Saralee McClelland Kunde has been voted Best Business Community Leader in the 2011 NorthBay biz
readers poll.
Leadership expert and motivational speaker John C. Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” Saralee McClelland Kunde, this year’s winner of the Business Community Leader award, proves that statement to be true.
On her résumé, Kunde describes herself as a “farmer, wife and mother” before she gets around to mentioning she’s also president of one of Sonoma County’s best-known companies: Richard’s Grove & Saralee’s Vineyard, Inc. And while she is all of the above, more than anything else, Kunde is the prototype of a leader—a visionary who’s passionate and inspirational, motivating others not only to follow, but to dream and achieve.
Kunde was born in Marin, one of four children of Robert and Lillian E. McClelland, who owned a dairy in Novato. The McClelland family moved the business to Petaluma in 1965. Saralee’s brother, George, still operates the family dairy with his wife, Dora, and their daughter Jana.
Saralee graduated from Petaluma High School in 1966 and briefly attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo before heading out on the agriculture fair circuit, doing contract work at various shows throughout California. For the next 20 years, Kunde worked tirelessly to promote agricultural fairs, as secretary to the manager of the Sonoma-Marin Fair, livestock manager and exhibit coordinator for the Sonoma County Fair and coordinator of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair. In 1982, she married Richard Kunde, whose family was also in the dairy business. The couple has two children, Matthew, who will be 21 in August, and Catie, who will graduate from El Molino High School in May and turn 18 soon after.
The family’s footprint is quite large. They own Richard’s Grove & Saralee’s Vineyard at Slusser and River Road in Windsor—a spectacular property that not only grows top-quality wine grapes but also is a community gathering place for special events. Richard and Saralee also own Coffey Lane and Trenton Station Vineyards plus two other vineyard properties, Matthew’s Station and Catie’s Corner.
Kunde possesses an amazing energy level and “can-do” spirit that’s simply contagious to all who work with her.
What drives her to give so much? “I spent a long time on the other end, always asking for things at fairgrounds and seeking donations, involvement and sponsorships. And my parents were heavily involved with the Farm Bureau and 4-H, so it’s been a natural thing for me,” Kunde explains. “If you’re part of a community, it’s important to give back. That’s what makes it a community. If everyone gave just a little of their time, we’d have a much better place.”
Kunde believes the most important attribute of a leader is the ability to listen. “I have a simple philosophy: Be out there and try new things, but don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, learn from it and add to it. The biggest thing is to listen first and go from there to determine what’s needed and what would help.”
Kunde’s leadership has long been recognized. She earned the Sonoma County Women of Achievement Award for Agriculture from Santa Rosa Junior College in 1989. In the 22 years since, she’s won multiple awards, including Agriculturist of the Year from the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, Silver Hope Award from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the James B. & Billie Keegan Leadership Award (from St. Joseph Health System), an Award of Excellence from the Sonoma County Grape Growers Association, the Spirit of Sonoma County Award from the Sonoma County Economic Development Board and the Sonoma County 4-H All Star Award, among many others. In 2006, Santa Rosa Junior College recognized the leadership of both Richard and Saralee by naming the showcase arena at its Shone Farm Warren G. Dutton, Jr. Pavilion in their honor.
Of all the organizations and projects Kunde has helped over the years, the most rewarding, she says, has been her work with the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, an organization she helped found. She’s also gratified at the recognition Sonoma County as a whole has earned in recent years.
“We’ve gone full circle, from not having an AVA [American Viticultural Area] to a huge Sonoma County marketing effort. Everyone is working together—the vintners, the wine grape commission, the tourism council—all sharing the same office space. It’s a cohesive group, and that’s wonderful to see, with everyone pulling toward the same goals,” Kunde says. “I’ve worked hard to promote Sonoma County all these years, and it’s nice to see the county is recognized all over. They didn’t name a pickup truck ‘Sonoma’ just because it was a nice name. It speaks to our prominence in the food and wine world.”
And while the many awards, tributes and accolades she’s received over the years for her community leadership are greatly appreciated, Kunde remains humble.
“There are so many who’ve done so much more,” she says. “I just appreciate the acknowledgement from the community, and I hope it sets an example for others to get involved and help make the world a better place.”
