Padilla comes to Willamette as the company enters a robust development period
Turner, OR – Tuesday, May 24, 2022: Willamette Valley Vineyards (NASDAQ: WVVI & WVVIP), a leading producer of Pinot Noir in Oregon, has hired Joe Padilla as its Chief Operating Officer to oversee operations of the growing company, including winemaking, vineyard and direct sales operations.
The addition of Padilla in this new role supports the company’s ongoing expansion in 2022 and 2023, with the opening of a new sparkling winery in Dundee, Oregon, and Tasting Room & Restaurant locations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington, as well as continued growth in its wine production and sales.
“Joe’s passion to see people and businesses succeed through world-class service is a major asset for us as we seek to bring the Oregon wine story to more outlets,” said Founder and CEO Jim Bernau. “He leads with relational and management skills essential in any business, especially those with expanding markets and a desire for innovative thinking.”
Padilla brings over 30 years of management experience to his new position. Before joining Willamette, he spent 11 years with Summerland Wine Brands in Buellton, California, where he most recently led strategic business development in a senior vice president role. During his time, he was known for positively impacting the company, its culture and earnings.
Padilla started his hospitality career opening restaurants in California, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. He and his wife started an upscale Italian restaurant and private club. His growing family led the couple to sell the restaurant and open a wine brokerage that grew into one of the largest in Utah. The brokerage’s success brought Padilla to Young’s Market Company in Utah, where he managed 300 wineries and depleted one million cases of wine each year. Padilla moved from Utah to Santa Barbara so the family could open a winery of its own, a change that ultimately guided him to Summerland and further experience in nearly every aspect of the Summerland winery.
In July, Padilla and his wife Lisa will have been married for 30 years. They have four children, the youngest of whom is a freshman at the University of Oregon. They make their home in McMinnville, Oregon.
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Founded in 1983 by CEO Jim Bernau with the dream of creating world-class Pinot Noir while serving as stewards of the land, Willamette Valley Vineyards has grown from a bold idea into one of the region’s leading wineries, earning the title “One of America’s Great Pinot Noir Producers” from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. All the vineyards have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Impact Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon-Safe programs.
