Wisdom From The Women Leading the Wine & Spirits Industries, with Devon Segel Perry Of Garden State Wine Growers Association

An interview with Kelly Reeves

Make time for all: There’s a saying, “you never know with whom you sit.” This is core to how we make time for all people, regardless of their title or known experiences. We all have something to give and contribute. Some of my favorite moments in life have resulted from chance meetings with people, who end up opening unexpected professional doors.

Less than 20% of winemakers and distillers are women. Traditionally, women were excluded from these industries. This number is slowly rising as more women choose to study this profession and enter the wine and spirits fields. What is it like for those women who work in this male-dominated industry? What are some of the challenges that these women face? Is there hope for better representation, and better wages, for women in the wine and spirits industry? As a part of our series about women leading the wine and spirits industries, we had the pleasure of interviewing Devon Segel Perry.

Devon Segel Perry is Executive Director of the Garden State Wine Growers Association and the leader of Segel Associates, a marketing and communications agency that she built in the early days of the pandemic. In her role with the wine growers association, Devon represents all wineries and vineyards in New Jersey. Previously, Devon held various roles in the tourism, hospitality, wine, technology and non-profit sectors, which led to her current position at the Garden State Wine Growers Association.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about your origin story, and your childhood?

Thank you for this opportunity to share my story and what’s ahead for women in the wine industry with your readers! While I was born in Philadelphia, my mom and dad moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey to raise me — so my love of the Garden State started very young.

Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the wine and spirits industry?

I loved exploring different countries and cultures nationally and internationally with my family, and that love fueled my professional exploration of the tourism industry. My grandfather, Joseph Segel, further inspired my passion and curiosity of the wine industry when he included me in his wine tasting dinners for family, and friends, which included business and industry leaders in the Philadelphia region.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The most interesting story revolves around a campaign entitled “Explore New Jersey Wine Country like an Italian Sommelier.” In the summer of 2023, we hosted Italian Sommeliers and members of the press for the International Wine Summit in New Jersey. With the Judgment of Princeton in 2012, the wine industry celebrated the extended 10 year anniversary of the double blind tasting by inviting wineries, elected officials and press to experience New Jersey wine country with our international guests. Not one person could distinguish between New Jersey wines and the highly regarded and highly priced international wines. The Garden State Wine Growers Association celebrated continued when Wine Enthusiast featured New Jersey on a list of only 7 international up and coming wine destinations. This experience shared the lesson of perseverance and extended reach in order to make a special impact on the opinions of future generations of visitors to New Jersey. We also worked collaboratively with dozens of people to make the campaign happen.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

With a love of marketing, I was determined to get as involved as possible in student leadership at Muhlenberg College and Drexel University. When I was running for class President, one of my opponents lodged a complaint about my promotional materials. In particular, classmates painted VOTE FOR DEVON in their dorm windows. That technique became outlawed moving forward.

As a result, students rallied to support my campaign which also included collecting tabs for the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia — the first “house that love built.” The maintenance team even added a collection bin in the shape of a house to the student union at Muhlenberg.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

My grandfather, who I called PopPop Joe. Joseph Segel was an American entrepreneur who started dozens of businesses throughout his 88 years — most notably, QVC and The Franklin Mint. We worked together on developing an online restaurant database serving 10 major metro centers with a focus on wine-friendly ratings. He was beloved as a mentor by countless people, and delighted in sharing all aspects of business development with me from a very young age. His commitment to discovering innovative ways to create more customer focused marketing experiences was critical to all projects we worked on together.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

