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Andy is the owner of CrossFit LA (CFLA), one of the most successful CrossFit training centers in the world. Established in 2004, CFLA was the ninth licensed CrossFit affiliate in the world (out of 10,000+), and the first to be featured in national media. A former professional adventure racer, extreme athlete, and master white-water kayaker and mountaineer, Andy has completed three Eco-Challenges, one Raid Gauloises, and the La Ruta de los Conquistadores (a three-day mountain bike race known as the world's hardest). A classically-trained trumpet player (Eastman School of Music) and a Marine Gulf War veteran, Andy was the oldest participant, at 43, to qualify for the 2009 CrossFit Games.
Andy has been a CrossFit trainer for over 11 years and hold CrossFit sports-specific certifications in Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, powerlifting, the Pose Method of Running, endurance, and nutrition. Andy is a VIVOBAREFOOT running coach and a CHEK level 2 corrective high-performance exercise kinesiologist and nutrition and lifestyle coach. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica, Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and their son, Dashel.
While the workouts might seem random, there is actually a system to Andy's method of training general physical preparedness. Andy does not write his workouts for a specialized athlete, but rather for a student looking to get better at a lot of things. "I'll sit down to write a three week cycle and I'll try to make that be a complete balanced program in three weeks. I look at the whole picture and think, if this were a complete cycle someone was going through, do they hit as many of the ten fundamental skills and does it give balance in all the metabolic pathways? And then, is it fun, and are the lengths of the workouts variable? I look for balance in that three week cycle."
Greg Schwem's comedic take on the 21st century workplace and work/life balance has landed him on SIRIUS Radio, FOX News, Comedy Central and the pages of Parents Magazine. More than just a business humorist, Greg is also an author, nationally syndicated humor columnist, award-winning greeting card writer and creator of funnydadinc, voted one of the top Dad humor sites of 2016. He has shared the concert stage with the likes of Celine Dion and Jay Leno.
A graduate of Northwestern University's prestigious Medill School of Journalism, Greg never envisioned a career in laughter. Instead, he settled in Florida, becoming an award-winning reporter for NBC-owned WPTV in West Palm Beach. But the comedy bug bit Greg hard and he returned to his hometown of Chicago, where he honed his standup act in nightclubs. When he began inserting material about business and technology into his act, audience members approached him and said, "You really should come down to my office and tell those jokes." Behold! A new approach to comedy was born.
Greg's show provides a hilarious look at today's corporate environment and the latest tools used to conduct business. Indeed, Greg's client list includes such corporate heavyweights as McDonald's, Microsoft, General Motors, IBM, Hyatt Hotels, United Airlines and Cisco Systems. What sets Greg apart from other corporate entertainers is his ability—and willingness—to customize material for his audience while working within the parameters of the corporate environment. That means no profanity or politically incorrect material. "That's never been a part of my show anyway," Greg recently told a reporter.
When Greg hits the stage he already has perused the company's Internet site, combed the internal message boards and even sifted through numerous PowerPoint presentations. "There is no such thing as too much information," Greg says. "I know corporate audiences like to laugh at themselves so the more ammunition I get, the funnier it will be. Just don't give me a 10-K report. There is NOTHING funny about that."
Greg's preparation always includes a conference call with company executives and, in some cases, an onsite visit.
Besides customized material, Greg entertains audiences with stories about tedious business meetings, SmartPhone addiction, "frequently" asked questions and his fascination with the American Girl Doll company. In addition to his hefty speaking schedule, Greg writes a weekly humor column nationally distributed by Tribune Media Services. He also is the author of Text Me If You're Breathing: Observations, Frustrations and Life Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad and The Road to Success Goes Through the Salad Bar: A Pile of BS (Business Stories) From a Corporate Comedian.
Karen MacNeil is the only American to have won every major wine award given in the English language.
These include the Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year (James Beard Foundation) and the Global Wine Communicator of the Year (International Wine and Spirits Association). In a full-page profile on her, TIME Magazine called Karen "America's Missionary of the Vine."
But deep global wine knowledge is only part of the story. Karen is considered America's foremost wine presenter–a speaker who can enchant audiences from 5 to 500, and from wine novices to wine collectors alike. Her customized TED-like talks are accompanied by extraordinary wines which she personally selects for the event.
Karen is also the author of the award-winning book, THE WINE BIBLE, the single best- selling wine book in the United States, praised as "The most informative and entertaining book I've ever seen on the subject" (Danny Meyer), "Astounding" (Thomas Keller), and "A masterpiece of wine writing…the single best wine book written in years…" (Kevin Zraly).
