K-J drops $100,000 annual donation to Wells Fargo Center

Kendall-Jackson winery has terminated its financial support for the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, a sponsorship that exceeds $100,000 a year and allows thousands of schoolchildren to participate in the center's programs.

The Santa Rosa winery has informed the center that it is ending its exclusive wine partnership, a relationship it has had with the center for the past five years, said Kristi Buffo, public relations manager for the center.

Kendall-Jackson has been the center's largest corporate donor after Wells Fargo Bank, Buffo said.

"It's really important to us, so we're really disappointed it's come to this," Buffo said. "They have been very generous."

The winery said the change is not a sign of financial trouble at Kendall-Jackson, which has been hit hard by the recession, but rather of a marketing shift.

"This is not a reflection on the strength of the company," said Caroline Shaw, director of public relations at the winery's parent company, Jackson Family Wines. "It's a reflection of a new strategic marketing vision."

The company wants to focus its attention on new ways to market Kendall-Jackson on the national stage, Shaw said.

"We've all been thrilled with the relationship, but the marketing department is obviously looking at new opportunities and new ways to get our message across," Shaw said.

Jackson Family Wines in April hired a new chief marketing officer, Stephen Croncota. He was previously with the Haggar Clothing Co. in Dallas and has held marketing positions at Versace, E! Networks and the Cartoon Network.

In addition to the $100,000 per year, the winery has donated significant amounts of wine to the center, which it leveraged for more revenue through wine sales at the events.

Combined with additional advertising payments, the total value of the Kendall-Jackson's sponsorship over five years was valued at approximately $1 million, Buffo said.

The winery has agreed to continue providing wine until the center can find a new sponsor, she said.

While the sponsorship did not directly pay for a specific program, it allowed the center to fund performances aimed at schoolchildren, Buffo said. Last year, 30,000 school kids got to see events at the center thanks to donations like K-J's, she said.

Performers also have visited schools, such as when the Peking Acrobats went to Santa Rosa schools earlier this year, she said.

Shaw said Kendall-Jackson is confident a new sponsor for the Wells Fargo Center will be found soon. She also said the move in no way reflects a decision by founder Jess Jackson's family to scale back community support.

"Santa Rosa and Sonoma County are extremely important to this family and this company, and our civic and philanthropic outreach will continue," she said.

Jackson Family Wines is the largest wine group in Sonoma County, selling an estimated 5.6 million cases of wine last year made from 14,000 acres of vineyards around the state.