Proprietor

Bill Stoller

Bill Stoller is the proprietor of Chehalem. He also owns Stoller Family Estate, a 373-acre property with 210 acres of vineyard, Dundee Hills AVA. Stoller is one of the three estate vineyards sourced by Chehalem Winery for its wine production.

Stoller is the founder and CEO of The Stoller Group, founder, president and vice-chairman of Express Employment Professionals, and founder and CEO at Xenium HR & Employer Services. A native Oregonian, Stoller holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Pacific University, and an MBA from Portland State University.

President

Gary Mortensen

As president, Gary brings to Stoller Family Estate thirteen years of senior leadership in the Oregon wine industry. As a start-up veteran he brings a passion for bleeding-edge technology and pushing boundaries. In 2022, Gary was named one of the Portland Business Journal’s Executives of the Year.

As a devoted historian, he is committed to preserving and sharing our nation’s diversity and heritage. He is also an active foundation board member of the Technology Association of Oregon, and is helping to found “Innovation Academies” for kids. Gary is an award-winning director of two documentary films telling the stories of Oregonians who served in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Winemaker

Katie Santora

Katie Santora joined Chehalem in 2012 as assistant winemaker. In her nine-year tenure, Katie has facilitated every aspect of the winemaking process. Her expert knowledge of our vineyard sites and house style made her the perfect candidate to assume the role of winemaker in 2018. In her current position, Katie considers herself a conductor as she empowers her team, ensuring everyone feels happy and productive. Winemaking allows Katie to be in tune with the grapes as they progress through the season, allowing her to have a deeper understanding of the vintage, and the world at large. Originally from Utah, Katie became interested in wine while attending UC Davis where she graduated with a degree in enology and viticulture. ​

Vice President of Vineyard Operations

Jason Tosch

A native of Oregon’s Tualatin Valley, Jason Tosch has made his career farming premium quality wine grapes in the Willamette Valley, most recently at Anne Amie Vineyards.  He has served in leadership roles for the Oregon wine industry’s wine research and sustainability focused communities. Jason earned his degree in horticulture from Oregon State University, focusing on small fruits and berries. His high level of industry involvement led his alma mater to honor Jason with the College of Agricultural Sciences Luminary Award for early professional accomplishment in 2010. And, in 2016 the Oregon Wine Board presented him with the Outstanding Industry Service Award.

Vice President of Direct Sales

Tracy Timmins

Tracy began her wine journey in 2000 at Columbia Winery in Washington and became fascinated by the many nuances involved in a grape’s journey from field to bottle. She kept close ties to the wine industry through part-time positions as she honed her sales and management skills in other industries. Tracy joined Chehalem in 2014 as part of the direct sales team.

Away from work, Tracy enjoys supporting her two boys at their many activities, traveling with her husband, and entertaining friends.

Vice President Of Business Development

James Falvey

Born and raised in southeast Portland, James holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a focus in sports marketing from the University of Oregon. James worked with the Portland Trail Blazers before joining us at Stoller Family Estate. He fell in love with the winery the first time he drove up to the estate and saw the breathtaking approach.

Vice President of National Sales

Patrick Hiley

Patrick Hiley has 25 years of experience in the wine industry. He caught the wine bug after many years working in fine dining restaurants in New Orleans, served as a buyer at a high-end grocery store, worked for a large wine supplier covering the Southeast, and eventually as a distributor holding multiple senior positions. When the opportunity to join a family of quality-driven wineries presented itself, Pat jumped at the chance to work for the Stoller Wine Group. He lives in Atlanta with his wife, Gretchen, and their three teenage children. Pat enjoys traveling with Gretchen, listening to vinyl, and spending time with friends and family. He holds Certified Wine Specialist accreditation from the Society of Wine Educators as well as Certified Sommelier credentials from the Guild of Master Sommeliers.