The former wine correspondent for the Today Show, Karen was the host of the PBS series Wine, Food and Friends with Karen MacNeil, for which she won an Emmy. Karen is the creator and editor of WineSpeed, the leading digital "e-letter" in the U.S. for fast, authoritative information about wine. Her articles on wine and food have been published in more than 50 newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Town & Country, Elle, and Worth. She was the first Food and Wine Editor of USA Today. Karen currently hosts #SipWithKaren, the leading Twitter tasting in the global wine sphere, which each month reaches 20+ million timelines from Indiana to India.
Karen's firm, Karen MacNeil & Company, creates customized corporate events and wine tours around the world for companies and individual groups. Among Karen's corporate clients are Lexus, Merrill Lynch, Disney, General Electric, UBS, and Singapore Airlines, as well as numerous law and biotech firms.
Karen is the creator and Chairman Emeritus of the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley, which has been called "the Harvard of wine education."
Megan Peterson (Executive Director) has been involved in features, television, and documentary film-making for more than 15 years, and is passionate about all things film and story. She has produced, directed and written more than 150 hours of on-air programming for a wide range of cable networks, along with multiple distributed independent features, industrials and music videos. Recently, Ms. Peterson made her feature film directorial debut with the critically acclaimed feature Heathens & Thieves, starring Don Swayze and Gwendoline Yeo, and is currently in development on her second feature. In her spare time, she has served as a juror for such prestigious festivals as the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Milledgeville Film Festival, Sundance Writing Labs, and the International Documentary Awards, and was a founding member of the United Nations Association Film Festival.
Having recently relocated to Scott Valley, Ms. Peterson continues to write and produce cable programming in addition to her work with the Scott Valley Film Coalition. She received her MFA from the University of Southern California under the mentorship of Robert Zemeckis, and is a graduate of Stanford University, magna cum laude.
Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning multi-media journalist, author and relationship expert. She has been featured in The Wall St. Journal and The New York Times, as well as on Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Bravo, Forbes, the CBS Early Show, NBC's Today Show, ABC News Now, Fox News, CNN, Yahoo, AOL, The Huffington Post, Oprah.com and many other media outlets. She has also been a popular speaker at seminars, meetings and conferences, and has appeared on radio and television shows all over the world. She is fluent in Spanish, and audiences in Latin America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific have embraced her. Lisa's education and experience have enabled her to extensively cover relationships, careers and entertainment. Whether you're looking for the ideal partner, job or movie, Lisa can help. Her first two books are still selling briskly: "How to Snare a Millionaire" (St. Martin's Press) and "Become Your Own Matchmaker" (Atria) which she co-authored with Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker, Patti Stanger. Her latest is the much-requested sequel, "How to Snare a Millionaire NOW." Her previous book, "Career Comeback-Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want," (Hachette) is still helping women all over the US get those well-deserved jobs and promotions. Lisa graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism, and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband James and their Golden Doodle, "KC." When she's not helping people with their personal relationships and careers or raising funds for causes she's passionate about, she's probably interviewing celebrities or sitting in dark theaters, preparing film reviews for radio stations across America.
Christina Julian writes snarky rom-coms that celebrate the underdog and live to make people laugh. She adores dysfunctional leading ladies and the tangled twisty lives they lead. She adamantly believes there is nothing in life that can't be conquered with a bodacious wine, strong cup of coffee, or a generously iced cupcake. When she is not tapping out her next novel or wrangling her 3-year-old twins, she can be found swilling and swirling in the name of research as a wine and food columnist in Napa Valley. She strives always to live her life to the extreme.
Her debut novel, THE DATING BENDER, is a hysterical dramedy about a woman unhinged and at a crossroad. The book explores dysfunctional family relationships, women who love the wrong men, and one epic hunt for happiness.
Prior to fleeing to the Wine Country Christina worked in technology and publishing before, during and after the dot.com bubble burst, which was glamorous during the heyday but not so much once those days ended. That's when wine came in handy. But there were a few more pit stops before the real dream took root. There were the days in Manhattan as a food and nightlife critic, followed by film development and slinging ads in Los Angeles, the latter, which came just a little too close to actualizing the "Mad Men" fantasy, minus one smoking hot Jon Hamm.
LA gridlock and the allure of a wineward way of life drove her up the coast to Napa Valley. After working and writing about a grape soaked season during harvest, her professional wine swilling career took root. As a columnist for NorthBay Biz magazine, the wine country her beat, Christina combs the valley in search of the never-ending scoop and the perfect glass of wine to go with it.
Her work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, California Home + Design, 7×7, Napa Valley Register, Napa Valley Life, Bohemian, Weekly Calistogan and beyond.
