Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy McClellan
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Left Foot Charley Winery just celebrated it’s 20th anniversary last year! Owner Bryan Ulbrich started making wine as a summer job while living and studying in Arizona State. He fell in love with Michigan native, Jen, and they moved to Northern Michigan to pursue his dream of making wine and their dream of starting a family.
I have had the opportunity to work with Bryan since 2008, as he made wines for another Northern Michigan winery where I had the role of Director of Operations. I have had the pleasure of working for Bryan and Jen since 2020 when they hired me to be their Director of Sales. My background is hospitality. Growing up in the small tourist town of Charlevoix, Michigan, I had the opportunity to start working in restaurants since I was fourteen years old. I went on to study Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. After graduation, I worked as a wine buyer for J.Alexander’s Corporation in Denver, Colorado. I moved back to Traverse City in 2008 to start raising my family and be closer to my parents and brother in Charlevoix. Upon moving back, I quickly fell in love with the growing wine industry and used my experience in hospitality to inspire better service standards and create culinary and educational events to highlight our regions’ wines.
Left Foot Charley is located in the former Northern Michigan Asylum in Traverse City, Michigan. LFC is a Michigan version of an Austrian Heuriger – a place where aromatic and flavorful wine is an everyday event. Locals and visitors alike have come to realize that the non-traditional setting pairs perfectly with the atypical fruit sourcing and old-style winemaking that defines LFC. Left Foot has a committed focus on red and white wine varietals, hard cider, and sparkling wine.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with any growing business and industry, there are always struggles. We have a passionate and loyal team and have been able to overcome and grow stronger with each hurdle. Our current task at hand is to convince wine buyers at restaurants in our own city how great our wines are. We are getting requests from DC, New York, Cali and beyond for our wines, yet we feel ignored in our our own area. We also want to inspire newer drinkers to experience wine and help them discover the rich history and magical powers of the greatest liquid on our planet.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My title is Director of Sales at Left Foot Charley, but Bryan introduces me as the Chief Happiness Officer. I think I am most known for being bubbly like Sparkling wine and positive with my glass is always half full attitude. I am proud to have help grown the Northern Michigan wine industry, to set hospitality standards high, to collaborate and give exposure to so many other businesses and people in our community and to help with the many charitable events and organizations we work with. I have a bit a superpower to multitask and an incredible work ethic. My coworkers joke that I have clones of myself hanging in my closet. I am passionate about what I do, so it rarely feels like work.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Creativity, organization, positive attitude, utilization the assets and talents of those on your team.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leftfootcharley.com
- Instagram: @leftfootcharley
- Facebook: @leftfootcharleywinery
