Posts Tagged ‘CPG Industry’

Sonoma-Cutrer Names Michael Schroeter as New Winemaking Director

Schroeter Becomes Only Third Head Winemaker in History of Storied Winery

May 13, 2010, Windsor, CA – The Sonoma-Cutrer Winery announced today that Michael “Mick” Schroeter has been named Winemaking Director.  Schroeter, 50, is a native Australian and will become only the third Winemaking Director in the company’s history.  He replaces Terry Adams, longtime winemaker who announced his retirement last October.

As only the third head winemaker, Schroeter succeeds Adams who has been with Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards since its founding in 1981.  Adams was preceded by head winemaker Bill Bonetti when the winery was first established by founder Brice Cutrer Jones. Adam’s has provided nearly three decades of service to Sonoma-Cutrer and will continue this dedication as he will stay on through July to help Mick transition into the new role as head winemaker.

“Mick is an outstanding winemaker with a history of success and I could not be more pleased to hand off Sonoma-Cutrer to a better person.  His energy and leadership will help continue our tradition of making the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir,” said Adams.

As the Winemaking Director, Schroeter will oversee the vineyard’s winemaking operations as well as the production of the award-winning Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.

“We are excited to have Mick join the Sonoma-Cutrer family and have confidence that he will be an outstanding leader as head winemaker.  His many years of experience, reputation within the industry and impressive number of awards, including twice being named winemaker of the year, make him the ideal person for us.  We look forward to a new chapter of success and innovation under his direction and thank Terry Adams for his assistance in this transition,” said John Hudson, Director of Marketing.

Schroeter began his career at Penfold’s in Australia thirty-three years ago as a lab supervisor.  In 1987, he completed his BS in Oneology from Roseworthy Agricultural College and worked as a winemaker with Penfolds for six years thereafter.  For the last seventeen years he has been Vice President of Winemaking for Geyser Peak Winery in California where his duties included vineyard assessment, harvest scheduling, winemaking direction, budgeting and brand ambassadorship.

“I fully understand the huge shoes that I will be stepping into and cannot begin to express my appreciation to those who have entrusted me to this position,” said Shroeter.  “It’s a privilege to work with this winery and apply my experience to their legacy of success.  I look forward to carrying on the Sonoma-Cutrer tradition and following Terry Adam’s commitment to excellence.”

Schroeter, and his wife Linda, reside in Sonoma County, California, with their children, Matilda, Sadie, and Charlie.

Sonoma-Cutrer is one of the fine wines produced and marketed by Brown-Forman Corporation, a producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Canadian Mist, Fetzer, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Tequila Herradura, Chambord, Tuaca, Woodford Reserve and Bonterra. Please enjoy our wines responsibly.

Calling All “Big Fish”

New Clients for CPGjobs

Thank you to the following companies in the last 60 days for becoming a part of our CPG Talent Network.  Far from “just another job board,” CPGjobs offers clients personal service (yes, we mean a real, live person), industry leading technology and value “beyond the board,” saving you time and money as you build your recruiting pipeline.

I welcome you to our CPGjobs Talent Network.

Pinnacle Foods
Beach Body – Partner Products
Bob Evans Farms
National Cooperative Grocers Association
G L Mezzetta
Curtis Circulation Company
Farmland Foods
Aquahydrate
Foster Dairy Farms
Perrigo Company
United Dairy Farmers
Straus Family Creamery
Rosina Foods
Buxton Company
JT International USA
JD Power & Associates
Airbourne
Big Train
Ghiradelli Chocolates
Visual Latina
Canine Hardware
Peapod

Message from Penny Sallberg

Candidate Q & A: “Why Have I Received No Reply To My Job Submissions?”

Every week I answer a huge number of emails from candidates who have questions about the job submissions process. One common concern is the response rate from employers advertising open positions.

Recently I received the following question from a candidate:

Penny,
I saw your profile on LinkedIn and I am seeking assistance in my job search. Been a rough road with trying to land something. With many opportunities out there, and the economy in rough shape, I am seeing if possibilities could be made to land through your services.

