at Mount Baker, and spending more time than ever with my family. I thoroughly enjoy learning and navigating the insurance industry, and I look forward to continuing to grow in business and fitness, and spending as much time as I can in the mountains with Piper (and Alex).
The Future
In closing, we would like to send you and your family best wishes for health, happiness, and prosperity in the coming year. We hope that you discover how to bring true happiness into your life and can do what it takes to make it a reality. On behalf of our entire team at Cove, Happy Holidays!
Sincerely,
Bernie Geiss
Founder
PS, Please note that our office will be closed for the holidays from:
2:00 PM, Friday, December 23rd until Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023
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