Danny Zoucha, a.k.a. The Well-Ordered Husband, is just a guy who loves a girl and thinks the rest of the world should have a life as good as he does. From growing up, literally, in the middle of a cornfield in a trailer home to living beachside in one of the most desirable places on Earth with the love of his life, and a child who adores him, Danny has developed a unique ability to carve out the life of many people's dreams. He originally thought his calling was in business. As a result, he attempted several and saw success, but ultimately found himself uninspired. He looked inside and discovered that what he's actually mastered as a result of his passion for it is being a husband to his wife, and a father to his son. Knowing what his true purpose in life is has allowed him to touch people all over the world, and inspire them to personal greatness in what he feels is the single most important part of life: family.
Matt Deller MW is the Chief Wine Officer for Wine Access, who are leading the online revolution in direct-to-consumer fine wine e-commerce. Backed by top-tier investor, Norwest Venture Partners, Wine Access with the help of Matt and his team is now bringing the wine worlds best kept secret to everyone in America.
Previously he was at Constellation Brands for five years, most recently as Director of Fine Wine Development for Constellation Brands, developing the sales strategy for Robert Mondavi Winery, The Prisoner Wine Company, Mount Veeder Winery and Ruffino Estates.
He judges international wine competitions such as Decanter World Wine Awards, TEXSOM International Wine Competition and the Sydney International Top 100 Wine Awards. He is an Instructor on the faculty of the Napa Valley Wine Academy, an expert panelist at several international wine events and writes for various wine publications.
He entered the wine industry in 1996 as Territory Manager - Fine Wine for Pernod Ricard. He then helped establish Bennett & Deller Wine Ltd, specialist importers of Spanish, Italian and South American wines, where he was Sales and Marketing Director for over a decade. Following that, he joined The Fine Wine Delivery Company as Wine Program Director, leading a dynamic buying and trade sales team and developing integrated sales and marketing programs. Matt has judged numerous international wine competitions, written articles for various wine publications and conducted hundreds of educational seminars. He lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife and two sons.Danni Lin (B.S., M.S.), CEO of GREAT WINE, Inc., would like to share her entrepreneurial journey. Under her leadership, GREAT WINE now has an online store, and understands that technology does not only make a product; it also creates an environment in which symbiotic parts of the wine world will thrive together to create higher product demand and supply.
Besides adopting groundbreaking technology in winemaking, GREAT WINE also collaborates with myVinotype – a smart wine recommendation platform for wine-related businesses and connoisseurs to learn more about clients' wine preferences.
Launched in 2011, myVinotype first started as a website widget and a consumer survey. By 2016, the platform has launched an iOS app, and has become available in eight languages worldwide. All these features are supported by data analytics in order to be more client-oriented.
GREAT WINE is a huge success in the USA. In 2016, GREAT WINE opened its first tasting room in the Seattle Metro Area to offer wine tasting and vinotyping experiences to clients. It is ready to accept future challenges it may encounter during the expansion phase.
Our CEO Danni Lin is devoted to inspire more clients to engage in the global cultural exchanges of wine, with the opening of the first international satellite tasting room in China in September 2017.
Before becoming the CEO of GREAT WINE, Lin was a Data Scientist at Microsoft. Like many, Lin had experiences of going into a supermarket, and got lost in massive product lists and ads. She thought her likes and dislikes were related to how knowledgeable she was in wine – until she had a conversation with Tim Hanni.
Hanni is one of the first Americans to become Master of Wine, and introduced Lin to the scientific concept of "vinotype," i.e. wine preferences and sensory abilities of people. Lin then transformed from a wine novice to a wine educator who encouraged consumers to speak their mind – what they really enjoy drinking and experiencing.
In 2016, GREAT WINE opened its first tasting room in the Seattle Metro Area to offer wine tasting and vinotyping experiences to clients. Lin did not let tasting and learning end in a brick-and-mortar store; she started a wine club for her clients so they can enjoy "vinotyped" selection of wines at home.
Craig McAllister, New Zealander spent his first 20 years in Christchurch, New Zealand and then lived in London for 6 years. He has travelled extensively throughout the world. He found himself drawn not just to the wine industry, but to the wine lifestyle due to his love of cooking, traveling and being outdoors. This led him to Lincoln University in New Zealand, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in viticulture and enology. While traveling around the world, he found himself drawn to wine industry. Cooking, traveling and being outdoors led him to received his Bachelor of Science degree in viticulture and Enology (which means study wines) at Lincoln University in New Zealand.
Craig's passion for winemaking has taken him all over the world, from New Zealand to Australia, Chile and Cyprus. He first joined the La Crema team in 2007 as the Harvest Enologist. After gaining additional experience abroad, he joined the La Crema team full-time in 2009. He has been a steward of La Crema's Monterey program and worked extensively on the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. He also helped to further develop La Crema's esteemed collection of single vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. He was promoted to head winemaker in 2017.
For Craig, there is never a dull moment in winemaking. From the rush and intensity of harvest, to bottling the wines and taking them to market, he continually strives to improve quality.
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