When an Auggie recently visited the Airlie Winery in Airlie, Oregon, he asked fellow-Auggie and winery owner Mary E. Olson ’74 if the large “A” in the landscaping (carved out of boxwood) stood for “Augsburg.” She just smiled and said, “Sure!” Even though very few of the Auggies she encounters at the winery—or at other wine-tasting events around the country—are acquaintances from her student days, Olson still feels the connection.
Years after the Osceola (WI) native had graduated with a political science/English double major, she found her liberal arts education particularly useful as she left her work with US West after 22 years, and switched gears by following her dream of moving back to Oregon and owning a winery. In 1997, she purchased Airlie Winery, situated on the coastal edge of the lush hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley—an area that has captured her heart. She says it’s Minnesota-friendly with better weather, and she fully intends to retire there. “My winery is not a stop along the way,” says Olson, “it is a place to sit and stay.”
When her friend and Airlie’s winemaker, Suzy, died suddenly in 2005 from a brain aneurism, friends and volunteers from other Oregon wineries came to the rescue and helped Olson until she could find a replacement—Team Oregon, she likes to call it. She views sustainability of the winery as a three-legged stool—“the earth, employees, and your customers”—and she purchases grapes from a nearby vineyard that, like Airlie, is Certified Sustainable and Salmon Safe. Being part of the Oregon Pinot Noir continues to be her dream-come-true.
Airlie’s website (www.airliewinery.com) provides an opportunity for Auggies to sign up to receive emails, as well as info on where you can find Airlie wines in your area. Airlie’s distributor (amy@oenodist.com) stands ready to add another shop to the list, and responds well to such customer requests.
On May 7 Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 helped host an Augsburg Fund Volunteer Night for a small and dedicated group of alumni and parents. The goal of the evening was to say thank you to the generous alumni that have donated to The Augsburg Fund this year, and also to encourage those that haven’t yet donated to give before the end of the fiscal year on May 31. Every gift makes a difference in the lives of today’s students.
Minnesota-based FINNEGANS, owned by Jacquie Berglund ’87, was the first for-profit beer company in the world to give away 100% of its profits, a feat accomplished through the FINNEGANS Community fund—a sustainable business model through which the company can make a difference in the community. Last year alone, FINNEGANS raised over $100,000 that went to support the purchase of fresh produce at local food shelves. This unique beer business intrigued Buffie Blesi ’90 ’97, who had done volunteer work at FINNEGANS over the years, and who turned to Berglund in 2009 for networking advice when she started her business coaching company, KnowledgeSphere, Inc. In turn, Berglund called on Blesi for help in managing FINNEGANS’ future—a mutually beneficial way of reconnecting since their first meeting years ago as Augsburg students.
As a result, FINNEGANS has rebounded nicely (growing by an average of 40% each year), and Blesi continues to help Berglund strategize about its growth—looking at new markets and products, determining who should be on the team and how to engage them in the company’s mission, and earning more profits in order to make a greater impact in the world. Recently, FINNEGANS received two special awards: Social Entrepreneur Award for Minnesota Business, and the Small Business of the Year Award from the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce.