Vineyard Finance, Winery Operations, and Wine Commerce Authorities Join Wine Business Institute Faculty
November 26, 2018
Rohnert Park, California - The Wine Business Institute (WBI) in the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at Sonoma State University (SSU) today announced the addition of a new online course in Wine Sales Management to its slate of Spring 2019 professional program offerings for the wine industry, and the appointment of three wine finance, operations, and sales experts to its distinguished WBI faculty. The online course in Wine Sales Management, launching on March 26, 2019, will explore route-to-market strategies for alcoholic beverages, and client-facing sales and territory management skills, among other topics. Additional wine business programs scheduled for Spring 2019 include the Online Certificate in Wine Business Management foundation course beginning January 24; the Certificate in Wine Industry Finance & Accounting beginning February 9; the Certificate in Wine Entrepreneurship beginning February 21; and the Online Certificate in QuickBooks beginning May 8. New professional faculty members, David Bower, owner and operator at Lake Ridge Consulting, and Gabriel Froymovich, owner of Vineyard Financial Associates, will be teaching in the Online Certificate in Wine Business Management, and Kevin Shea, revenue officer and developer at Activated Sales Management, will be teaching in the Wine Sales Management course.
"Our Wine Business Institute is pleased to offer our full slate of online and in-person certificate programs in Spring 2019, including the popular Certificate in Wine Entrepreneurship that is only available on a biennial basis," Karen Thompson, Interim Dean of the School of Business and Economics said. "We are proud to offer these timely and relevant programs that support the continuing development needs of local wine industry professionals."
"As wholesalers consolidate, getting adequate representation has become exceedingly challenging, for both small wineries and big brands. The new online course in Wine Sales Management, led by sales strategist, Kevin Shea, teaches technical skills paramount for industry professionals looking to sell successfully at any level, whether it is direct to consumers in the tasting room, or to wholesalers globally," Ray Johnson, Executive Director of the Wine Business Institute in the School of Business and Economics at Sonoma State University said. "Also joining us in Spring 2019 are authorities on wine finance and operations management Gabriel Froymovich and David Bower whose expertise will bridge the knowledge gap between vineyard and winery operations ."
Kevin Shea brings 38 years of experience in sales with brands such as E&J Gallo Winery, Trinchero Family Estates, NextGen SignStorey, Inc., Martignetti Companies, W.J. Deutsch, and Fetzer Vineyards. He is currently revenue officer and developer at Activated Sales Management, an online and onsite sales and marketing training platform for the alcoholic beverage sector and other self-distributed consumer package goods industries.
Gabriel Froymovich is owner of Vineyard Financial Associates, a firm that helps guide clients toward greater financial success using data-driven methods and effective systems to drive growth and sustainability. Gabriel is also general partner and CFO at Hooper 206 Vintners. He was previously general manager at Oak Hill Vineyards.
David Bower, owner and operator of Lake Ridge Consulting, provides full-service enology and operations consulting services for East Coast wineries, including winery start-up and development, winemaking, asset management, quality assessment, viticulture, and staff management. David is also the enology instructor and winemaker of the Surry Community College's Surry Cellars program.
For more information about our certificate and degree programs, please visit www.sonoma.edu/winebiz or call (707) 664-3235. The Wine Business Institute is an education and research institute of the School of Business and Economics (SBE). SSU is the first institution of higher learning in the U.S. to offer professional certificates and degrees specializing in the business of wine. It is the first school of business in the world to offer an executive-level wine business degree.