Here is my reply, which many of you may also find helpful:

Thank you for contacting me. I checked on your submissions and see that you have applied to Company X a lot. X is a company that receives a lot of candidate submissions— and not just from us. They are so big in fact, that they have 3rd party vendors to which they outsource their initial candidate screening processes. This 3rd party vendor handles a lot of Company X’s early qualifying. They too are big, move slowly AND they don’t want help— even though they don’t do such a great a job and really need the help. I’m telling you this not to discourage you, but only so that you set your expectations about response time realistically. Company X does hire people, so the best thing to do with them is to apply whenever you see something that is appropriate…but don’t expect a quick response or any response unless they go to step 2.

Because there are currently so many people looking for work, you must always be prepared for someone else getting the job. I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but out of the hundreds of qualified people who apply to each job, only one of them gets hired. Make sure your resume is perfect, and I mean perfect. Any grammatical errors, font errors, spelling errors (oh no!), and formatting errors are just an excuse for them to throw you in the trashcan.

Remember too, this is a numbers game. You might have been the next person they were going to contact when they found Mr. or Ms. right. It’s timing, a perfect background and resume, and luck, the trifecta of getting hired. It has really always been this way but more people are involved now and like you, they are getting anxious and scared.

I don’t blame you for feeling this way, but keep checking the site and keep applying to the jobs that are appropriate. Try not to expect a call from recruiters telling you that you aren’t a fit, they won’t be doing that. I know it’s rude, but they barely have time to call the people that are a fit. So instead of using up your energy on being angry or upset about that, use the energy you saved to apply to another job or attend a networking event.

When you do find a position on CPGjoblist that you think is really a good fit for you, perfect your resume and cover letter, submit, then wait for 3 weeks. If you don’t get a call, send me an email telling me why you would be perfect for the position. If, upon reviewing your background and experience I agree, I will personally forward your information on to the Hiring Manager with my recommendation that they give you a closer look. After that it’s up to you and your resume. I hope this helped a little bit.

Penny Sallberg-Carrillo
Senior Vice-President & Co-Founder,
CPGjoblist

References: A Critical Interview Prep Exercise

By Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC

Quite often I’m asked “do I provide references with my resume” – the answer is a resounding “NO”! You want to make your own first impression.

What you do want to do, however, is have a list of 3-5 references prepared to provide at the interview. Here are a few tips to help you develop an effective list and also prepare your references to maximize the information that is shared about you.

Who belongs on your list?

You want to carefully choose individuals who can speak to your professional capabilities, expertise, credibility, and accomplishments. They need to possess first-hand knowledge of your work performance. Obvious candidates will be your direct/indirect supervisors, colleagues, peers, or subordinates (current and past employers). Also consider clients, vendors, professors, and professionals from industry/volunteer associations. Take care not to include anyone who could compete for the same position, and of course, friends, relatives, or outside-work acquaintances aren’t appropriate.

What information should be included?

Make contacting your references easy for the potential employer by providing as much information as possible – email address, office, cell, and/or home phone numbers, and mailing address. Confirm with each reference the contact information that is acceptable to provide. Also include on the reference page how you know that person, i.e., direct supervisor at XYZ Company. Format the page similarly to your resume with your contact information at the top. Bring several copies of this list, as well as your resume, printed on quality stationery to the interview.

What can you do in advance to prepare your references?

There are several things you can do to ensure that your references do a good job of positively representing you. First, let them know the type of position that you will be applying for and your skills, accomplishments, education, and qualifications relevant to that position. Next, ask each reference to speak to a specific strength. For example, you might ask one reference to discuss your leadership abilities, another could talk about your problem solving skills, and the third your integrity and work ethic. Finally, be sure your reference is aware of another reference they can provide the interviewer. Quite often, knowing that you are providing people who will have good things to say, a hiring manager might ask the reference for the name of someone else who can speak about your work performance. Strategizing another name in advance will ensure the hiring manager speaks with people who will make a positive impact.

What will your past employers say?

If there is any doubt surrounding what your previous employer(s) will say, give their human resources department a call – posing as a potential employer – to confirm what they will say. Or there are professional firms that will conduct reference checks for you to determine what will be said. Being aware of this information will give you the opportunity to determine the “spin” you want to put on the information when you are in an interview situation. If there is doubt about how to handle “sticky” information, hire an interview coach for an objective opinion and assistance in figuring out how to neutralize the situation.

Finally, after you’ve landed your new job, let each reference know the outcome of your search and thank them for the contribution they made to your success

For more than two decades, Kathy Keshemberg, NCRW, CCMC and her team at A Career Advantage have been providing professionals with world-class resume consultation and writing, career coaching and personal branding services.
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