Tell a friend:

Print This Page

Our Team

Co-Founder & Chairman Emeritus

Ed King Jr., and his wife Carolyn King

Ed King Jr with his lovely wife Caroline.Ed King, Jr. was born in 1921 and was raised on his family's wheat farm near Dodge City, Kansas. In 1943, after graduating from Kansas State University with a degree in electrical engineering, he worked as a designer of Navy aircraft electronics during World War II. In 1948, Mr. King started his first manufacturing company specializing in components for aircraft and missiles. He sold that company in 1958 and started the King Radio Corporation one year later. King Radio designed, manufactured and marketed navigation, communication and identification equipment, including auto-pilots and radar for both civil and military aircraft. The corporation grew to be one of the world’s foremost suppliers of electronics for private, corporate and commercial airline aircraft. A creative genius and true entrepreneur, Ed King, Jr. continues to hold many patents still valuable to the aircraft industry today. Mr. King was an active pilot for forty years and flew his own jet until age 71. He is very proud to have assisted the Rutan Brothers in accomplishing their dream of circumnavigating the globe by airplane on one tank of fuel. In 1986, the brothers used King products exclusively for navigation, flight control and communication in the historic global flight. The King name is proudly emblazoned on the side of their Voyager, which now hangs in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Even as an active Chairman of the Board of King Estate, Mr. King also serves as a Trustee of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Director Emeritus on the boards of several corporations. Extensive travels in France and Italy fueled Mr. King's interest in fine wine. His decision to develop King Estate in conjunction with his son, Ed, and other family members was born out of his love for fine wine and great entrepreneurial challenges. King Estate Winery
Top

Co-Founder & CEO

Ed King III

Ed King IIIEd King III was born and raised in the Kansas City area. He holds a law degree from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the University of Oregon. After practicing law in Alaska during the late 1970s, Ed returned to the Kansas City area in 1982 to develop and manage the Mobile Communications Division of King Radio, the company founded by his father. While with King Radio, Ed spearheaded King radio’s development of a microprocessor-based tuning system that broadly affected mobile communications. US Armed Services, FBI, the Secret Service and many state and local police departments around the United States used King Mobile Communication units. In 1984, when the sale of King Radio was imminent, Ed moved to Eugene, Oregon, where he developed and administered the Oregon Heart Center at Sacred Heart Hospital. Being very active in business development, real estate and investing, he founded and remains President of King Investment Group. In 1990, Ed began the planning phase of King Estate in conjunction with his father and other family members. He currently manages the daily winery activities as the Chief Executive Officer.
Top

Executive Vice President

Steve Thomson

Steve ThomsonA native of the Chicago area, Steve discovered an interest in wine while working in the restaurant business as he earned a degree from the University of Illinois. During a 15 year restaurant career, he was the general manager of two Mobil 4 star restaurants, and a food and beverage director for a major hotel company. From 1991 to 1998 Steve worked for Griesedieck Imports in Missouri, first as a wine sales manager mentored by Doug Frost MW, MS, and then as General Sales Manager. Eventually Greisedieck Imports became part of the Glazer’s Family of Companies, one of America’s largest fine wine wholesalers. In 1999 Steve moved to Atlanta to become Southeast Regional Manager for King Estate which he had sold as a wholesaler since its inception. In January of 2001, Steve was promoted to the position of Director of Sales, and then later Director of Marketing and Sales. In July of 2007, Steve became Executive Vice President, where he continues to oversee sales, marketing, and PR, while also leading winery strategic planning. Thomson also holds one of the two Oregon board of director seats in ‘WineAmerica,’ the National Association of American Wineries, and serves as Chair of the Oregon Wine Board’s Wine Export Advisory Committee.
Top

Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Doyal Eubank

Doyal EubankDoyal Eubank was born and raised only 12 miles from King Estate. A local boy through and through, Doyal graduated from the University of Oregon ‘summa cum laude’ with a BS in Accounting and began working for Kernutt, Stokes, Brandt and Company CPA’s in Eugene. During his 11 years at the Eugene CPA firm, King Estate was Doyal's client, so when we decided to hire a full-time CFO, it was only natural we would look to him to fill the position. In the years since, Doyal has excelled as CFO and been promoted to Vice President. He also operates as IT Facilitator. “It’s never boring!”, was Doyal’s response when asked what he enjoyed most about working at King Estate. With his attention to detail, patience, expert planning and financial skills, King Estate would be lost without him.
Top

Vineyard Manager

Meliton Martinez

Meliton MartinezMeliton was born and raised in a farming community in Mexico. In 1993 he moved to Oregon and started work at King Estate Winery as part of the vineyard crew. Meliton worked hard to improve his English and took every opportunity to help out with different projects around the estate. In 1999 he was promoted to Vineyard Manager and is responsible for all vineyard activities including canopy management and soil care, mapping out locations of new & current vineyards and working with our winemaker to coordinate new plantings. He coordinates the critical scheduling of harvest for King Estate’s vineyards in addition to the seven outside vineyards we contract with. Meliton has been instrumental in implementing and maintaining King Estate’s organic farming practices.
Top

Director of Viticulture & Winemaking

John Albin

John AlbinA U.C. Davis graduate in fermentation Science, John began making wine in Washington at Associated Vintners (Columbia Winery) and planted his own ‘Laurel Vineyard’ in 1981. John’s relationship with King Estate Winery began during the planning stages of the winery. His vineyard was chosen as one of the first private vineyards to provide fruit to King Estate Winery and he has enjoyed an enriching partnership with King Estate ever since. In 1999, John began working at King Estate as a crush supervisor and continued with that position for six years. Because of his long-standing association with King Estate Winery, John was invited to make wines under his own label. In February, 2005, he was asked to join the winemaking team full time as the Associate Winemaker.
Top

Winemaker

Lindsay Kampff

Lindsay KampffLindsay Kampff joined the winemaking team at King Estate during the 2004 vintage. Lindsay earned a Chemistry degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2001 and completed the UC Davis Winemaking Certificate Program in the Summer of 2006. She is native to California and started in the Sonoma County wine industry working for J Vineyards & Winery and Jordan Winery. Also, Lindsay completed her first southern hemisphere harvest in the spring of 2004 for BRL Hardy’s Houghton Winery in Western Australia. As a Winemaker at King Estate, Lindsay specializes in the production of our Red Wines.
Top

Assistant Winemaker

Al Ehlow

Al EhlrowAl Ehlow holds a degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, and brings eight years of experience in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys with Whitehall Lane, Alderbrook, and Merryvale wineries.
Top

 

 

 

   
       
Copyright . King Estate Winery . All Rights Reserved