Just a Small Town Girl, Living in a Wine Loving World

The past two months have been quite the Journey.  I would actually say more of a whirlwind.  It all happened in a matter of weeks starting with finding an opportunity, picking up speed with interviews and finally ending with an offer to become the Event Coordinator for the Auction of Washington Wines and making the big move to the Westside of the state.

I never thought I would end up here.  I grew up in the Tri-Cities, attended Eastern Washington University and called the big (to me) city of Spokane my home for the next 11 years.  It was there I found my passion for fundraising thanks to the non-profits I was blessed to work for through the years.  I loved the event side of things and knew I had found my niche when it came to events focused around food and wine.  The wine and restaurant industries are full of generous people and I knew I wanted to continue to work with them throughout my career.

When I heard about the open position with the Auction of Washington Wines I thought I would throw my hat in the ring – what did I have to lose?  The reputation of the Auction precedes itself and the beneficiaries are two worthy causes that I believe in.  I knew it would be rewarding to promote an event that was doing great things not just in the Seattle community but in Washington State as a whole.

Then I got the offer….the offer to become a part of this great event, this great city and this great industry.  I jumped at the chance to be involved in Washington State’s most prestigious wine event; I just forgot to think about where I would land!  Three weeks later the U-Haul was packed and this Eastsider became a Westsider.

The beauty of it all is that this industry does not discriminate based on which side of the rain shadow you come from (although the Red Mountain folks do like to brag about their 300 days of sunshine a year).  It truly is one industry working towards one common goal – making sure we raise as much money as possible for our two beneficiaries; uncompensated care at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Washington State Wine Education Fund.

It all came full circle Memorial Day Weekend at my first AOWW event, Revelry on Red Mountain.  I was back in my old stomping grounds wondering where all of the houses came from and meeting pioneers like Jim Holmes, Jerry Bookwalter and Dick Boushey.  With the sun shining and the wind behaving I was able to take a moment and truly revel in the beauty of Red Mountain, being so thankful for this new opportunity to make a difference in the state I have always called home. 

I know this summer the whirlwind is just going to continue.  There will be bottles of wine to inventory, guests to check in and auction lots to pack up.  Hopefully I will get a chance to introduce myself to as many of you as possible and thank you for all you do!  And when the tents are all packed up and the grounds of Chateau Ste. Michelle are back to normal maybe then I will get a chance to look around and see where I landed!

Melissa Pederson

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