Kathy started in the Wine Industry in 1995 in Chicago working for a medium sized fine wine wholesaler Direct Import Wine Company. From 1997 to 2012, she worked for small and medium sized wineries (King Estate, Francis Coppola Presents, and Gundlach Bundschu), managing regional and national distributor networks.
From 2012 to 2018, Kathy managed distributors directly in the Pacific Northwest – first as the VP of Sales for the Estates Group (Young’s Market Company – WA and OR), and then as VP-General Manager for Noble Wines, a Member of the Winebow Group (WA and OR). In these roles, Kathy worked with her sales teams, accounts, and wineries to build brands and sell more wine.
Beginning in 2018, Kathy launched the Real Wine Alliance – a consultancy focusing on helping small to medium sized wineries navigate through the complicated world of distribution. During that time, Kathy has worked with over a dozen wineries on both short and long-term projects. She builds sales plans, works directly with distributors, and provides each winery with a roadmap for success increasing sales and overall revenue.
Kathy’s greatest passion is to help wineries grow sales and find messaging that resonates inside of the distributor, and all the way to the consumer. Once the vision and strategic plans are laid out, sales success and distributor accountability develop organically. Every brand has its own unique identity and requires its own unique sales strategy.