Book description
True to Our Roots
sets forth the simple but powerful management principles that enabled
Fetzer Vineyards under Paul Dolan to become one of America's biggest and
best-known wineries even as it was turning into a model for sustainable
businesses everywhere. Today, Dolan and Fetzer are leading the
California wine industry toward profound change in how wineries and
grape growers preserve their environment, strengthen their communities,
and enrich the lives of their employees, without sacrificing the bottom
line. This is truly a management revolution in one of the most
globalized, competitive industries on Earth.
The principles Dolan discovered and developed at Fetzer can be applied
to any business and by leaders at every level:
- A business is part of a much larger system
- A company's culture is determined by the context created for it
- The soul of a company is found in the hearts of its people
- The future can't be predicted, but it can be created
- There is a way to make an idea's time come
Filled with personal anecdotes and practical wisdom, this book offers
inspiration and guidance to business managers who see the compelling
need to build and grow healthy, sustainable organizations. For all
readers, True to Our Roots provides both a fascinating glimpse
into the California wine industry and heartening proof that business
can do well by doing good.
Paul Dolan believes that business leaders can help
make a better world, and he sees Mendocino County, California, as
fertile ground to grow this vision. As president of Fetzer Vineyards
(1992-2004) where he also served as winemaker (1977-1992) and managing
director for new products and strategic development with the wine
group of Brown-Forman Corporation, he led a transformation that put
the company at the forefront of organic viticulture and sustainable
business. With the creation of Mendocino Wine Company (MWC), a
partnership of the Dolan and Thornhill families, leadership in
sustainable winegrowing continues, cradled in the open, creative
atmosphere of Mendocino County. A native Californian descended from
three generations of distinguished winemakers, Dolan graduated from
Santa Clara University with a degree in business and finance and holds
a master's degree in enology from California State University, Fresno.
Dolan serves on the boards of Wine Institute and Business for Social
Responsibility, and is a founder of Wine Vision. He participated on
President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development, and chaired
the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance Board. Dolan continues
to advocate for sustainability and organic farming based on the simple
premise that his natural view of our relationship with the world is
not only the right view, but also delivers better products and
healthier lives.
