Mark Evans, Triumph Advisors

Title: Founder and President

Location: Ross, California, USA

Years in the Industry:
36 years in the industry not including the grunt work in vineyard and cellar I did as a teenager. My career started working for one of my idols, Jack Davies at Schramsberg, where I called on accounts directly in Northern California and managed distributors in Oregon and Nevada. After those amazing five years, I was brought on by Jess Jackson to help start the fine wine division, where I eventually managed 20 states and introduced brands like Stonestreet, La Crema and many more.

A big chunk of my career (15 years) was spent as President of Negociants, a company owned by Yalumba Wine Company in Australia that consisted of a portfolio of 25 amazing boutique wineries throughout Australia and New Zealand. I was also fortunate to lead several wine companies including Merryvale, Paul Hobbs and Robert Young before deciding to start my advisory business Triumph Advisors, where I am a CEO for hire developing strategic plans and helping implement them for wineries.    
 
My Top Three Challenges to Wellness:
Genetics: DNA is NOT on my side, with obesity a common and dominant trait in my family, and which I’ve struggled to combat throughout my life. Associated with that is the fact I’ve got horrible cholesterol and blood pressure traits, which are purely genetic and something I must watch continually.
 
Alcohol: Alcoholism is another bad trait in my family and one that I’m blessed not to suffer from, but I am an enthusiast, and love to imbibe, especially in good wines. Balancing this in an industry that is focused on meetings, gatherings and events centered around wine (and sometime excessively so), is something I’ve always found challenging. So many people I know in the wine industry suffer from excessive drinking and their health suffers as a result of that, let alone their careers.  
 
Spirituality: The desire to become more spiritual has grown as I’ve grown older. Perhaps that’s a natural part of aging, but it’s something that’s always been a part of me. The study and practice of Buddhism has always been a passion but is something that I’ve never been able to fully embrace. It’s a constant struggle for me to find the time to meditate, study about my own spirituality and practice the teaching that I’ve learned amongst the daily hustle and bustle of everyday life.     
 
How I keep it together:
In my mid-forties, I decided to somewhat reinvent how I was living my life. I now take the following steps to become healthier in mind, body and soul:

• Medications: I basically get off all the meds I was on to counter my genetic issues (Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, etc.), which my doctor stressed I needed, or it might be life threatening. With a natural total cholesterol of over 500, he could’ve been right, if other steps weren’t taken.

• Diet: I became what I call Vegan-Convenient, where I practice a vegan diet (mainly at home) and when dining out loosen it to vegetarian restrictions. It’s just a pain to be a Vegan all the time, but I like following it for health, environment and ethical reasons.

• Exercise: I didn’t really know how to swim but learned from my kids coaches (very humbling!), and then could participate in my first Triathlon (Olympic) at 48 yrs old. Since then, I’ve completed four Full Ironman and thirteen 70.3 [Half-Ionman] events, and many full and half-marathons.

• Meditation: I dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to reflect on the person I most want to be and what everyday actions I should pursue to accomplish my goals.

 
What Inspires Me:
Being around people that are mindful of themselves and others. People that are cognizant/self-aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and being open and honest about them is inspiring to me. But what inspires me the most are people that are kind, considerate and fair to others – no matter one’s professional position, status, race, gender orientation, religion or nationality. We are all here on Earth for a very short time, so we might as well take the path of empathy over indifference!  

A Quote I Love: “To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep the mind strong and clear.” - Buddha

Connect with Mark via email or through his website.