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Director of Club Membership & National Sales at Evenstad Estates
Director of Club Membership & National Sales at Evenstad Estates
Ellis '92
Director of Club Membership & National Sales at Evenstad Estates
Eric is the Director of Club Memberships & National Sales for Evenstad Estates which oversees four separate vineyards and brands:
Domaine Serene Vineyards & Winery
Château de la Crée
Maison Evenstad
Les Tourelles de la Crée
Graduating from Brentwood in 1992, Eric worked his way through college in the hospitality industry while studying finance and mathematics at University of Oregon and Portland State University. After graduating in 2001, followed by a quick stint at a Private Equity firm, Eric realized his true passion was wine and returned to the hospitality industry as a Beverage Director and Sommelier. The desire to work directly for a winery led Eric to the award-winning Domaine Serene Vineyards & Winery in the heart of the Dundee Hills of Oregon wine country. Over the past eight years, Eric has gone on to lead the largest wine club program in Oregon wine industry and manage the winery’s distribution business in the America’s.
The wine industry is a mixture of a multitude of businesses all working in conjunction. All wineries at their core are farmers, however that is only one part of a major industry. Employees at wineries are farmers, scientists, production managers, logistics managers, marketing experts, financial planners, hospitality leaders and much more. Most employees find themselves wearing many hats, with no day the same as the last. Wine is also a $345 billion-dollar global industry (USD), with strong growth in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. Finding a career path early on can be challenging as most programs guide you towards vinification and viticulture, and not the business side of managing a winery. New programs such as those available at the Evenstad Center for Wine Education, at Linfield University in the Willamette Valley, focus on graduating individuals that know how to both make wine and sell wine. Eric is looking forward to sharing his insights into this global industry and discussing the opportunities available.
Find Eric on Brentonian Connect.
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