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Don Elam
Don Elam has been involved in international trade his entire adult life. Growing up in Saratoga in Santa Clara Valley, better known as Silicon Valley, Don earned a B.A. in Business Administration from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. This time in life gave him not only an academic education but a higher personal value for the overall wealth and social diversity of California’s Bay Area and surrounding areas. After successfully supporting semiconductor test operations in Asia and California, Don at thirty-eight decided the thrill of high-tech was gone and life needed a new challenge. As an avid reader of history, wine in large part came into view as a proven, viable and dynamic product produced locally in high quality and in abundance- ideal exporting conditions to growing markets.
Exploiting his knowledge of air and ocean logistics with a savvy sense of market demands, Don has taken a patio-chair concept into a working reality. Don has worked part-time at Half Moon Bay Wine and Cheese and as a Wine Advisor promoting Diageo brands primarily at Costco warehouse stores by educating members about world wines and their pairings. These experiences have given Don immeasurable experience in understanding wine retail operations, floor sales and domestic distribution functions. He has often been credited making an intimidating body of knowledge for novices fun and approachable to appreciate the history and subtleties of wine. Wine is as old as civilization and the best exposure for wine sales is through education he believes.
He has been enjoying himself thoroughly exporting wine and engaging new countries and cultures. Like music, wine is universally admired and recognized. The demands for true California quality is growing and the contribution California wine can further add to world culinary culture is immense.
For nearly thirty years Don has been a certified pilot of advanced aircraft who advocates never drink and fly. His lovely wife has a way of keeping him grounded and assuages him that like wine, he is aging gracefully with more character but, alas, not as well as her.
 Kitty Shen
China Representative
Shanghai
Decisions in life. What direction is best after leaving a comfortable career employed by Fortune 500 companies? Is it the right choice to start a new path in your forties? For some of us, absolutely! Kitty, with nearly 20 years of marketing and managerial experience in ocean logistics, worked it out by listening to her heart.
While traveling throughout Europe, and later visiting wineries in Australia, wine became Kitty’s growing passion. In 2010, she made a significant tour throughout California, visiting the recognized wine regions with her husband Frank. She was so impressed by the abundance and exemplary quality of California wines, the bucolic vistas of the vineyards, and the dedicated art of fine winemaking, that she decided to walk over to our world of wine. With her years of involvement with heavy commercial shipping throughout Asia, she is a natural talent to cross the bridge of wine sales for China and required logistics. Kitty is fluent in both Mandarin and English.
As an avid yoga enthusiast, Kitty is always in search of the harmony of mind, spirit and body. Now, she is balancing her interest with wine as well.
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