Chamber of Commerce
Notes
From The
President
That Wine Guy…
Mel Rodinsky
By Mark Turner, President /CEO, Gilroy Chamber of Commerce
W
hile Gilroy mobilizes for the 37th Annual Garlic Festival, the
Gilroy Chamber of Commerce continues to remain active in
various areas of the community, steadfast in its effort to be a
strong voice for the business community and the community at large.
In March, 40 Chamber volunteers gathered to clean up a one and a
half mile stretch of a Gilroy waterway known as, “Upper Miller Slough,”
which runs from the Welburn Bridge south to the 6th Street Bridge.
Upper Miller Slough connects to Llagas Creek just past 6th Street.
Volunteers removed 45 cubic yards of debris including tires, furniture,
shopping carts, mattresses and bags of trash and garbage. Several
other organizations contributed as well. Recology donated a dumpster
while the Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration
(CHEER) organization assisted the Chamber in accomplishing the
cleanup effort.
The Business and Education Committee of the Gilroy Chamber of
Commerce sponsored a mock interview event at Gilroy and Christopher
High Schools. The event, called, “Rock the Mock,” took place at Gilroy
and Christopher High Schools. Students from Mt. Madonna High School
and Gilroy Early College Academy also participated. Students had the
opportunity to rotate through four workshops entitled, “How to Prepare
for the Interview,” “Dress for Success,” “What’s in a Handshake,” and
“The Interview.” Nearly 100 students participated at each campus.
Volunteers and students alike enjoyed the two and a half hour event
which provided relevant information and real life experience to future
job seekers. The Gilroy Chamber thanks the Morgan Hill Chamber of
Commerce for their guidance, input and help with this event.
The Gilroy Chamber’s 2nd Annual Legislative Summit was held
on April 17 bringing together local, regional and federal politicians
discussing a myriad of topics affecting South County residents. The
Summit, which was held at the Hilton Garden Inn, provided attendees
the opportunity to meet elected officials from all levels of government,
learn about pressing issues and ask questions about how solutions will
be implemented. Director Dennis Kennedy from the Santa Clara Valley
Water District also attended the Summit and provided an update on the
drought conditions facing Santa Clara County.
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G M H T O D A Y M A G A Z I N E
MAY / JUNE 2015
M
el Rodinsky has a job many would
love to have. Mel is a wine broker.
What does a wine broker do? Well,
it’s not all about visiting vineyards and
sampling fine wines, although, that does
occur. The primary job of a wine broker is
to act as a middleman between a producer/
seller and buyer. The wine industry has
become much more complex. In some
cases, a broker might help negotiate a deal
between the grower and wine maker.
Wine Directions, the company Mel
founded in 1982 for the purpose of selling
wine, now represents 18 “boutique”
wineries, some producing less than 500
cases per year. Mel sells wines to retailers,
grocery stores, restaurants and wine bars
from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz and locally in
Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Starting as a volunteer bottling assistant
for Cronin Vineyards, a tiny home winery in
Woodside, Mel began assisting with sales,
using skills from his 30 years with IBM in
Manufacturing Systems Consulting. Today,
the wine business is full-time for Mel, yet
still allows him time to enjoy hobbies such
as golfing, fishing and cooking from his
home in Gilroy. One of his biggest pleasures
is teaching friends and customers about
the joys and benefits of fine wines. If you’re
interested in becoming a wine connoisseur
and learning how to discern taste, density,
viscosity and suspended particles, contact
Mel at [email protected].
gmhtoday.com