In January 2017, I moved to the North Olympic Peninsula with my family.  The previous year, I had left my position as the Community Development Director of a smallish city near the Canadian Border due to medical reasons, and I wasn’t quite ready to commit to another full-time position in a high stress field.  I began volunteering at a local winery during events and after sometime, I became a regular fixture in the tasting room.  

Because of my relative familiarity with computers, the internet and Facebook, I soon became the “techie” at the winery.  I became the person the owners came to when they wanted something posted on their Facebook page or updated in Google business.  As I became more familiar with their website, it became my job to keep it updated as well as Facebook and Instagram. Today, Camaraderie Cellars also has a YouTube Channel that hosts quarterly “Chat’s with the Wine Maker,” as well as Facebook and Instagram. Ultimately this led me to gain another client, as I began working for the Olympic Peninsula Winery Association.  I manage their wine tour events, maintain the website and do social media posts for association.

In taking these small steps, I found that I truly enjoy helping those who don’t have the time or knowledge with their website and social media needs.  I would not be happy becoming an “influencer,” but helping small businesses and non-profit organizations spread their story, increase their business and keep their customers up to date is something that is fun, educational and I look forward to doing.  In creating my business it is my goal to gain more clients that just need modest assistance with social media to meet their goals.

My experience with advocacy has more to do with organizations than a brand or product.  Saying that, however, it is important to note that an organization often has a recognizable brand or product that may not be a physical asset but rather an experience or culture.  My client, Olympic Peninsula Wineries (OPW), is a non-profit that seeks to promote wine appreciation, wine education and tourism on the North Olympic Peninsula through wine tasting tours.

In December of 2018, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (WSLCCB) contacted us and told the association that we were not compliant with their requirement for a Special Occasion License.  In the previous 25 years of organizing and promoting wine tours, we had never applied for that particular license.  After learning of this enforcement measure that would drastically change how wine tours operated, I contacted other regional winery associations to understand how they were complying with the regulations.  To make a long story short – they weren’t.  The WSLCCB was not enforcing this license requirement equally across the state and those large associations in Eastern Washington had never heard of the license.

After learning about the inequitable enforcement of the license, I contacted our state organization.  Working with the Washington Wine Institute, we contacted the WSLCCB to discuss options for changing the enforcement or changing the law and all agreed that changing the law was the most appropriate action.  In December 2019, we contacted our state legislators to ask if they would sponsor a bill making the changes necessary to allow wine associations to sponsor wine tours.  They agreed and a year ago, I was testifying before the House of Representatives and the State Senate on behalf of the Olympic Peninsula Wineries and wine associations across the state.  Amazingly, despite the pandemic and all the other issues that came up at the end of the session, the law passed.  Still no wine tours because of the lock down, but when we are able to drink indoors and eliminate social distancing, we will have a permitting process that is workable and achieves the goals of all parties.

For me, advocacy has many facets.  Regardless of how you see advocating for a brand or product; the steps of identifying the problem or opportunity, creating a plan and taking action are the most efficient and effective ways to reach a conclusion.