Mike Keator Email and Phone Number

Donati Family Vineyard is a family owned and operated estate winery located in Templeton, California. The 1000 acre vineyard (400 acres under grapes) is located in Paicines, California which is the ninth oldest AVA in the state. Grapes are harvested and trucked immediately to the winery where Donati Family Vineyard winemakers control every step of the production process. Both Paicines and Templeton are located in the greater Central Coast AVA. Donati Family Vineyard produces handcrafted and award winning wines that are sold throughout the United States using wine distributors and direct to consumer channels.General Manager duties include: winery operations, production, facilities, administration, IT, HR, direct to consumer sales and P&L responsibility.

Proven success in leading major plant turnaround efforts. Ensured the plant delivered on its value proposition of cost, quality, delivery and lead-time through the elimination of waste and operational complexity. Demonstraed competence in working with plant management and their teams with a keen ability to understand diverse people, develop rapport, and build trust.Implementation of Lean Manufacturing Processes within the Plant.Provided leadership for Lean conversions of operations from traditional manufacturing models into a waste-free, data driven, team-oriented culture which embraced continuous improvement and ensured across-the-board operational and process excellence. Set up the frame work to develop Six Sigma competency across the enterprise. Empowered every team member to embrace and deliver Lean continuous improvement.

Developed and implemented material ordering and control systems, including the training of, and acceptance by, all segments of the Company. Established perpetual inventory control system for warehouse and field operationsConsolidated suppliers to maximize purchasing power; decreased the number of suppliers from 15 to 3, resulting in significantly decreased costs to the Company. Took control of out of state E&O warehouses to price, sell, and dispose of excess inventory.