"[Don and Rhonda Carano] have given me the tools to do everythng, both in business and in the community." —Percy Brandon
It was a good thing Percy Brandon was sitting down when he got the phone call telling him he was named the North Bay’s Best Business Community Leader. It was a total surprise. The charismatic general manager of Santa Rosa’s Vintners Inn—who’s also a dapper dresser and admits to owning about 150 jackets and a different tie for each day of the year—had no idea he would even be considered for the honor.
“I was like, ‘Wow!’ I had absolutely no idea! And it’s truly humbling to be recognized for the work I’ve done,” he says.
Brandon has been GM at Vintners Inn—one of Sonoma County’s upscale hotel and restaurant properties—for the last 15 years. He started out as manager of its much-heralded John Ash & Co. restaurant, only to find himself in charge of the entire hotel/restaurant operation within three short months. Since then, Brandon has amassed a community service résumé that proves the adage: “If you want to get something done, find someone who’s busy to do it.”
His initial foray into community work was with the old Santa Rosa Convention and Visitors Bureau (now called Visit Santa Rosa). Urged by fellow hotelier Bill Carson (then of Fountaingrove Inn and now manager of the Windsor Golf Course) to “get involved,” Brandon joined the group’s board of directors and was instrumental in securing development funds for Santa Rosa’s Business Improvement Area. He remained a director until four years ago.
Nearly 10 years ago, Brandon joined the board of the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce and was among those who launched the chamber’s very successful annual gala. Around the same time, he was named to the board of directors of the Sonoma County Tourism Council, eventually serving as its chairman for more than four years (he currently is treasurer). That group, in particular, has seen the most change, according to Brandon.
“At the beginning, we had a budget of $1.5 million. Today, it’s $10 million,” Brandon says. The organization has been a perfect fit for Brandon, being that he’s in the business of attracting tourists to Sonoma County.
Other organizations benefiting from Brandon’s expertise include the United Way of Wine Country (he’s in charge of research and development), the Sonoma County Harvest Fair and the Russian River Valley Winegrowers, among others.
Brandon was also on the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Wine Country and became a wish granter volunteer, something he found to be totally rewarding.
“There was a little girl. She was ill, and she wouldn’t talk with anyone,” Brandon remembers. “My wife and I sat down with her at a table and somehow we asked her about princesses—and she totally lit up. It turned out she wanted to meet the Disney princesses, so we were able to request and arrange for a trip to Disneyland for her and her family. It was so heartwarming.”
Brandon will be the first to tell you that he couldn’t do what he does without the support of his wife, Olenka Orjeda, whom he met five years ago at a cousin’s wedding in his native Peru (Brandon also holds citizenship in Canada and the United States—a “trifecta” of sorts). He and Orjeda, a chef and culinary instructor, have 18-month-old twin sons—Giacomo and Vincenzo—and yet still manage to lead busy personal lives.
“My wife is a fantastic woman who supports me in all I do. She goes with me to many events and she’s a great partner. I can’t do it alone—it’s a village, you know,” Brandon says.
He also credits Don and Rhonda Carano, owners of Vintners Inn, who have helped him “follow what was always in my heart—to excel and exceed expectations all of the time. They really have given me the tools to do everything, both in business and in the community. And I have to thank them [for their role] in this honor.”
During his time in Sonoma County (he previously lived in Napa County, San Francisco and Vancouver, Canada), Brandon says he has been lucky to learn from other community leaders, citing among them the late Saralee Kunde. “I miss her,” he says. “It was amazing to watch how she could gather people together to work on projects.”
He also appreciates Bill Carson, his early mentor, and Brett Martinez, head of Redwood Credit Union. “I admire Brett’s success and his commitment to the community,” Brandon explains. Finally, he has the highest remarks for Sue Nelson, who took over the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce for many months after the chamber’s executive director, Mike Hauser, died unexpectedly in 2009. “I admire the way Sue had the courage to take the chamber job when the organization was basically going through shock. She is what held it together,” Brandon says.
Brandon has simple advice for others in the North Bay business community who haven’t gotten their feet wet when it comes to giving back. It’s just two words—the same ones uttered to him by Bill Carson some 15 years ago: “Get involved.”
“It comes right back to you,” Brandon says. “Every minute you spend helping others, you’re helping yourself. It makes you a stronger person.”
