June 8th – Santa Maria Valley, CA – Santa Barbara County’s Riverbench Vineyard & Winery announces changes to its leadership team following the departure of CEO Laura Booras, who has joined her family’s distribution business in North Carolina. Riverbench’s Director of Hospitality, Danae Smith, has been promoted to General Manager, while Toby Goodwin, son of Co-Owner Steve Will, has assumed the role of Facilities Manager. They join veteran Vineyard Manager, Jim Stollberg, and longtime Winemaker, Clarissa Nagy, to complete Riverbench’s leadership team.
This shift in management represents a new era for Riverbench, which Steve Will deems an exciting time for the boutique winery. “For 15 years, Laura was an integral part of our daily operations, and we attribute much of Riverbench’s success to her strategic contributions, passion and initiative,” says Will, speaking on behalf of his fellow co-owners. “While we are of course sad to see her go, we will always support her decision to work with her family in her home state of North Carolina, and know she will excel in her new role. Looking ahead, I see this transition as an opportunity to dive into a new chapter here at Riverbench, and I have nothing but confidence in our new leadership team’s ability to propel our company’s vision and goals to new heights.”
About Riverbench
Established in 1973, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery is a boutique Santa Barbara County winery dedicated to crafting limited-production estate wines from its sustainably farmed vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. Since launching its own label in 2006, Riverbench has built a reputation for producing outstanding still and sparkling wines from its high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. In 2015, the winery expanded its sparkling wine program by planting Pinot Meunier, later releasing the first ever sparkling Pinot Meunier from Santa Barbara County. Riverbench wines can be found at their tasting rooms in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. Visit www.riverbench.com to learn more.