Vice President of Communications

Michelle Kaufmann

Michelle Kaufmann is a powerhouse voice and crusader for the Oregon wine industry, having previously led communications for the Oregon Wine Board before joining the Stoller Wine Group in 2017. In her new role, she oversees all media relations, government relations, community relations, and communications efforts, working in lockstep with the marketing, sales, and production teams. With a knack for storytelling and the gift of the gab, Michelle is on a mission to make the business of Oregon wine a national conversation.

A Portland, Oregon native, Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon, focusing on public relations and communications. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the International Pinot Noir Celebration, Willamette Valley Wineries Association, and the Chehalem Mountains Winegrowers, as well as the associated marketing committees. When not working, you can find Michelle exploring the culinary bounty of the Pacific Northwest or devouring the latest indie flick with a glass of wine in hand.

Vice President of Finance

Steve Caldwell

Steve, a native Oregonian, graduated from OSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting. Prior to joining the Stoller Wine Group, Steve was the CFO of Willamette Valley Vineyards.

Vice President of Trade Development

Bill Hanson

Bill brings more than 25 years of wine industry experience to the Stoller Wine Group. He has served as past Chair of the Board of Directors as well as Marketing Committee Chair for LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), the leading certifier of sustainable vineyards and wineries in the Pacific Northwest. Bill has held Certified Wine Educator’s accreditation through the Society of Wine Educators since 2007. In addition to his extensive wine management experience, Bill also brings the skills of a winegrower, as the owner of Libra Vineyard.

Assistant Winemaker

Jess Spera

Jess Spera segued into wine in 2014 after working in the lab of a large brewery in Colorado. It was an easy transition, especially as she had experience selling wine in a fine dining setting in Boulder and Vail. Jess first joined Chehalem in 2016 as a harvest intern. Two years later, she’s excited to be back as associate winemaker. Jess takes pride in combining finesse and efficiency in the cellar and an analytical mindset in the lab.

When she’s not at work, Jess spends any spare moment skiing powder, climbing mountains, and traveling around the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jay.

Cellar Master

Cate Lever

Cate Lever, an Oregon native, grew up on a cattle and filbert farm that borders Aurora’s pudding river. In search of something to blend her business degree from Linfield College and her farming background, she fell in love with wine production after her first harvest in 2012. Gaining a trifecta of experience through roles in the cellar, lab, and vineyard, she is currently in the process of finishing her AAS in winemaking from Chemeketa Community College. Cate joined the Chehalem team as cellar master in fall 2019. She has a passion for efficiency and structure in the cellar, with the goal to instill the admiration for great wine, and the hard work necessary to achieve it, into the winery interns each harvest.

When not in the cellar, Cate is a sports fanatic and outdoor hobby hound. Her husband and their two dogs, Blue and Spud, enjoy helping her parents with the cows on the farm, riding horses, skiing, or exploring the Eagle cap mountains.

Viticulturist

DJ Cook

Known for having a green thumb, DJ knew that his future was in farming from a young age. An Oregon State University graduate with a degree in Horticulture, focusing on Viticulture, DJ has farmed Pinot Noir for world-class vineyards in Sonoma, Napa, New Zealand, and Oregon’s Dundee Hills. It’s fitting that he has joined our vineyard team as his first research field experience was at Stoller Family Estate. When not in the vineyard, you can find DJ on the Oregon Coast listening to Jimmy Buffett and throwing back a couple of oyster shooters, fishing, crabbing, clamming, and hiking with family and friends.

Director of National Brands

Cory Davis

Cory joined the Stoller Wine Group as our national sales manager in the fall of 2005. He fell in love with Pinot Noir during his three-year stay in France, and moved to Oregon in the mid-90s, drawn by the natural beauty and burgeoning potential of the Pacific Northwest wine scene. Prior to joining the Stoller, Cory worked as a distributor of some of the world’s finest wines.

