‘A good wine is a wine you like,? said Clarkston resident Ron Heady.
Heady, who started out in the sales business 15 years ago as a route salesman, is now the regional sales manager for Robert Mondavi Wines.
Heady and his wife Rita, with their two daughters Calem and Celestia, moved from Waterford to the Clarkston area four months ago.
‘I think Clarkston is a neat town,? said Heady. ‘I love the downtown area and the country feeling. People have been really great.?
Although new to the area, Heady came into the community with established relationships ? he had a history with Robert Esshaki, owner of Rudy’s Market, and the owners of Mesquite Creek, making his move an easy one.
‘I used to sell wine to Rudy’s back when I was a route salesman,? said Heady. ‘From that time I formed a fondness for the community.?
Moving into Clarkston was exciting for Heady. He already loved the community, had already established relationships and was thrilled with the school district. His children are enrolled in Clarkston schools, and his daughter Celestia plays for the Clarkston Middle School basketball team.
Though successful today, Heady had to work hard to reach his goals. Traveling from business to business to sell wines was a great start ? a start that led him to his current position.
So what does it mean to be a regional sales manager?
Heady is the area sales manager for Michigan and Indiana. He is involved with every aspect of selling Robert Mondavi wines in these two states. He is responsible for all of the business with fifteen distributors.
Also, Heady works closely with pricing and promotion through companies such as COSTCO and Sam’s Club.
Heady explained that the business and the title he holds come with a lot of work. He is constantly involved in seminars and courses on wine making, the components of wine and choosing the right wine for certain food. He is in a constant educational environment.
‘Monthly, I will do different things with restaurants and distributors where I will work with people to get them used to using wine as a regular part of the dinner table,? he said.
Heady made his introduction to the Clarkston community at the Annual Wine Tasting Gala on Nov. 10.
‘I met the people from the Rotary Club and they told me about this great event that they had been doing for a couple of years,? said Heady. ‘It sounded very interesting so we put together a proposal and set up tables to give the people something different than just Michigan wines.?
Heady was very impressed with the event, its location and all the great people he met.
‘I met a lot of people through the Rotary,? said Heady. ‘They do so many things for the community that I was not aware of.?
Within his career, Heady most enjoys visiting wineries in California and working with the wine makers. His most memorable moment to date was meeting Mr. Robert Mondavi.
‘I met Robert Mondavi two years ago and it was very cool,? said Heady. ‘It was incredible because the guy is an icon all over the world, and he is a great, fun and interesting man.?
Heady has also built relationships with other members of the Mondavi family; and he loves Robert’s philosophy, which is to enrich life through wine. The Mondavi company vision is to help Americans understand wine as people do in Europe.
Within the Clarkston area, Heady supplies for many local spots, such as Rudy’s Quality Market, Giacomo’s Ristorante, Mesquite Creek and the Clarkston Caf?. He enjoys working for Robert Mondavi very much and looks forward to the future.
‘I love the style of our winemaking,? said Heady. ‘It is a very good and fun style.
‘I am mostly looking forward to working with the local restaurants to promote food and wine to the local community,? said Heady. ‘Overall this is a neat town.?