Director of Sales – Northern Ohio

Born and raised on the east side of Cleveland, Joel fell in love with the hotel and restaurant industry, and along with it, he fell in love with wine. In 1997, he became an on-premise sales representative for a small wine distributor in Cleveland. In 1999, Joel passed the Certified Sommelier certificate through the United States Court of Master Sommeliers and was promoted to the role of Regional Manager of his on-premise Sales team. 

Joel’s experience also includes managing several teams and divisions throughout large format chain retail, fine wine, on-premise and craft beer. He spent a decade as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Ohio’s largest estate winery. Joel joined Wine Trends in 2019 as Director of Sales for Northern Ohio.  His passion for the greatest wines in the world led him to take and pass the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) in 2020. 

Joel is a die-hard defender and lover of all things Cleveland and Ohio, but his heart belongs to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. He is a huge fan of kayaking, hiking, and drinking rosé 12 months out of the year.