Terri Pebley—a Real Success Story
Terri Lee Pebley has achieved much in her lifetime. From her humble beginnings in La Canada, she is now the owner of Keyways Vineyard and Winery, which also bestows upon her the honor of being the only female to own a winery in Temecula Valley. She is taking this venture in a fresh direction as she tackles an often overlooked market niche in the industry: businesswomen and the women who make contributions to society.Her strategy to maintain the competitive edge in such a dynamic and fast-paced industry in today’s market is to target those who actively want to bring about a change in the world in which they live. She is gearing up her winery to appeal to women by adapting both the product and winery itself. She is reducing the sugar and alcohol content from her wine formulas, while making the tasting room more intimate and hosting special events. Host a wedding at a winery? You better believe it! She has truly separated herself from other wineries by harnessing in on the “Romantic Side” of the industry.
Her process has been an intense, yet rewarding, one. It has been filled with many career shifts and opportunities, but all of them geared toward her present day success of doing what she loves. She graduated from San Diego State University in 1974, where she received a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Within two years she had become a CPA, but she was later drawn to commercial real estate where she started her own brokerage firm. From there she started attending Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she graduated summa cum laude with a JD degree.
Her titles include accountant, broker, and lawyer, but the list continues as she thrusts herself forward. Pursuing new business ventures and wanting to overcome new challenges, she was lead by her acquired tastes and interest in the wine making process to the food and beverages industry. She purchased and dramatically transformed Keyways. The previous owner of Keyways wanted to provide premium varietals and estate wines, but Terri had a much different vision in mind. In a $1.5 million investment, she has remodeled the tasting room, expanded the production facilities, and completely redesigned the grounds.
This has been a fun learning experience for her as she has encountered some difficult barriers unique to the winery business. She came across some unusual obstacles in the making of this product. For example, she pointed out in an interview that red wines need to stay in inventory for years before they are ready to be released and sold to market. She has dominated the full logistics of farming to production to wholesaling to retailing, while still actively reaching her intended market in more personal ways.
Terri explains that she has “started up numerous businesses and remodeled properties, but [she] never experienced a business with the intense capital requirements and cash flow demands that this business has.” Another thing she has become aware of is just how detailed oriented this business is. She stated that, “sometimes very small decisions can have a huge impact on the business and significantly increase profits.” She has truly risen up to not only meet those demands, but exceed them.
Many rewards have followed her from her lifetime of success. She feels the most rewarding part of stepping into this business has been the people she has met, and the experience and encouragement she has to offer them. She has traveled all over the world to search these fellow wine tasters out, and they have been brought together by their common bond of love for wine. But for Terri, it is also all about the thrill of driving forward as she conquers the next task that lay ahead. How she will overcome it feeds into her excitement.
This remarkable entrepreneur has become quite influential—not only in the sphere of business, but even outside the business realm—she serves her community and gives back. She is a board member for three organizations: the Temecula Valley Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association, and Linfield Christian School. She is using her facilities to host the World Harvest Festival and Cork Club Pick Up Party in October.
Her life stands testament to how hard work and diligence pays off in a profound way. She went from loving wine to making it! As if that was not enough, she now has the resources to share her vision and bring it to many. If she has any advice for the entrepreneur, it is this: “prepare yourself to recognize and take advantage of opportunities that life brings, have faith in God’s wonderful plan for your life, [and] surround yourself and associate with quality-like-minded people and expect to be happy and successful.”