Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Thompson

Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I was born in Central Texas in an area called the Brazos Valley on the banks of the Brazos River. After obtaining a BA in Marketing and MBA in Finance from Texas A&M University, I went into corporate America with goals of becoming a CEO of a publicly traded company. S I worked my way up the corporate ladder of Oil & Gas corporations I moved into the Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry. I went on to have senior management positions in multiple companies. In my final years I was VP of Sales for a company which led me to put together large manufacturing contracts. While hosting client dinners at very upscale restaurants I was handed the wine list night after night with thousands of bottles to select from. I had little or no knowledge of wine and began too travel the world to learn about wine and food. That led to a passion and love of wine around the world. After my company was acquired, I turned down a position which required moving my family and decided to retire at 47 and move to the Emerald Coast of Florida.

In my next phase I started my own EMS company, and hired a management Team to run the business as I spent my time in Florida and Colorado. During that time I was asked to start a charity wine auction in Florida, and join Boards of multiple charitable Foundations in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. That engagement gave me the opportunity to work to give back to children’s charities around the country. Mostly through giving through auctions themed on food and wine.

in 2013 my wife Valerie and I bought a wine property in Healdsburg California. We planted our Estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County, and used our wine and hospitality to help raise money for over 50 children’s charities around the country. Today we are in our 11th year of owning and operating Thompson 31Fifty Wines. We produce 9 Pinot Noir’s, 3 Chardonnay’s, Rosé and Zinfandel

That is our trek from the Brazos Valley to the Russian River Valley. And it’s a long way!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

The one thing in life you can count on is change. Some good and some bad. My career included many changes which were out of my control, and I learned to focus on what I could control. When I found my greatest success in sales, I focused hard to make the most out of it as long as possible because all good things come to an end. When we were acquired, and the new investment group informed me they were changing my commission compensation to a salaried position, I was glad I had worked and saved when that previous opportunity was available.

When the Management Team of my startup manufacturing company discovered they had a huge financial error, I had to come back and operate it with a new Team to recover the substantial losses. We did turn it around to become profitable and successfully ran a profitable business. We were eventually approached by a competitor and successfully sold the business.

Starting a wine business. from scratch has been a major undertaking, but we have successfully run the business, helped thousands of children and made thousands of amazing friends.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Thompson 31Fifty Wines?

Thompson 31Fifty Wines is a small boutique winery focused on premium small batch wines. We have a Vineyard manager and his Team to provide the professional farming of our vineyards. We also have a talented Winemaker who handles the day to day winemaking operations. My wife Valerie and I are Co-Founders and perform Sales, Marketing, Financial management, social media, events and business execution.

We are known for our small batch Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rosé and Zinfandel. We offer more personalized service, hospitality and succeeding customer expectations. We are proud of creating a brand that stands out as special, and our link to helping others.

What our constituents tell us is they love the special attention, personal time we spend with them as principals, and over delivering on their expectations. The treatment and service they do not get anywhere else.

What does success mean to you?

Over delivering on expectations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thompson31fifty.com
• Instagram: Thompson 31Fifty Wines
• Facebook: Thompson 31Fifty Wines
• LinkedIn: Michael Thompson, MBA