Tim Burke | Winemaker

Tim grew up in rural Nevada on a small farm operation. At an early age, he was introduced to agriculture. His family grew alfalfa which is a water dependent crop. In addition to the alfalfa, Tim and his family raised a variety of fruits and vegetables teaching him the basic principles and application of horticulture. Tim was very involved in livestock raising his own flock of Suffolk sheep. He was responsible for breeding practices, flock health and nutrition, and the annual sale of lambs. Tim participated in 4-H and was on the State Championship Livestock Judging Team.

In addition to farming and ranching, his father was a full-time plumber and Tim grew up learning the construction business. Summers where spent on the jobsite with his father in the construction trade. In high school, he worked part-time at the retail store learning the many facets of running a retail operation including inventory management and control, pricing, customer service, and ordering.

After high school Tim attended the University of Nevada where he majored in engineering before eventually changing to the College of Business. He minored in mathematics. While in college, he worked for Model Dairy's packaging facility in Reno. This job gave him a hands-on background in farm to retail production. He learned to produce and package dairy products of all types, learned sanitation and equipment maintenance, and eventually went on to work in the warehouse learning the principles of shipping and receiving.

Professionally his career has been one of management, marketing, and sales. For several years he was the Director of Marketing for Dr Pepper/Seven-Up. He oversaw all product distribution, both retail and wholesale, grocery and chain store product placement, franchising, sales goals, territory acquisition, advertising, marketing campaigns, new product development, and management of the sales, delivery and warehousing teams. While there, he received numerous National awards for sales records and achievements. He also represented the company at many national events including the Jerry Lewis telethon where he awarded Jerry Lewis and MDA checks on behalf of Dr Pepper/7-Up for millions of dollars.

After his career with Dr Pepper/7-Up he was recruited by Warner Brothers Television to work with the local Reno affiliate of the WB. While there, he managed advertising accounts and appeared in numerous television commercials. He also did many of the commercial voice-overs for the WB.

Because of his experience in engineering, computers, sales, marketing and advertising he was recruited by a Dot com start-up, 1-800 Batteries which eventually became iGo.com. Tim managed the commercial sales division for the start-up from pre-IPO to post-IPO. The company had a very successful IPO raising 50 million dollars. Another start-up, Data Engines, reached out to Tim and offered him a lucrative position as the Product Development Manager. His primary role was to take the product engineering concept that was developed by the IT staff and bring it to the public. He created all the product branding, product POS, website, and advertising campaigns. He would eventually go onto lead most of the sales team.

After his career in the Dot com industry Tim purchased a computer training school in Las Vegas. The school now has multiple locations in both Northern and Southern Nevada. The school specializes in adult vocational career training programs for unemployed workers.

Tim has had a passion for the wine industry since college. By the end of 2019 he will have completed his degree in Viticulture and Wine business. Tim has earned his Certificate in Viticulture. He has interned at several wineries and vineyards and attended numerous workshops and classes at UC Davis in addition to his college classes. He has developed invaluable relationships in the industry that will assist him with the winery.

Pam Tyler | COO

Pam Tyler brings a unique background of experience to the winery. A former fashion model, Pam successfully completed the Operating and Maintenance Engineers Joint Apprenticeship program. From there she went on to achieve many professional licenses and distinctions including: Journeyman Electrician, Journeyman Plumber, EPA Universal Refrigeration Technician, Certified Bonded Locksmith, Plumbing and Heating Contractor's License, OSHA Construction Outreach Trainer, and Building Energy and Sustainability Technician Certification. In addition, Pam has taught classes in technical areas for private and public schools including College of Southern Nevada.

Professionally Pam has an extensive background in facilities management. She currently is the Director of Facilities and Engineering for Caesars Entertainment's Rio property. Previously, she was the Director of Facilities and Engineering for Marnell Gaming's Laughlin Properties where she oversaw two hotel casinos and two special event venues. Prior to that, she was the Senior Facility Manager for the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington. At the Muckleshoot Casino, she was directly responsible for the Housekeeping and Engineering departments with an employee base of 134 team members and an annual operating budget of more than 11 million.

The property included 397,000 square feet of two Casino Facilities operating on a 24/7 basis with eight food establishments, over one hundred table games and three thousand six hundred video gaming machines. She operated and maintained a seven-story parking garage of 900,000 square feet accommodating 2720 vehicles. She was responsible for all remodeling programs, tenant improvements and new construction programs. Recent projects included a new valet booth, electric vehicle charging stations, emergency call stations in the parking area and a new video gaming device repair shop. She managed an extensive 50-million-dollar remodel and expansion project for the casino. She increased tribal training positions within the department to include trades and management opportunities. Pam has an extensive background in Customer Service. She has taught numerous classes on customer service to both line employees and management. She has held seminars and workshops covering all aspects of both internal and external customer service.

Pam is also uniquely qualified to lead the winery's sustainable initiative. She has taught LEED classes in green technologies and practices. While at the Muckleshoot, she Initiated energy conservation measures that have accounted for savings in excess of 330,000 kWh per year.

Pam is also very passionate about wine. She has recently completed a wine certification program and has developed many relationships within the industry. Pam has created an extensive network of contacts, especially in the key Washington viticulture areas of Woodinville and Prosser.

In addition to helping nine other Nevada vineyards we have four vineyards of our own, two in Northern Nevada and two in Southern Nevada. We also have leased vines in California and Washington State. While growing grapes in the Mojave Desert has unique agricultural challenges, the extreme climate produces rich and beautiful vintages. Our philosophy is that great wines start with great fruit and we strive to use only the best that each area produces. We currently harvest over 8 combined tons of Nevada grapes from our own and leased Nevada vineyards, to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Ruby Cabernet, Barbera, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Marsanne. To taste and learn more about our wines, please visit us in our tasting room in Pahrump, Nevada

"I've always been very passionate about the wine industry.
You have to be passionate and persistent."
- Tim Burke, Winemaker