WBI Executive Survey #1

This week we begin a series of seven pictures over seven years, focusing on our annual Executive Survey and Panel Discussion at the Wine Industry Financial Symposium.  Each week we’ll look at the story of the people who partnered with us.

We begin in 2017.  We formed a task force with Wine Industry Faculty Member Tim Wallace, Hamel Faculty Chair Damien Wilson and Emeritus Faculty Member Liz Thach to craft the questions and a new approach to the survey and the in-depth interviews. 

I reached out to book and interview the panelists.  First there was Carmen Castaldi at Rodney Strong, who was instrumental in greenlighting the Rodney Strong Pathways Program with Tom Klein.  You’ll remember their gift in support of the Wine Spectator Learning Center and the eponymous Pathways Program.

I got to know Mike Reynolds at Hall over the years, sharing conversations at Wine Institute meetings and in the halls and ballrooms at the New York Wine Experience. 

And Peter Mondavi always had an open door for us.  Fellow Staff Member Sarah Dove organized our first meeting together at Charles Krug; Peter and his family went on to partner with the Chaines des Rotisseurs to establish a scholarship to support one of our graduate wine students, Danielle Ball, who at the time was at Rombauer.

Scholarships for first generation students are abundant at Sonoma State.  Check out our Wine Industry Scholars Program and prepare to submit an application during the next opportunity in the fall:  Undergraduate Scholarships.