Vice President
CurrentDirectly manage all sales, administration, accounting and IT functions and oversee daily business and winery operations with a staff of 5 for family-owned 10,000-case winery.Participate in every aspect of winemaking from grower relations and vineyard management through picking, crushing, fermentation, aging, blending and bottling.Function as the primary sales and marketing point of contact for 300+ customers in California plus distributors and core accounts in the majority of U.S. markets.Work elbow to elbow with production staff as needed on crush pad and cellar floor sorting fruit, dumping bins, pulling samples, washing barrels, stacking pallets, etc.Skills & Achievements:Provide critical sensory and strategic inputs as 1 of 3 palates and key decision-makers behind the blending and creation of widely recognized and consistently top-scoring Cabernet, Chardonnay, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot bottlings from vintages 1997-2011.Apply exceptional communication and interpersonal skills and work effectively with people at all levels - owners, employees, customers, vendors and outside professionals - to achieve business objectives.Spearheaded the creation of new winemaking team and operations infrastructure in transition from custom crush environment to independent winery facility in 2003.Drove and managed growth in annual revenue from $2.4M to $6.4M average through a 70% increase in case production and significant expansion in high margin direct to consumer and CA state wholesale direct sales.Created platform for and managed direct to consumer sales growth from a basis of $200K to yearly average of $2M. Grew direct sales to California based retail and restaurant accounts from annual gross of $1.3M to $2.7M average.