Southeastern Regional Sales Manager

Brian Driver

The wine bug bit Brian while waiting tables at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Nashville, Tennessee during college. Now, more than 15-years later, his career has spanned some of the best restaurants in the southeast and management on both the supplier and distribution side of the wine business, including stints with RNDC, Zonin USA, and Milbrandt Family Wines. Brian has made a lifelong commitment to his craft and continues to develop his skills as both a supplier and wine lover. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he fell in love with the Tampa, Florida area, where he resides with his family to this day. Brian loves spending time with his family and doing anything active. He is an avid comic collector and loves reading biographies of historical figures.

Southwest Regional Manager

Jeff Floyd

Jeff Floyd fell in love with wine while working for a beer distributor straight out of college. Now with 27+ years in the wine industry, his passion for family-owned wine has only grown. Jeff enjoys spending his time outdoors, either hunting or fishing, with some music on in the background, or gathered around a campfire with friends and glass of bourbon in his hand.

Regional Sales

Craig Havlinek

Craig Havlinek has more than 15 years’ experience in the wine industry. His passion for wine began in his early 20s while running the wine department in a local grocery store. From there, he expanded his experience by working for an Oregon winery where he oversaw national and international sales, followed by working in distribution with the fine wine team at Young’s Market Co. where he was awarded “The Best in the West” sales representative for three consecutive years. In August 2019, Craig joined the Stoller Wine Group family, overseeing regional sales in Oregon. In true Oregon native fashion, his hobbies include roasting coffee, brewing beer, talking about all things wine, cooking, and spending time in the great outdoors with his wife, Angela, and daughter, Lily.

Senior Business Analyst

Christian Bennett

A Salt Lake City native, Christian Bennett first fell in love with Oregon as an undergrad student at the University of Oregon. During grad school at the University of Utah, he would often pine for his days back in Oregon, dreaming of visits to the coast, hiking at Mt. Hood, listening to live music, and fully indulging in the food and beverage scene. After graduation, Christian quickly moved back and made Oregon home. He entered the wine industry in March 2017 as a tasting room associate at Chehalem, before his business savvy financial skills were discovered. In September 2018, Christian was promoted to senior business analyst for the national sales team.

Director of Wine Clubs

Natalie Karasek

Natalie was first introduced to the wine industry through her husband, Jasha. She instantly fell in love with the tight-knit community of the wine industry and the joy of knowing there is always something new to learn. Originally from a small town in northern San Diego County, Natalie has worked in Sonoma County, California, and Margaret River, Australia. Yet, having spent a lot of time in the Willamette Valley visiting for business and pleasure, she and Jasha knew this was where they wanted to put down roots. Natalie is beyond excited to join the Stoller Wine Group team, working with our outstanding members and curating memorable club experiences. When not at work, you can find her exploring all the Pacific Northwest has to offer, enjoying good food and Brut Rosé, gardening, traveling, learning how to farm filberts (tips welcomed), and chasing after her 90 lb. Bernedoodle, Finn.

Director of Hospitality

Dave Rice

Born and educated in the maize plains of Illinois and Iowa, Dave found his calling in the mid-80s when he met several Oregon winemaking pioneers on a sales swing through Austin, Texas. Soon after, he relocated to Oregon with his young family. He worked as national sales manager for a local winery before embarking on a detour through the world of human capital management, software and professional services sales. Proving you can go home again, he came to Chehalem in 2008, eventually landing in his current role as Director of Hospitality.

When he’s not in the tasting room in Newberg, Dave is spending time with his wife Ann, and their grown sons, Andrew and Jordan. He can also be found tending his vegetables; depleting and replenishing his wine cellar; exploring Oregon’s majesty; watching the Portland Timbers or Trail Blazers, and hanging out with his dog, Serena.

Business Development Executive

Michelle Fritts

A native of Oregon, Michelle Fritts’s Italian roots serve as her base for wine and culinary appreciation. She joined Chehalem in 2018, utilizing her experience in planning and implementing programs for the Portland Rose Festival, the Seattle Mariners, and small start-ups Sharing Spree and NW Star Productions. Her ability to quickly build rapport in the community and build relationships with both non-profits and corporate businesses made her the perfect fit to manage business development at Chehalem. Michelle is also an avid sports enthusiast, as she sits on the Friends of Baseball board, supporting opportunities for youth, on and off the field. She and her husband live in Newberg and are the proud parents of two gents and their beloved four-legged friend, Zeus.

