A Story of Leadership, Innovation, Hard Work, and Inclusion In an industry dominated by large-scale manufacturers and long-established corporations, National Storage Tank (NST) stands out not only as a leader in engineered water storage systems but also as a certified woman-owned business driving change through innovation, diversity, and community impact. Led by CEO Nicole Oblad, NST has become a powerhouse in the design and delivery of bolted steel, stainless steel, fiberglass, and underground water storage tanks, serving industries ranging from hospitals and data centers to agriculture and manufacturing. Yet, what truly sets NST apart isn’t just the scale of its operations, but the values that fuel its success. Breaking Barriers in a Male-Dominated Industry The water storage and construction industries have traditionally been male-dominated, but NST’s leadership has rewritten that narrative. Under Nicole Oblad’s guidance, NST has become one of

Beyond SMS & Email: 2 Proven DTC Channels for More Wine Sales in 2025 New Direct Mail Strategies & Affordable Mobile Apps Deliver Quick Wins As we barrel into OND — the most critical sales quarter for wine brands — many DTC marketing teams are staring down a sobering reality: sales are slumping, inboxes are saturated, and SMS campaigns are losing steam.  The two primary direct marketing channels most wineries rely on — email (used by 85% of brands) and SMS (used by 15%) — are showing serious signs of fatigue. Promotional emails are increasingly buried in spam folders, and just last week, some of the industry’s leading SMS providers urged wineries to limit their use of SMS this holiday season due to deliverability concerns. So what now? If you’re a wine marketer looking for incremental sales this year without taking big risks, it’s time to revisit two proven channels that have quietly regained their edge: direct mail and affordabl

The Perils of Using AI to Replace Entry-Level Jobs EXCERPT FROM: AI Wine Marketing News by VinterActive Perhaps you’ve read the headlines about entry-level workers struggling to find jobs due to the rise of AI.  And especially if cash flow is tight, it’s mighty tempting to target entry-level jobs that might be done at lower cost by AI assistants controlled by seasoned marketers.  On the other hand, Harvard Business Review warns: “Replacing entry-level jobs with AI may harm long-term competitiveness by eliminating critical training grounds for future leaders.” — Harvard Business Review What does that mean for wine business managers? As you probably know, AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement.  So, if you don’t have entry-level marketers learning from your experienced leaders, what do you do when senior leaders move to greener pastures? The answer is to challenge leaders to identify repetitive work that AI c

Boost Holiday Wine Club Sales with a Mobile App Ready in 7 Days Let’s not beat around the bush… Direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine sales are down, and fewer wine country visitors fill our tasting rooms. So, this holiday season, all eyes are on wine club sales. But you already know there’s a problem. Many of your best customers complain that they “never see your emails.” And the growing costs and complexity of SMS can overwhelm any wine marketing team. So how can you win this game? Your Secret Weapon: A Custom Wine Club App Email still matters.  It’s great for long-form content, images, or receipts. But between spam filters and overcrowded inboxes, you’re lucky if 50% of your club members see your pick-up reminders, deadlines for customizing shipments, or special holiday sales offers. And even if you text your club members, many of your best customers won’t opt in. That’s why leading brands turned to branded mobile apps over a dec

Customer Privately owned winery and vineyard operation Industry Beverage – Wine Production Services Provided Mechanical installation and utility tie-ins; Structural support fabrication and installation; Piping for compressed air, cold water, and product transfer; Equipment installation and startup support; P&IDs and equipment documentation Overview TM Process & Controls, Inc. (TMPC) was contracted to provide mechanical services for the installation of a GEA CF 4000-71-35 decanter at a family-owned winery in Acampo, CA. TMPC’s scope included setting the decanter, installing associated utility piping, integrating GEA components, and fabricating both wall-mounted and floor-mounted supports. The decanter was positioned across indoor and outdoor utility areas with connections made for cold water, compressed air, and product flow. Problem The winery required a reliable installation of a high-capacity decanter system during peak operations, with precise integration i

