ECGI's 2024 Letter to Shareholders: New Leadership, A New Vision, and the Extraordinary Opportunity in Targeted Luxury Goods

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Jan 16, 2024, 08:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ECGI HOLDINGS INC. (OTC: ECGI) (ECGI or the Company), a diversified holding company with a distinctive portfolio encompassing viticulture and luxury fashion, is pleased to provide the following Letter to Shareholders from the Company's Chief Executive Officer:

Dear Valued Shareholder,

View from Vintner's Caldera Ranch Kitchen

First of all, allow me to express my own personal gratitude, as well as the gratitude of our entire team here at ECGI, for your continued support and patience as we navigate the Company toward a leadership position in the luxury goods marketplace.

As we step into 2024, ECGI Holdings embraces the new year with a focus on innovation, excellence, and forward-thinking. This is a time of fresh beginnings and exciting opportunities—a period where our commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance and execution becomes our guiding light. We head into this year with a rejuvenated dedication to delivering exceptional results and fostering growth in our core strategic objectives, and to the aggressive pursuit of new opportunities aligned with our vision.

2023 was a pivotal year for ECGI Holdings, marked by a change in leadership and a new direction for the Company. Under my guidance, we have embarked on an ambitious new vision and strategic direction: to build and nurture luxury brands that resonate with our core values and market aspirations. And we have already made substantial strides toward realizing that vision.

One of the transformative highlights of 2023 was our definitive agreement with Pacific Saddlery. This joint venture epitomizes our strategic shift toward luxury branding, leveraging Pacific Saddlery's tangible and established market presence in equestrian products. This collaboration represents a significant step in realizing our vision of creating and elevating luxury brands with a focus on quality, exclusivity, and an unparalleled consumer experience.

Pacific Saddlery's CEO, Nick Collins, brings over 25 years of expertise in equestrian luxury goods. He previously founded Rolling Meadows, created the Allon and Renard et Cheval equestrian brands, and was instrumental in creating and launching Kaval.com.

This transition will also allows the Company to explore new pathways to monetize our underutilized assets, including equipment acquired from East West Farma Group and our captivating five-acre Petite Sirah vineyard, with its aged roots planted in the mineral-rich volcanic soil of Lake County, California.

In short, 2023 closed with a sense of accomplishment and an energized outlook toward a future that holds immense potential and exciting opportunities.

The global landscape for luxury brands, especially in the realms of apparel and leather goods, shows great promise, with projections calling for an expansion to approximately $1.5 trillion in global sales, signaling a sea of opportunities for brands poised to capitalize on this growth. The steady expansion in the luxury goods market, spurred by rising disposable incomes and evolving fashion trends, underscores the vast untapped potential we are now targeting.

With this strategic pivot, we aren't merely expanding. We are redefining our brand identity. Through our ventures, including our joint venture with Pacific Saddlery, we are carving a niche in the luxury brands space, ensuring that our products and services are synonymous with quality, elegance, and an unrivaled value proposition for end users in this rapidly growing market space.

In line with this mission, ECGI Holdings is proud to announce today a new and significant milestone: We have been approved by Evolve—a distinguished name in vacation rental management. This partnership will transform our 40-acre Lake County, California, property into a luxurious short-term rental destination aptly named Vintner's Caldera Ranch.

This development marks a significant step in advancing our strategy to revitalize and leverage our underutilized assets. Vintner's Caldera Ranch is set against the backdrop of Lake County's breathtaking scenery, offering an exclusive getaway experience that blends natural beauty with luxury.

Choosing Evolve is a strategic move to ensure that Vintner's Caldera Ranch not only meets but exceeds the high standards of service and luxury our guests expect. Evolve's expertise in maximizing rental potential and delivering exceptional guest experiences is crucial to our vision of making Vintner's Caldera Ranch a preferred choice for discerning travelers.

This initiative is a testament to our innovative approach to realizing the value of our assets—a pivotal step toward diversifying and strengthening our portfolio. With this venture, we are not only expanding ECGI Holdings' footprint within the luxury rental marketplace but also contributing to the local economy and enhancing the appeal of Lake County as a tourist destination. We are excited about the possibilities that Vintner's Caldera Ranch creates for our shareholders and look forward to further developments poised to unlock the value of our other underutilized assets.

As we look forward to the new year, ECGI Holdings' strategic goals are focused on innovation, expansion, and maximizing shareholder value. A key highlight of our future outlook is the debut of Pacific Saddlery's new mobile retail boutique at the prestigious Desert International Horse Park's Desert Circuit event later this month.

This innovative venture represents a significant step in our strategy to enhance brand visibility and engage directly with our target market. The mobile boutique concept is a testament to our commitment to bringing our luxury equestrian products closer to enthusiasts and professionals alike. The Desert Circuit event, renowned for its prominence in the equestrian world, serves as the perfect platform for this launch, aligning with our vision to be at the forefront of luxury equestrian experiences.

Beyond specific events, we are dedicated to pursuing ventures that contribute to a steady increase in shareholder value. This includes exploring new markets, innovating within our product offerings, and optimizing our operational efficiencies.

Our focus remains steadfast on strategic growth, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction. By adhering to these principles, we believe that ECGI Holdings will lay a solid foundation for sustained success and profitability in the years to come. That focus is firmly rooted in a strategic context that holds enormous financial opportunities for sustained growth with asymmetric payoff potential. We believe we have the right team and the right partnership ecosystem already in place to aggressively capitalize on these opportunities, and we are committed to building on this edge over coming quarters.

In conclusion, the wheels are turning. We have a potent vision, and we have put in place the building blocks to bring that vision to fruition. We also value our shareholders immensely and will place a high priority on keeping you informed and engaged as we embark on this exciting journey into 2024 and beyond.

Best Regards,

Jamie Steigerwald
CEO, ECGI Holdings, Inc.

About ECGI

ECGI is a diversified holding company with a distinctive portfolio encompassing viticulture and luxury fashion. The Company owns and manages a five-acre vineyard in Lake County, California, specializing in cultivating Petite Sirah, known for its bold and rich character, aligns with the growing demand for unique and high-quality wine experiences. In the fashion sector, ECGI has strategically invested in Pacific Saddlery, a premier manufacturer and retailer of luxury equestrian tack, apparel, and accessories. This unique blend of wine and fashion investments reflects ECGI Holdings' commitment to delivering sophistication and innovation across diverse markets, positioning the Company as a distinctive player in the intersection of technology, viticulture, and luxury lifestyle.

For additional information, please contact us at [email protected].

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements also may be included in other publicly available documents issued by the Company and in oral statements made by our officers and representatives from time to time. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. They can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "would," "could," "will" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flows, results of operations, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance.

Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others such as, but not limited to, economic conditions, changes in the laws or regulations, demand for products and services of the Company, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking information provided in this release should be considered with these factors in mind. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this report.

For more information, please contact:

Jamie Steigerwald
[email protected]

SOURCE ECGI Holdings