Business Development Manager

Arianna Paulson

A fourth-generation Oregonian born and raised in the Columbia River Gorge, Ariana has always had an adventuring heart, enthusiastically embracing every challenge life throws her. She graduated from the University of New Orleans with a B.S. in Industrial & Organizational Psychology, intending to practice in the business sector, but she fell in love with southern hospitality. Ariana held various management positions at several top restaurants throughout the south before coming home to Oregon in 2018. Ready for her next adventure, she joined the Stoller Wine Group family in 2020, quickly rising through the ranks before settling in with the business development team. She loves that her role gives her the flexibility to build connections and foster relationships with businesses across the region. 

When not working, you can find Ariana exploring new restaurants, hiking, gardening, playing a board game (or two) with her family and friends, or heading off to the river or beach with her puppy, Georgia.

Culinary Director and Executive Chef

Becca Richards

Becca started cooking for fun as a kid, destroying her mother’s kitchen in an array of extravagant sandwich and pasta creations for her friends. It wasn’t until Becca turned 19 that she started down the culinary path. Hostess, busser, dishwasher, waiter, line cook, baker, sous chef, bartender, bar manager, chef, Becca did everything she could in the restaurant industry to learn the business.

After several years of hard work and sweat, Becca gained the speed and confidence that pushed her to move to New York City. In 2010, she joined the team at Recette in Greenwich Village in spite of not having any NYC experience. She then went to Flex Mussels and eventually became the savory chef teaming up with the pastry chef.

From there, Becca realized her dream and attended culinary school at International Culinary Center (formerly the French Culinary Institute) where she graduated with honors while working as a captain at Lincoln. The day of graduation, Becca was offered a job as the Sous chef at the Lion and eventually worked to take over as the Chef d’ Cuisine.

In 2017, Becca moved to Oregon to be closer to her family. Shortly after that, she joined Stoller Family Estate. In her role, Becca creates dishes that showcase the harmony between locally-sourced food and wine.

Assistant Event Operations Manager

Brenna Buckwalter

Growing up in Portland, Brenna was always aware of Oregon’s wine scene. But it wasn’t until her first wine class at Linfield University that the bug officially bit her, and she fell in love with the industry. She quickly took a position working as a tasting room associate at Stoller Family Estate before graduating with a bachelor’s in business management and a minor in wine studies. Brenna loves how wine brings people together, allowing for a connection to learn from people all over the world. Her passion made Brenna a natural choice to assume the role of events coordinator. She enjoys seeing people’s vision come to life, nurturing that vision as it blooms throughout the process. When not at work, you can find Brenna at the beach, hiking in the Gorge, and of course, enjoying a glass of wine.

Marketing Director

Stephanie Hofmann

When Stephanie jumps, she does it with both feet. Originally from Austin, Texas, she started college and became an Oregonian on the same day. While in college, the wine bug bit her while working as a student archivist for the Oregon Wine History Archive. Since then, Stephanie has quickly immersed herself in the Willamette Valley wine community working to promote diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion throughout the region.

She now calls NW Portland her home with her partner and three cats, Jane Austen, Hannibal, and Benji. When not working, Stephanie enjoys a good pun, exploring her neighborhood, having deep conversations, and flexing her culinary skills for her chosen family.

Creative Director

Austin Raz

As a native Oregonian with family roots in Newberg, Austin has had his eye on the wine industry for quite some time. Austin has worked for two of the world’s most influential brands at Nike and MTV, and studied New Media Communications at Oregon State University. What drew Austin to Stoller was the team’s vision of innovation and sustainability towards the environment, community, and economy. He is excited to bring his unique perspective into a creative role.

