WBI Executive Survey #4

This week we share another picture from our annual Executive Survey and Panel Discussion at the Wine Industry Financial Symposium.  The year is 2020, during the dark days of the Covid Lockdowns.  Emeritus Faculty Member Liz Thach, Staff Member Emily Porter and the panelists rehearsed and presented over Zoom.  

Longtime friend of the institute Kathy Archer introduced me to Tony Baldini in January of that year when he was still running Hahn on the Central Coast.  We were lucky to have our first meeting in February 2020.  

Board Member Mike Osborn and I just made it out of New York alive, where we shared a conversation with Chris Indelicato at the Impact Marketing Seminar reception on March 4.  Less than a week later New York was shuttered.

Terry Wheatley at Vintage introduced me to Kathy DeVillers but our meeting on March 12 was diverted to Zoom.  What a year that was.  We ran the gauntlet and lived to tell the tale.  Those memories make me truly appreciate the ability to meet with my friends in the same room at the same time.

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.