Management Team

Jerome Zech  [ Chief Executive Officer ]

Jerome Zech brings more than 25 years of management, sales and entrepreneurial experience to WineBid.com. He joined the company in 2000 after The Walter Group, a Seattle-based private equity company where Zech was Managing Director, became the lead investor in WineBid.com. From 1993 to 2000 Zech was a founding shareholder, President and CEO of Supreme Corq, Inc., a start-up company that became the world's leading manufacturer of synthetic corks for the wine industry. Previously he was Vice President of Sales at Alaska Airlines; Director of Sales and Marketing for AT&T Wireless; and held various management positions at IBM Corporation in sales, product development and finance.

Richie J. Lucio  [ Chief Financial Officer ]

Richie Lucio is responsible for all accounting, financial and administrative functions at WineBid.com. He brings extensive accounting and financial systems experience to the position. Lucio was WineBid.com’s controller from 2002 to 2003. From 2003 to 2006 Lucio worked at Orange Lake Country Club in Orlando, Florida, one of the world’s largest timeshare resorts. From 1994 to 2001 Lucio held various accounting positions with Tully’s Coffee, the University of Washington Athletic Department and Nordstrom, Inc. Lucio is a graduate of the University of Washington.

Nate Cluett  [ Director of Information Technology ]

Nate Cluett is responsible for all company technology and systems management. In 2003, he led the Internet Technology team’s redesign of the WineBid.com website, which resulted in vastly improved and more efficient infrastructure for the management of wine data, accounting services, warehousing and shipping. In 2004, he spearheaded WineBid.com’s participation in a Microsoft case study for their Worldwide Midmarket Customer Evidence Program. Prior to joining WineBid.com in 2002, Cluett was Director of Information Technology at The Walter Group, a Seattle-based private equity company. Cluett earned a Master’s of Business Administration in Technology Management from the University of Washington.

Brooke Hilton  [ Director of Marketing and Media Relations ]

Brooke Hilton oversees all of WineBid.com's promotional and marketing programs and is the media liaison for the company. Hilton has an extensive background in marketing and media relations. Before joining WineBid.com in 2001 she was the Director of Marketing and Media Relations for Supreme Corq, Inc., a company that became the world's leading manufacturer of synthetic corks for the wine industry. She built the worldwide brand identity for the Seattle-based start-up. She has also worked in sales and marketing for several international hotel chains including Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.