Content Producer

Mindy Gimarelli

Mindy Gimarelli fell in love with wine while vacationing in the Priorat region of Spain during a cooking school adventure. Raised in Oregon, Mindy spent most of her career in education, teaching Montessori for six years before joining the Beaverton Education Foundation where she supported building stronger classrooms in public schools. At the same time, Mindy spent the last 10 years as a consultant, managing social media platforms for local restaurants, small businesses, and multiple public accounts. With a firm understanding of social media strategy, she left education to follow her passion for wine and joined Chehalem in early 2018. In her free time, Mindy enjoys exploring Portland’s amazing food scene, spending time with her family, and spoiling her Golden Retriever Macallan and Orange Tabby Bubbs.

Logistics & Purchasing Manager

John Vanover

Born in Santa Cruz, John Vanover spent most of his life in the South. Birmingham, Alabama’s vibrant food and wine culture led him to an 8-year career with a  wine distributor. In 2019, John jumped at the opportunity to get closer to the source and to enjoy life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. He comes to the Stoller Wine Group with a firm understanding and experience in logistics and operations management. John is inspired every day by Stoller Family Estate’s stunning vineyard and its innovative approach to winemaking.

Facilities Manager

Ryan Thornton

Ryan Thornton has spent more than a decade working with wineries throughout the Willamette Valley to increase their quality and efficiency with water. A self-proclaimed “human tool,” he enjoys learning about mechanics and how things operate so he can share that knowledge with and help others. This passion has taken Ryan around the globe, building sustainable irrigation systems, and teaching communities how to best utilize them, with his goal of helping more than a million people with their water needs. When not working, Ryan enjoys teaching scuba diving.

Head of Corporate Gardens

Corinne Gosnell

Corinne Gosnell is a rare native of the Pacific Northwest. Over the tenure of her occupation in fine gardening, Corinne has transformed agricultural estate garden practices to develop clean, sustainable, beautiful landscapes throughout the holdings of great wine estates across the Willamette Valley. A keen observer of the unique natural splendor Oregon presents, Corinne has worked tirelessly to advance the B Corp model. She is also a talented floral stylist, translating color theory to the landscape with a tapestry of scented roses, shrubs, fruiting trees, and perennials, which will be used as cutting garden on the Stoller Family Estate grounds. While beautiful, the garden also enhances rare and vital insect populations unique to the estate, which Corinne holds so dear as a preservationist of the living environment.

Bottling Manager

Joshua Tikhonoff

Joshua never thought he would work in wine, but after taking an job opportunity at a California winery he quickly discovered this was something he excelled at and enjoyed. He and his family moved to the Napa Valley so Joshua could immerse himself in the heart of the California wine industry, working various jobs in the cellar, bottling, and distribution departments while expanding his palate with many delicious wines along the way. Joshua enjoys that his job requires high attention to detail and organization to provide a quality product, which creates the opportunity to continually improve himself and his team. When a new exciting opportunity came his way, Joshua and his young family relocated to the heart of the Oregon wine industry in early 2021 so he could join our team as Bottling Manager. When not at work, you can find Joshua exploring Oregon through cycling and hiking, and spending time with his family

HR Director

Cecilia Barrera

If you asked Cecilia what she wanted to be when she grew up, working at a winery was probably not on the top of her list. But the 25+ year Human Resources veteran is learning how to appreciate the craft one sip at a time. Much like growing grapes or making wine, Cecilia loves knowing that there is no typical day in HR. She enjoys helping others and seeing how her job makes a positive difference to our people and our organization. Cecilia is bilingual and proficient in translating legal documents from English to Spanish, including OSHA, BOLI, and Safety Regulations Law, making her an indispensable member of the Stoller Wine Group. In her spare time, you can find Cecilia spending time with her family, taking long walks with her husband and three dogs, riding tricycles, reading books, watching movies, scrapbooking, designing her own earrings, and of course, enjoying delicious and inspiring cuisine.