Over the years, I’ve developed a few character traits that seem to fuel my professional growth. I am highly collaborative — always seeking to set a full table of people and partners. The New Jersey wine industry reaches far beyond winery and vineyard owners. Our partners include dozens of new entities with a shared interest in advancing viticulture in the Garden State. These collaborations ensure buy in prior to launching programs and campaigns, making the success of these activities more likely and more rewarding for all. I am also cause-driven — working towards a common goal fuels my passion for all clients, and specifically the advancement of New Jersey wine. Our community of NJ wine ambassadors continues to grow and take shape because of this cause-driven approach. I am relentless — efforts and ideas take follow through, and my approach on this is sometimes galvanized. This trait pushes me to seek to complete unlikely projects along an aggressive timeline.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, we have been connecting with the New Jersey Department of Labor, universities and community colleges in New Jersey, and the wineries and vineyards in New Jersey to bring more educational opportunities to up-skill and diversify the workforce in the New Jersey wine industry moving forward. Once launched, we will welcome all educational partners to the table to ensure students have access to existing programs and new opportunities alike. This is all thanks to a generous grant from the USDA.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Despite great progress that has been made we still have a lot more work to do to achieve gender parity in this industry. In Napa Valley, the percentage of lead women winemakers or winery owners is about 12%. Overall, men account for about 80% of winemakers and winery owners. In your opinion or experience, what 3 things can be done by a)individuals b)companies and/or c) society as a whole to support greater gender parity moving forward?

Individuals: I believe individuals who mentor the next generation of women in the workforce have paved much of the progress we see in New Jersey today. All individuals in New Jersey continue to open doors for women in leadership positions as well. Nationally, we have set ourselves apart from the statistics quoted. If we each make it a priority to open doors for women in the industry, all states can benefit from a more inclusive workforce.

Companies: Many companies have memberships to chambers and professional associations, and with those memberships, they have access to leadership events, trainings, and networking opportunities. Companies can offer access to these types of activities to women to foster the skills and connections they need to advance.

Society: Respect for women is core to our advancement in society. This includes from home to the workplace.

You are a “Wine and Spirits Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non-intuitive things one should know to succeed in the wine and spirits industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each?

1. Meet more people in person: Zoom has its benefits, especially when representing a statewide association, but nothing replaces in person meetings. And example of why this is critical is from a recent Garden State Wine Growers Association meeting where a dozen winery owners attended in person. We discussed many important topics after the meeting concluded formally. These in person opportunities to connect with other people in the industry produce genuine professional support and strengthen the industry as a whole.
2. Always speak with respect: Everyone deserves to be heard and respected. If you offer an open mind and ear, you’ll learn important and potentially new insights that would not otherwise be shared, which can advance all.
3. Give before asking for something: Our industry is built on trust and a climate of giving. However, we need to always offer help before asking for help. The truth is we need to build professional relationships before asking for help and favors. This is important in all industries. An example is providing a space for committees and subcommittees to meet in person at our Association’s offices. Wineries are also open to host meetings and events for the Association. Together we demonstrate how providing help for each other advances the entire New Jersey wine industry.
4. Enjoy who you represent: Whether a wine brand, wine region, or association, when you enjoy who and what you represent others are more likely to be receptive of your message. Our message is “We all belong on the table.” I love sharing this message with the help of private and public sector allies. Passion for advancing respect for the New Jersey wine industry is almost impossible to avoid after I have the opportunity to share the importance of this message. Wine Enthusiast named New Jersey wine country as one of only seven up-and-coming international wine destinations.
5. Make time for all: There’s a saying, “you never know with whom you sit.” This is core to how we make time for all people, regardless of their title or known experiences. We all have something to give and contribute. Some of my favorite moments in life have resulted from chance meetings with people, who end up opening unexpected professional doors.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the industry?

The wine industry in America is constantly growing with the support of the passionate workforce and ownership. I am excited to be a part of this moment in our history. We will see an increase in visitation as a result of the winery “cluster effect” George Tabor addressed during the 2012 Judgment of Princeton. Over 10 years later, agritourism continues to increase and we will see a positive economic impact as a result. Another point of excitement revolves around the press coverage of the industry. People are doing great things and the support of the press shines a bright light on these stories. It is also wildly exciting to see the next generation of the industry begin to take the reigns and share innovative perspectives to transitional practices.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“There’s no disputing taste.” My grandfather, Joseph Segel, used to say this before every double blind wine tasting he hosted. Although he also shared the Latin version, all guests opened their minds once he translated the saying. People realized they possibly held preconceived notions of what is good and what is not good based on labels only. In addition to labels swaying opinions of wines, this quote’s implications go far beyond the glass.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

Many years ago, I worked with technology and hunger relief leaders on a project called ShareUrMeal. I still have a passion to continue to inspire others to find what moves them and do whatever they can with what time and resources they have to help. Even small acts of giving over time have made a tremendous impact.

Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you only continued success!