Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1036886
october 2018 / the tasting panel / 93 LORI RAYA, President of the Southwest Division for Albertsons, Safeway, and Vons "Thirty-one years ago, I started my career carrying out groceries," Lori Raya said of her impressive rise through the ranks, which ultimately resulted in her becoming the 120-year-old grocery chain's first female President in 2010. "You have to work really, really hard: I went to college on a sports scholarship but didn't graduate because I loved playing basketball more than I loved studying. I still do not have my degree today, but I have earned it through my career, and that's the most important." Although she's undoubtedly a true self-starter, Raya made sure to mention the mentors who have helped her profession- ally over the years. "You remember those people who help pull you up," she said. "It's not always easy to see someone that you've mentored skyrocket past you, so I always make sure to tell people how much I appreciate them." As for personal advice, Raya touted the importance of continuous education. "I never tried to be the smartest person in the room—you never are!—but I also try to teach something to someone every day," she said. The last kernel of knowledge she shared is a solid life lesson, not just work wisdom: "Take a different path. It's never what you think it will be, so don't be afraid to take that journey." LESLIE FRANK, Proprietor of Frank Family Vineyards In addition to earning her an Emmy, Frank's successful career in broad- cast journalism saw her cover everything from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina before she leapt into the wine industry. Regarding her years of work in these "predominantly male" spheres, Frank lamented the fact that "only 15 percent of the top winemakers and only 25 percent of people who present the evening news are women." Frank's story proves the key to her success was laid not only by hard work, but a willingness to take risks. After leaving home at 17 to attend journalism school, she cut her teeth on the Canadian media circuit before setting her sites on a station in Seattle. She ultimately landed in Los Angeles, persevering through pay gap–related sexism and visa troubles along the way. While Frank was in the midst of covering the Michael Jackson trial, fate intervened one day at the bar in Napa Valley's Bouchon Bistro, where she met her future husband, Rich, over a bottle of Flowers 2004 Pinot Noir. Fast-forward a few years, and Frank found herself with a new career at Frank Family Vineyards. While she credits her husband for being "a very supportive man who recognizes my abilities and talents," Frank says she was conscious from the get-go of not being "looked at as Rich Frank's wife." "I thought, 'What could I contribute to the business that will get people to look at me as an individual?' So I took what I knew best—people and storytelling—and applied that to the brand," she continued. "I went to UC Davis, took some wine-management courses and some classes at Napa Wine Academy, and I'm now managing our staff. Our assistant winemaker is a woman, our enologist is a woman, our tasting room manager is a woman, and our CFO is a woman. Two key people in our production are women, and trust me, they can drive a forklift better than anyone!" CAROLYN WENTE, CEO of Wente Family Estates Growing up in the fourth generation of a historic winemaking family might have made Wente's path to the wine industry predestined, but as she recalled some of the challenges the family-owned and -operated winery faced in the early part of her career, it's obvious her accolades have been hard-won. "I was a senior at Stanford when my father passed away at 49," Carolyn told attendees. "Suddenly, my brothers and I had inherited the winery and these vineyards, and we had an aha moment of realizing, 'Here we are on our own.'" Sizable estate taxes, an earthquake that damaged 90 percent of the winery's steel tanks, and a 1970s boom in competing California wineries also served as early tribulations, but as Wente and her brothers found their groove, Wente Family Estates and the family themselves emerged as innovators. In addition to establishing several "lifestyle businesses" like a restaurant, summer concert series, and golf course, the company continu- ously invested in its vineyard sites and facilities. "Our greatest opportunity was to change and deal with those struggles," Wente explained. "We're the perfect size to work with companies that are innovators because we control everything from the ground up. We can apply that technology to enhance the wine quality, and that's always going to be number one for us." Number one, of course, after family: "I got here because of some very supportive, cheerleading brothers," Wente said. "We also worked long and hard to identify our core values: respect, integrity, sustainability, and excel- lence. I will continue to champion those values in my family's business—I see that in our sixth generation, and I see that in many of you here, too. We have four women in the next generation, and I have a pipeline of women leaders coming in!" The only man in the room during the luncheon was Michael Jahn, Executive Vice President of Southern Glazer's of Arizona. He served as emcee for the day, singing the praises not only of the attendees in the room, but the "talented women" across the entire industry who don't always get the credit they deserve. "I think it's a shame that we even have to do this," he said of the notion that separate events need to be held for female empowerment when gender equality should be permanently ingrained at all levels of the industry's culture.