Lodi Winegrape Commission welcomes new marketing and communications manager
Bob Highfill has been hired as the new marketing and communications manager with the Lodi Winegrape Commission.
Highfill will coordinate various marketing, communications, and public relations strategies, work on specific projects and fulfill daily demands for the commission.
“I am honored and excited to join the Lodi Winegrape Commission in a capacity where I will be able to channel my passion for this incredible area,” Highfill said. “The history and diversity of Lodi make it one of the great wine regions in the world.”
Highfill brings a wealth of journalism and wine industry experience to the position. For 27 years, he served San Joaquin, Amador, and Calaveras counties as a reporter and editor for The Record (Stockton) daily newspaper, including 11 years as the sports editor.
“Bob brings with him a breadth of knowledge and experience from his journalism career, and he also has a passion for and understanding of the wine industry,” says Wendy Brannen, Executive Director of the Commission. “To top that off, people in this community know and love Bob, so we’re thrilled to have him here on the Commission team promoting our region’s fantastic wines and winegrapes.”
Since 2014, Highfill has written a weekly wine column called “From the Vine,” which highlights various wine regions but with emphasis on the Lodi American Viticulture Area, Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Wine Region of the Year in 2015.
Highfill has interacted with many of Lodi’s winegrowers, winery owners, and winemakers through his column and by working the past year-plus as a tasting room associate at the Lodi Wine and Visitor Center.
In 2015, Highfill earned the Level 3 award from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. He has judged several wine competitions, including the Bottle Shock Open and the Consumer Wine Awards.
Highfill lives in Stockton and is married to Christiane, who is assuming Highfill’s weekend tasting room position at the Lodi Wine & Visitor Center.