Owner of Sonoma Valley vintner Corner 103 wins Pride Business Leadership Awards

Lloyd W. Davis

Owner

Corner 103, 103 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA, 95476; 707-931-6141; corner103.com

Education: Bachelor of Science, Adelphi University

Learn more about this year’s Pride Business Leadership Awards winners.

Lloyd W. Davis, vintner of Corner 103, is a 2022 winner of North Bay Business Journal’s Pride Business Leadership Awards.

About me

Davis opened Corner 103 in April 2015 as a result of his passion for wine and recognizing that most people are intimidated by it.

He is originally from New York City and spent over 30 years in the banking and finance industry. While he was a senior partner at a hedge fund in New York, his firm made an investment in Viansa Winery, located in the Sonoma Valley. He entered the wine world in 2008 when he took control of Viansa. Under his leadership, Viansa flourished and his wines won over 500 wine competition medals.

Davis sold Viansa in 2013 and retired from his financial life to focus on building his own wine brand. His experience at Viansa increased his love of wine and winemaking. In opening Corner 103, which draws its name from the location and address of the tasting room, he wanted to: Create an environment where his guests would feel comfortable learning all aspect of wine in a non-intimidating way; Continue his track record for producing approachable, awarding wines; Help his guests understand the correct way to pair wine with food; And have his guests understand that they are a “wine expert”.

Some questions

What have you learned about your leadership in the last year and how will it change the way you lead going forward?

The past two years have made me realize that you should not put off things that you want to do because you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. In operating a business, you must be able to adapt to changing market conditions quickly.

At Corner, when the world started to shut down, I quickly enhanced my online capabilities and marketing strategies. I started offering virtual tastings and increased telemarking efforts.

As a successful professional, what are the biggest obstacles you face and how are you working to overcome them?

The biggest obstacle that I face is staying on top of everything. In operating a small business, I don’t have the resources to hire a large team to take care of everything. As a result, I have to stay focused and prioritize tasks so nothing falls through the cracks.

When you are not at work, what do you enjoy?

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I enjoy traveling, finding new places to go out to dinner and sometimes, I just enjoy staying home and doing nothing.

Lloyd W. Davis

Owner

Corner 103, 103 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA, 95476; 707-931-6141; corner103.com

Education: Bachelor of Science, Adelphi University

Learn more about this year’s Pride Business Leadership Awards winners.

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