MANAGEMENT TEAM

Wine Mergers, LLC is lead by two Principals and a team of professional advisors.

Wine Mergers, LLC offers the wine business seller or buyer a level of professionalism not typically available in the industry.  Our team of professionals brings decades of experience to each transaction.  We back that experience with the resources of a strong network of private equity groups (PEGs) and Corporate/Stretegic Buyers (CSBs) that are active in our industry sector; state-of-the-art internet and intranet resources; extensive in-house valuation databases and links; a strong wine industry network; and, much more.  Our professional team is here to serve you.

George is one of the founders of Wine Mergers, LLC.  George started his professional career as an owner of a small businesss that he was able to successfully build and sell and was active in real estate sales, becoming a real estate broker early in his career.  He leveraged his success in business and sales into the wine industry in the early 80's learning both the production and the sales/distribution side of the industry.  He worked with early pioneers in the Oregon Wine industry, Adelshine and Earth Vineyards, going through two full crushes and running the cellar operation for two years before joining Seagram's wine distribution arm.  He became the top major account sales executive in Northern California in his role with Seagram.

Wanting to leverage his passion for building businesses, he transitioned his career into technology in the mid 1980's.  George has held senior sales/business development executive roles throughout his 20+ year career in technology, with the first 16 years focused on driving internal growth, broadening his experience to include external growth (joint ventures and mergers & acquisitions) during the last four years of his technology career.

After going through three IPO's and two successful mergers (Orchid Technology, Proxim, NetObjects, Medior/AOL), including time with AOL in the mid-90's, he began to leverage his experience and success as an advisor to CEOs and Boards of small businesses and emerging growth companies.  It was here that he was able to successfully complete a significant transaction for on of his company's clients, and this led him to the field of mergers & acquisitions for the last eight years, currently specializing in the wine industry.

George holds a Master of Business Administration from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Colorado.

How we work with Other Professional Advisors:

• Accountants
  We advise clients on building value in anticipation of an equity transaction up to five years in the future. Our prescription often includes action items that require additional professional services and management accounting by clients' accountants. The ongoing process allows accountants to bring us in from time to time to review strategy, update the merger-and-acquisition landscape and advise on next steps. This often creates a need for ongoing services and consulting by clients' accountants.
• Attorneys
  Wine Mergers, LLC helps attorneys protect their clients from selling their businesses below true market value by providing the packaging and marketing to attract multiple buyers. We do this in a confidential, competitive environment. If introduced into the process early on, we can identify the legal preparations needed to facilitate a smooth transition. These are services that are not typically provided on a day-to-day basis. Working with clients' attorneys, we can help assure that transactions don't fall apart during due diligence. Environmental issues, for example, can quickly scuttle a deal if not uncovered prior to due diligence. Additionally, in working with clients' attorneys, we can help assure that all intellectual properties, trademarks and trade secrets are documented, thus increasing client companies' valuations.
• Financial and Investment Advisors
  In our experience, many clients of financial and investment advisors are business owners. As such, the value of their companies is likely to be an unacceptable concentration of clients' investment portfolios. Wine Mergers, LLC can help diversify portfolios by selling all or part of their companies. In selling part or all of a company we, in effect, help get more assets under professional management where they are more likely to grow. Likewise, business owners may feel a desire to take some money off the table and reduce their investment risk by selling part or all of their companies. In managing transactions, Wine Mergers, LLC often identifies insurance products such as warranties and representations, COLLARs for stabilizing public stock payments and other vehicles needed for clients' benefit. This can create additional opportunities for advisors offering these products. We work closely with financial advisors and review deal structures to make sure they are in line with existing financial plans and to assure a smooth hand-off of transaction proceeds.
• Lenders
  Wine Mergers, LLC can become a source for additional capital for lenders' clients. We are eminently capable of identifying and securing capital that is greater than balance sheet strength might warrant. We can recapitalize companies through strategic investor opportunities in order to pursue timely opportunities for growth. Our excellent relationships with a variety of investment funds seeking out privately held business provides opportunities for those companies. This is one way we can provide sources of additional capital.