Articles & Reports

Family Continuity Planning

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Rob McMillan on Ownership Transitions
Rob McMillan, SVB Silicon Valley Bank Wine Division

Selling the Cellar
Forbes Magazine

Succession isn't what happens once you're gone: How to take control of your transition
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Managing a 3rd generation transition: Creating guiding principles for your family constitution.
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Pete Seghesio, CEO and 3rd Generation Owner, Seghesio Family Winery

An interview with Margaret Duckhorn
How to retire: Preparing your successor
Deborah Steinthal in conversation with Margaret Duckhorn

All in the Family:
Antinori, a 600-year-old family-owned winemaker, is succeeding in an industry facing turnover and change.
Elizabeth Harris, Worth Magazine. June/July 2008

Scion Advisors on Ownership Transitions: WIFS 2008 panel presentation
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Jeff Bundschu on Ownership Transitions
Jeff Bundschu, CEO Gundlach Bundschu Winery

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Carissa Chappellet on Ownership Transitions
Carissa Chappellet, Executive Committee Chair, Chappellet Winery

WIFS 2008 Panel Presentation Chris Indelicato on Ownership Transitions
Chris Indelicato, CEO, Delicato Family Vineyards

Ownership transitions & family wine businesses
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Transitioning Your Wine Business to the Next Generation
Deborah Steinthal, Wine Business Monthly

Beating The Odds: Family Wine Business Succession Planning
by Deborah Steinthal. Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, March 2007

Grape Growers Who Live Rich, Die Poor
by Deborah Steinthal. Wine Industry Financial Symposium on Vineyard Economics, May 2007

2005 Wine Family Succession Survey
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. May 2005

Beating The Odds & Grandma's Kitchen Table
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

A decade of acquistions of family-owned wineries

An Eccentric Succession: Conversations with the Cakebreads
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Robb Report Worth Magazine, December 2004

How do Family Ownership, Control, and Management Affect Firm Value?
by Belen Villalonga, Harvard Business School, and Raphael Amit, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. June 2004

Strategic Planning

A new set of glasses: Seeing your business through the eyes of a potential buyer
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

How to prepare your winery for sale: 5 steps to build a brand that’s worth more and avoid being a fire sale!
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

Future Scenarios: Discover and quantify your business potential
Hank Salvo, Scion Advisors

Scenario example: Building cash by building EBIT (a cash flow surrogate)
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

How to grow cash and equity for more financial security: The cigar box approach
Hank Salvo, Partner, Scion Advisors

How to strengthen the foundation of your wine business during uncertain times.
Deborah Steinthal, Founding partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Steve Dorfman, Partner, Ciatti Company

Growing Profits by Getting Smaller
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, November 2004

Are Luxury Wines Commoditizing? What builds competitive advantage?
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. April 2007

Discover & Quantify your Business Potential
Hank Salvo, Scion Advisors. December 2006

Create a Business Plan Your Bank Will Love
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. August 2004

Leadership Development

Got conflict? Build a high performing team & more productive business.
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

Stages of Family Business – What stage are you in?
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

What type of transition are you facing?
Rosemary Richardson, Associate, Scion Advisors

Your Role As CEO, Part 3
People: Fielding Tomorrow's Team
by Vicky Farrow, Partner, Scion Advisors. October 2007

Your Role As CEO, Part 2: Strategy - Making the Tough Choices
by Vicky Farrow, Partner, Scion Advisors. June 2007

Your Role As CEO, Part 1: Operations - Mastering the Discipline of Execution
Vicky Farrow, Partner, Scion Advisors. April 2007

A to Z on employee retention
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. August 2004

Brand & Market Strategy

Five common brand building mistakes
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

Four ways to identify your winery’s competitive advantage
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

When economic times are tight – tighten your message!
Ellen Hunt, Partner, Scion Advisors

A Virtual Winery in the Making
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, July/August 2008.

Acting Like a Pull Brand: The First Step in Building One
Dave Trebilcock, Scion Advisors. June 2007

How family businesses can succeed in a proliferated wine marketplace.
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors, in conversation with Michael Mondavi, Folio Wine Partners, Founder and Coach

Are You Selling 1,000 cases Online?
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and Paul Mabray, Inertia Beverage Group. October 2007

Fine Tuning Your Brand Strategy with "True Costs"
by Dave Trebilcock, Scion Advisors. October 2007

Sales & Marketing Agency solutions: What are they & Who needs them?
by Vivien Gay, Scion Advisors. December 2006

Prune your portfolio to build brand equity
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors. Practical Winery & Vineyard, Sept/Oct 2004

Direct to Consumers in Napa Valley Wineries
by Stanford Graduate School of Business. May 2004

Wine Industry Landscape

Meet the Wine Meisters
The Deal. September 15, 2008

Wine Industry 2015: Preparing for the challenges of tomorrow’s market landscape
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors

Merlot Done Right
by Peg Melnik. The Press Democrat, July 2007

How Families Compete
by Chris Rauber. San Francisco Business Times, May 2005

It's All Coming Together
by Chris Rauber. San Francisco Business Times, May 2005

The Perfect Storm, Revisited

How Family Wineries Can Compete in the Global Market
by Eric G. Morham, Senior Vice President, International, Constellation Wines. April 2007

U.S. Wine Market Liberalization: Wine Vision 2015
by Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and John Hinman, Hinman & Carmichael LLP. November 2005

U.S. Wine Market Liberalization by 2015
by Deborah Steinthal and John Hinman. Practical Winery & Vineyard, November/December 2005

The Perfect Storm, Revisited
Deborah Steinthal, Scion Advisors and John Hinman, Hinman & Carmichael LLP. Wine Business Monthly, December 2007

Case Studies

Case Study #1- 3rd generation wine business manages family business succession

Case Study #2- Repositioned business leads to 70% growth in gross margins

Case Study #3 – Roadmap for portfolio growth leads to 8x returns on invested capital

Case Study #4 – Building business value leads to 5 times growth in profitability

Case Study #5 -Repositioned business leads to new sources of profitable growth

Wealth Planning

Tangible transfers: Leveraging liquid wealth to transfer illiquid assets
Francis W. Dubreuil and Jon Ruff, Bernstein Global Wealth Management

Taking control of your future:
Understanding your exit alternatives
Brandt Brereton, Brereton, Hanley and Co., Inc.

Governance

Creating Effective Governance in a Private Company
Deborah Steinthal, Founding Partner, Scion Advisors