Gilliland of Purple Wine + Spirits in Sonoma County wins Forty Under 40 award

Notable Quote: “My greatest professional challenge was stepping outside of my expertise and comfort zone in the cellar and moving into a general manager’s role. Leading without being an expert has been an incredible professional journey.”

Other things about me...

Responsibilities with your company:

My position is responsible for managing and directing the overall production operations. With a spirit of collaboration I work closely with winemaking, distillery operations bottling operations, cellar, and supply chain, and also have key integration with the finance, sales, marketing, and human resources functions.

Reporting directly to the president, I play a key role as a member of the executive management team at Purple, leading multiple facets of the day to day business with the goal to efficiently deliver high quality beverages from a high performance culture.

Single most important event in your professional life in the last 12 months:

Working with an incredible team to break ground on a $17.5M dollar capital project to add 130 luxury fermentation tanks and enhanced crush pads at Beringer.

Quick Takes

Buzz word from your industry you hate the most:

Terroir

Typical day at the office:

Every day presents a different challenge and opportunity.

Best place to work outside of your office:

Coffee shop

#1 thing you want to accomplish by the time you turn 40:

Open a brewery

What does your mom or dad brag most about you?

That I have a family, house ?and a job.