Lodi winegrape leader moves on

When Mark Chandler helped start the Lodi Winegrape Commission as its first chief executive officer 20 years ago, he could call a members meeting and perhaps eight winegrape growers would show up, often with dirt on their boots from coming directly from their vineyards.

“When I started in the early 90s there were just a few wine owners around. When we had a meeting, the principals showed up,” he says. “Now 25-30 people show up. It’s not the owners. It’s the white-collar people.”

Mr. Chandler says that’s because the rapid growth of the Lodi wine industry has created many new jobs, some demanding higher education like any other type of business,

“We’ve created scores of jobs around here,” he says. “It’s great for family wineries because now when their kids graduate from college there is an opportunity to come home and work at the winery.”

The Lodi appellation has expanded from eight winegrape growers in 1991 to 85 today.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me. It’s gone extremely well,” Mr. Chandler tells CVBT.

The difference in the number of wineries is readily seen, Mr. Chandler says: “Simply driving around the Lodi district and seeing one on every corner,” he says, with a little exaggeration.

Mr. Chandler is leaving the job he created to start his own marketing and management firm at the end of this year. His replacement has not been named.

“Under Mark’s leadership the Lodi region has prospered … and today the Lodi Appellation is proudly displayed on some 500 premium wines that are found nationally and internationally,” says Bob Lauchland, chairman of the Lodi Winegrape Commission.

“As both a Lodi grape grower and director of the Embassy Wine Program, I have a birds-eye view of the increase in awareness of Lodi wines not only domestically, but globally,” says Frank Gayaldo, who is active in expanding the exporting of Lodi wines to China and Central America.

“Like a fine wine it took time to mature, but today Lodi is on the map as one of the world's premiere wine grape growing regions,” Mr. Gayalso says. “I anticipate many agricultural associations and more aggressive wineries from around the nation and the world will be seeking Mark's expert marketing advice.”