SSU's School of Business and Economics celebrates 25th birthday, announces winners of Wine Business scholarships

Over 150 alumni, faculty, staff, and community members attended as Sonoma State’s School of Business and Economics kicked off a year of birthday celebrations and 25 years of graduating business and economics students last night. Legendary brewing company Lagunitas and local grocer Oliver’s Market generously sponsored the event.

Lagunitas is donating all proceeds from the event to support Sonoma State’s Wine Business Institute. “When we visited the wine business classes and learned about the great student projects going on, we knew this was something we had to support. After all, it takes a lot of beer to make good wine, or in this case – to market and manage it!” said Ron Lindenbusch of Lagunitas. A second celebration fundraiser is scheduled for late August.

Ray Johnson, director of Sonoma State’s Wine Business Institute, also announced the winners of four wine business scholarships at the event. The students were selected for the tremendous effort they have already put into their wine business studies and the ambitious goals they have for their futures, which include growing a new wine brand and becoming the general manager of a small winery.

Wine MBA candidates Shaun Richardson and Jacob Avery already have considerable experience working in the industry. They were both awarded the Donn P. Reisen Scholarship that was created to honor Reisen’s passion for Zinfandel and his commitment to education. Their knowledge and skills in the industry show that both share the same desire for wine as Reisen. Richardson has held a variety of different positions in the industry, ranging from dealing with customers in retail to winemaking and management. Avery will graduate from the Wine MBA program in the fall and is working to launch his own wine label, Wautasha Wines, an organic wine that donates a dollar from every bottle sold to an environmental charity.

Rachel Kau-Taylor, recipient of the Susan Cagann Scholarship, just finished her first semester at Sonoma State and plans to use her love for wine to become a wine buyer for a large chain. The Women for WineSense Scholarship was awarded to Taylor Cramer, who is pursuing a degree in wine business to gain more knowledge of the industry so that she can eventually take over her family’s winery.

Pictured above are the Wine Business scholarship recipients (From left to right: Richardson, Avery, Cramer, Kau-Taylor)

“This is a fitting celebration to recognize students and appreciate what the School has accomplished in our first 25 years. With impressive alumni at work in all levels of the industry and really promising students venturing out, we’re excited about what we can achieve in our next 25 years,” stated Johnson. More information on the student scholarships can be found at www.sonoma.edu/sbe.

About Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics

Sonoma State University School of Business and Economics' vision is to be the educational nucleus of a thriving North Bay economy. Its mission is to create extraordinary learning experiences for its students and to advance best business practices in the North Bay and beyond. With undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs serving over 1500 students each year and concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, Wine Business, and Economics, the School offers the most in-demand degree on the Sonoma State campus. The School of Business and Economics is accredited by AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), making it one of 15% of all business schools in the world to meet these standards of excellence. The School of Business and Economics is also home to the Wine Business Institute, which is the first program in the United States to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees focused exclusively on the business aspects of the wine industry, as well as professional development courses for the industry.