Design Your Own Custom AI Concierge for FREE Affordable pricing starts @ $69/mo Websites, not tasting rooms, are the first point of contact for most consumer journeys.  Still, too many merchants greet website visitors with pretty pictures and pushy pleas to share personal contact info before they’re welcomed with any semblance of hospitality. That’s why VinterActive created an AI Winery Concierge -- a multi-channel chatbot -- trained in the art and science of delivering attentive, personalized customer service 24/7. Why Add an Affordable AI Concierge to Your Team? KEY BUSINESS BENEFITS KEY MARKETING FEATURES Helps guests 24/7  Boosts wine sales Saves time & money Drives engagement Improves customer service Frees up small marketing teams to accomplish more Fully customized personas Detailed brand training Self-learning mode Compliance aware Asks for feedback Multichannel/multilingual: chatbot, standalone, mobile app, Shopify, SMS, email, In

Discover Pragmatic AI Tools to Help Wine Marketers in 2025 Cut through the hype with AI Wine Marketing News Believe it or not, it's been two years since AI tools made their debut in DTC wine marketing. First-generation tools, such as ChatGPT, found a productive niche in copywriting, image generation, and video production.  Now, "AI Agents" are stealing the headlines with hyped-up promises paired with perilous predictions of doom. That's why VinterActive publishes AI Wine Marketing News -- a bi-weekly news digest -- featuring only trustworthy AI news items relevant to wine marketers. CLICK HERE TO READ THIS WEEK'S EDITION In this week's edition, we're featuring 5 news items:     Apple: The Illusion of Thinking Salesforce AI Research: Study shows AI agents struggle with CRM and confidentiality Futurism: ChatGPT "Absolutely Wrecked" at Chess by Atari 2600 Console From 1977 MIT Media Lab: Your Brain on ChatGPT Princeton: Ho

Free Educational Resource from VinterActive - Grow Your Business & Career - "Let There Be Light!"For wine marketers navigating choppy waters, it’s hard to know if AI is friend or foe. That’s why we publish AI Wine Marketing News. In this free bi-weekly news digest, we sift through the hype to highlight AI news relevant to wine marketers. WHY AI WINE MARKETING NEWS? Our focus is on pragmatic uses of AI technology in the wine industry. We only follow reputable news sources. We confirm the validity of all content we share, and analyze AI news with one question in mind: “What does this mean for wine marketers?” If you think learning about AI might help your business or career, we invite you to subscribe at no cost. THREE FREE WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE LinkedIn: If you use LinkedIn, subscribe to “AI Wine Marketing News” here: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7296203585329999872 Email: If your email relia

Wine Marketers: You’re Probably Using AI Wrong Here's the way to work with your AI Marketing Assistant... Earlier this year, I leaned into GenAI to learn how it might help wine marketers survive a challenging time. Like many wine marketers, I initially viewed AI as another traditional business tool.  I’d ask a question (input) and wait for the computer’s answer (output).  Results? Sometimes insightful or artful, but often decidedly less so. It turns out I was using GenAI wrong when I first approached this unique beast. Here's what I learned... WORKING WITH AI AS A COLLEAGUE...NOT A TOOL Working with GenAI as a colleague, instead of using it as a tool, made all the difference in the world for me.  Instead of simply saying “write a business plan,” I ask my AI assistants to ask me questions about my goals and limitations, enabling them to do their best work tailored to my needs. Then the give-and-take of my conversations with Gen

Yandell Companies announces that Rick Moradian has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Moradian is a global supply chain executive, with 30+ years of leadership expertise in domestic and international transportation, warehousing, e-commerce, and fulfillment services.   Most recently, Mr. Moradian was the CEO of Unity Express Logistics, a time and temperature critical last-mile delivery company specializing in the pharmaceutical, medicine, and e-commerce sectors, and Wineshipping, the leading provider of direct-to-consumer fulfillment services to the wine industry. In addition, Mr. Moradian served as the CEO of Fleetgistics, the CEO of ServiceCraft Logistics, and the President of APL Logistics for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.  Mr. Moradian has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from Oxford University. “As the CEO of Yandell Companies, I am delighted to lead its distinctive structure and culture,” s