Keynote Speaker: Rob McMillan, Exec VP & Founder, Silicon Valley Bank Wine Practice
Rob McMillan is the founder of Silicon Valley Bank’s Wine Division based in Saint Helena, California. Rob is an expert in winery financing and the wine business, having developed his business skills in the wine regions of Washington, Oregon, Napa Valley, Sonoma and the Central Coast of California over the past 30 years.
He is the author of numerous publications including the Bank’s well regarded Annual State of the Wine Industry Report, and his perspectives on the wine business have been cited in numerous regional, national and industry publications.
Rob received a bachelor’s degree in finance (economics) from Sacramento State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business.
Entrepreneur Presenter: Richard Sanford, Founder, Alma Rosa Winery, Sanford Wines, Sanford & Benedict Vineyards
Richard Sanford has founded three successful wine businesses in Santa Barbara County. He came to the Santa Ynez Valley 39 years ago with the desire to create wines that would rival the best of France. In 1970 he planted Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the region. As others followed, he helped to establish the area now known as Sta. Rita Hills, an officially accredited American Viticultural Area.
In 1981 Richard and his wife, Thekla, founded Sanford Winery, and they achieved international acclaim in the ensuing years. After substantial expansion, differences in business philosophy with other partners led to a separation from their namesake winery in 2005.
They then founded their third wine business - Alma Rosa Winery & Vineyards. Alma Rosa represents the culmination of a lifetime’s experience – an enterprise dedicated to creating high quality wines and setting a benchmark for organic farming, sustainable agriculture methods, and environment-friendly commerce.
Richard is a graduate of UC Berkeley. He served as a naval officer in Vietnam. He is founding chairman of the Sta. Rita Hills Wine Growers Alliance. He is a co-founder of the American Institute of Wine and Food and is active with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Panelists:
Brett Escalera, Winemaker, Consilience Wines, Tre Anelli Wines, and formerly Fess Parker and others
Brett Escalera has been Winemaker for a number of wineries over the last fifteen years – Byron, Santa Barbara Winery, Fess Parker Winery, Consilience and Tre Anelli, in addition to being consulting winemaker for other startup wineries.
Brett earned Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Enology and Agricultural Chemistry at California State University, Fresno, where he was also became a Research Assistant in the CSUF Viticulture & Enology Research Center.
Simultaneous with his work with the many wineries listed above, Brett joined with Dr. Tom Daughters in 1997 in the building of Consilience Wines, where he is now Winemaker. Brett also consults with other winemaking ventures in the region.
Jeffrey Newton, Co-Owner, Coastal Vineyard Care Associates
Jeff Newton is co-owner of Coastal Vineyard Care Associates. Coastal Vineyard Care manages vineyards in Santa Barbara County with the goal of producing high quality fruit in an environmentally sustainable manner. Coastal Vineyard farms 2500 acres in the Santa Ynez and Los Alamos Valleys. Jeff has been growing grapes in Santa Barbara County since 1984.
Jeff studied viticulture at the University of California, Davis. In addition, he holds both Bachelor and Master of Arts Degrees in Economics from UCSB.
Some of the properties under Jeff’s management include such leading names as Stolpman Vineyards, Jonata, Fiddlehead Cellars, Alma Rosa, Westerly Vineyards, Foley Estates, and Zaca Mesa.