Michael Traverso Email & Phone Number

California, United States

Napa, Ca

Serving on the leadership team of a luxury wine marketer and importer, manages brands and a multimillion dollar budget.Identifies, pitches, secures, onboards and launches Napa, Sonoma and European brands. Works with in-house counsel to negotiate contracts; collaborates with the operations team to ensure TTB import compliance; and oversees resource and wine allocations and shipping.Integrates new brands into the portfolio and distributor network. Educates the sales force and… Show more Serving on the leadership team of a luxury wine marketer and importer, manages brands and a multimillion dollar budget.Identifies, pitches, secures, onboards and launches Napa, Sonoma and European brands. Works with in-house counsel to negotiate contracts; collaborates with the operations team to ensure TTB import compliance; and oversees resource and wine allocations and shipping.Integrates new brands into the portfolio and distributor network. Educates the sales force and distributors and confirms pricing and programming are correct and sufficient inventory is available.Drives collateral and website development/refresh, coaches and trains field representatives as the U.S. lead brand manager, garners PR and press mentions and obtains On-Premise wine menu placements.Leveraged cloud-based Salsify to catalog brands and propel wine distribution nationally with large retailers (i.e., Albertsons/Safeway, Amazon/Whole Foods, Total Wine & More, Costco). Partners with Breakthru Beverage Group and Republic National Distributing Company channel and digital teams to sell product on their sites utilizing Salsify and aid sales team wine order placement.Leads annual trade trips to Europe for eight to 10 large restaurant group owners and buyers.Sources wine grape contracts for Routestock Cellars to meet domestic production demands.Key ResultsAdded five new brands, three international, GAJA Properties (Italy), Domaine Faiveley (France) and Billaud-Simon (France); and two domestic, Composition and Jonive, yielding multimillon dollar revenue.Drove build-out of a digital e-commerce portal for the Northeast distribution channel using DynamicWeb, facilitating CRM, e-Commerce, PIM, wine recommendations, loyalty programs and ERP. Show less

Santa Rosa, Ca

Recruited into the role, planned and launched the marketing strategy in conjunction with the executive team and owners for 11 international (i.e., Italy, France, Australia, Chile, South Africa) wineries and the domestic ultra-premium winery Verite. Integrated the marketing strategy with the PR and communication teams. Prepared marketing content, programming and QR codes; administered a budget; directed and developed two staff; and trained the sales team how to sell virtually… Show more Recruited into the role, planned and launched the marketing strategy in conjunction with the executive team and owners for 11 international (i.e., Italy, France, Australia, Chile, South Africa) wineries and the domestic ultra-premium winery Verite. Integrated the marketing strategy with the PR and communication teams. Prepared marketing content, programming and QR codes; administered a budget; directed and developed two staff; and trained the sales team how to sell virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leveraged webinars, social media campaigns, Instagram Live, global partnerships, virtual events, promotional tours and cross-marketing to bring about sales. Authored and presented quarterly and annual reports to the CEO and Board of Directors. Key ResultsCollaborating with the web development team, revamped the website for one brand, refreshing content and reinvigorating brand essence. Grew sales volume and attained brand goals for international and domestic markets and DTC, contributing to generating multimillion dollar revenue. Show less

Saint Helena, Ca

Governed 15 luxury brands and a multimillion dollar budget. Directed and developed the national 31-person sales team. Spearheaded programming, distribution and sales for Italian brands in the U.S. three-tier system.Built the portfolio; worked with Accounting and Legal to negotiate contracts, import agreements and tariffs with new brands; and completed foreign exchange analysis.Conducted strategic and financial planning; volume, COGS and price modeling; forecasting and… Show more Governed 15 luxury brands and a multimillion dollar budget. Directed and developed the national 31-person sales team. Spearheaded programming, distribution and sales for Italian brands in the U.S. three-tier system.Built the portfolio; worked with Accounting and Legal to negotiate contracts, import agreements and tariffs with new brands; and completed foreign exchange analysis.Conducted strategic and financial planning; volume, COGS and price modeling; forecasting and P&L analysis; budgeting; and price negotiation.Key ResultsAugmented the number of new brands 33%+ since 2015, adding iconic wineries, Champagne Gosset, Biondi-Santi, Dal Forno, Arnaldo Caprai and Prosecco Bisol. Elevated revenue share 5X in 20 months by expanding the Italian brand share from 6% to 30%+.Extended margins 10%+ and depletions 30%+ in 12 months via tighter fiscal control, resetting pricing and creating and implementing sales tools (e.g., collateral, sales incentives).Rapidly curbed tariffs, mitigating portfolio impacts; protected margins, product pricing and supply; guaranteed distributor pricing; and amplified inventory, maintaining On Premise placements.Guided the PR Team concerning brand communication and event activations, yielding a 30%+ increase in mentions by top publications and key influencers. Quadrupled U.S. trade/press tours due to greater brand representation. Show less

Santa Rosa, Ca

Established a 300+-member organization to promote Single Malt Whisky and international artisanal spirits. Partnered with global spirits brand ambassadors, master distillers and the California Artisanal Spirits Guild to garner: 1) society credibility, 2) access to brand samples, and 3) authentic storytelling. Arranged and gave eight tastings with 60 to 80 attendees; and conducted intimate private tastings.Invested in a still to craft unique whisky products.

Healdsburg, Ca

Trained, coached and managed 15 DTC sales staff for a winery that produced 30K cases of hand-crafted wine annually. Building out the new tasting salon experience, designed processes, tours, tastings and collateral.Planned four large events annually with up to 5K attendees and 12 small events with 20 to 100 attendees.Key ResultsGalvanized the DTC channel by adding wine library sales, digital marketing campaigns and events, increasing sales 240%+. Propelled DTC… Show more Trained, coached and managed 15 DTC sales staff for a winery that produced 30K cases of hand-crafted wine annually. Building out the new tasting salon experience, designed processes, tours, tastings and collateral.Planned four large events annually with up to 5K attendees and 12 small events with 20 to 100 attendees.Key ResultsGalvanized the DTC channel by adding wine library sales, digital marketing campaigns and events, increasing sales 240%+. Propelled DTC growth 100% during 2013 by implementing and directing programs (e.g., luxury travel experiences, hotel concierge programs).Eclipsed revenue goals in Y1 by 140% via selling $600K and 25% in Y2 by selling $1M. Show less

Santa Rosa, Ca

Working for a venerable family-owned specialty retail market, managed and coached two FTEs. Facilitated weekly wine and spirits tastings, new release events and off-site tasting events annually. Joining with a local travel agency, led three trips to Spain, France and Italy. Delivered classroom wine education and hosted excursions for 15 to 30 attendees. Key ResultsExpanded spirit offerings 300%+ within three years by sourcing rare whisk(e)y for exclusive… Show more Working for a venerable family-owned specialty retail market, managed and coached two FTEs. Facilitated weekly wine and spirits tastings, new release events and off-site tasting events annually. Joining with a local travel agency, led three trips to Spain, France and Italy. Delivered classroom wine education and hosted excursions for 15 to 30 attendees. Key ResultsExpanded spirit offerings 300%+ within three years by sourcing rare whisk(e)y for exclusive sale.Helped grow annual sales 25%+ over three years to $3M by focusing on wine and spirit sales. Show less