2022 Oregon Wine Symposium | M&A Trends & Positioning for Sale

Kevin O’Brien is a wine, beer and spirits merger and acquisition advisor for Zepponi & Company, an industry leading beverage alcohol focused M&A firm. Kevin has extensive experience serving as a financial advisor in valuing brands and businesses, counseling businesses on strategic initiatives, and structuring and negotiating purchase and sale transactions. He has represented some of Oregon’s leading wineries including Ponzi Vineyards, King Estate, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, Duck Pond Cellars, and WillaKenzie Estate.

Kevin has presented on various accounting and finance related topics at the Wine & Spirits Daily Summit, Oregon Wine Symposium, Wine Industry Financial Symposium, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, and Craft Brewers Conference. Additionally, he is a lecturer for Sonoma State’s Global Executive MBA in Wine Business program.

Erik McLaughlin is CEO of METIS, llc. With offices in Oregon and Washington, METIS provides strategic consulting, financial planning, and M&A advisory services to the adult beverage and hospitality industries throughout the Pacific Northwest. Erik has been named one of the Top 50 Wine Industry Leaders in the world by Wine Business Monthly.

With nearly three decades of experience in the fine wine and hospitality industries, Erik provides the unique industry specific insight, relationships, and operational expertise to maximize value and guide clients through successful transactions.

Erik has completed over thirty capital transactions in the wine and hospitality industries, including sales, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and mergers. Erik also consults privately for many of the region’s leading wineries. Previous to METIS, Erik served in senior management roles for Seven Hills Winery, Corliss Wine Estates, Willamette Valley Vineyards, and Cost Plus World Market. He also previously owned and operated a collection of award winning restaurants.

Erik has been extensively involved in industry groups including the Oregon Wine Board, Washington Wine Industry Foundation, Oregon Winegrowers Association, Washington Wine Commission, Idaho Wine Commission, Walla Walla Valley Wine, Washington Winegrowers Association, and the American Association of Wine Economists. Erik served on the steering committees for both the Beverage Business Management Program at Washington State University and the Wine Studies program at Linfield College. He has served on numerous public and private boards including currently serving as a Vice-Chairman of the Walla Walla Planning Commission, Director and Treasurer for the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, Director for the non-profit winery Vital Wines, and Director for Walla Walla Valley Baseball Club. Erik has taught and lectured widely on wine and the business of wine including at the Wine Industry Financial Symposium, Oregon Wine Symposium, Washington Winegrowers Convention, and the London Wine Fair. He is a frequent guest instructor at both the Institute for Viticulture and Enology at Walla Walla Community College the Wine Studies program at Linfield University.

Erik graduated cum laude from Linfield University in the heart of the Willamette Valley and is a fourth generation native of the Pacific Northwest. Erik lives in Walla Walla with his wife and their four children. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, coaching youth sports, and sharing great wine with friends.

Rob McMillan is one of the top wine business analysts in the United States and author of Silicon Valley Bank’s highly regarded State of the Industry Report. He has been working in and researching the wine business for decades and is routinely quoted in the press.

Rob is an in-demand speaker both domestically and internationally. His informed opinions are sought after and trusted by owners, journalists, entrepreneurs and investors alike.

Rob’s banking career spans more than 35 years, including more than 25 with Silicon Valley Bank. In that time, he has moved through roles of increasing responsibility including Founder and Division Manager of the Wine Group, Executive Manager of the Bank’s Commercial Division, and several years as a member of Silicon Valley Bank’s Managing Committee.

Rob received a bachelor’s degree in finance/economics from Sacramento State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. He has served in a variety of board capacities in his career and continues to serve as an advisor to wineries and wine industry associations today.