May 25, 2023 // Franchising.com // RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. - Waters Edge Wineries® held its annual owners conference earlier this month in Findlay, Ohio. The conference brought together the brand’s franchise owners for a series of educational and informational roundtables, seminars, cocktail receptions, an awards gala and more.
“The theme of this conference was, ‘Crushing It 2023,’ representing the new opportunities, success and growth this year will bring our owners and the franchise,” said Ken Lineberger, president and founder of Waters Edge Wineries.
The three-day event began on Sunday, May 7, with a cocktail networking reception featuring a selection of new and existing wines from the brand. On Monday, May 8, participants enjoyed a series of informative marketing and social media sessions, followed by roundtable discussions on the brand’s wine club, marketing and events, kitchen operations and the best practices for winemaking. The next day kicked off with breakfast at a Waters Edge Wineries Affiliate location, Gillig Winery, followed by a tour, training seminar and the ‘best winemaker’ blind tasting event, where winery owners brought their best red and white wines to be anonymously reviewed.
The group then visited Urban Pine Winery, another Waters Edge Winery Affiliate location, where they were able to taste wines from the recently debuted international wine series partnership. Led by Scott Roughgarden from Grape Juice Group, attendees tasted wines from Baracchi Vineyard in Tuscany and Zulal Wines from Waters Edge Wineries partner Armenian Wine Importer Storica Wines.
The conference concluded with an awards gala honoring both long-time and new franchise owners in several categories:
This year, Waters Edge Wineries franchise owners surprised the company’s founders, Ken and Angela Lineberger, with the surprise “Outstanding Oenophile Award,” honoring the duo’s extraordinary recognition of their leadership, vision and dedication.
“It is always a rewarding experience to gather with our corporate team, winery owners and trusted partners, celebrating the continued success and growth of our brand,” said Ken Lineberger. “We were humbled to be honored with a surprise award and are truly grateful for the commitment of our owners; without their efforts, creativity and resourcefulness, we wouldn’t be where we are today. I would also like to thank our sponsors who helped to make this conference possible.”
SOURCE Waters Edge Wineries®
California-based Waters Edge Wineries is an innovative urban winery system bringing the cultural experience of wine to communities.