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Gary graduated high school in western Nebraska in 1982. As a rabid Cornhusker, he swears he bleeds crimson for his team... though we try to convince him that’s just the normal color of blood. Immediately after graduating, Gary enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park NY. While at the CIA, he participated in a three-year apprenticeship in San Diego, California before graduating in 1986. He worked in several restaurants, spanning the country from New York City, Washington DC, San Diego, Los Angles, and finally to Laguna Beach, California. Finally landing at Houlihan’s Restaurant, he quickly moved to a management position. As a General Manger with Houlihan’s, he eventually moved to Indianapolis in 1992 with his family. In 1997, Gary was hired by Olinger Distributing Company, where he quickly moved up through the ranks from merchandiser to District Manager and finally to Brand Manager. In 2005, after being actively involved in the creation and development phase of In Vie, Gary came on board as the Winery Liaison. In his current capacity, he works with over 80 wineries and suppliers as well as keeping busy making management calls on primary accounts and doing his share of wine dinners and trainings. When he’s not at work, Gary is enjoying his new swimming pool with his wife, Polly, two girls, and whoever else pops in at Chez Hulseman.
Raised as one of seven children in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, Sean realized early that hard work and patience were necessities in life. He has over twenty years experience in the food and beverage industry, which took him all over the Midwest. As a teenager, Sean learned the industry through various restaurant positions. Shortly after college, he was offered a position with Direct Import Wine Company in Chicago. He spent five years there, building his experience and knowledge of wine. He then made a switch to the supplier side of the industry to work for Belukus Marketing. He was educated on the finer side of importing and the beer-making process while being in charge of Midwest sales. A few years later, after he realized his passion for wine, he was recruited by EOS Estate Winery to run the Midwest. In June of 2005, he brought his expertise of the supplier side and the distributor side to In Vie. Married and with three boys of his own, he still believes that hard work and patience have given him the tools he needs to succeed and make In Vie a world class sales organization.
Tippi was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana. She earned BA degrees in Political Science and Journalism from Miami University, and an MA in Arts Management from Indiana University... but soon realized that she didn’t actually want to actually work in any of these fields. After a variety of jobs and locales, and out of desperation (she was substitute teaching at the time), she answered a generic classified ad for an Administrative Assistant to the Executive Vice President. And so began her career at Olinger Distributing Company. Over the next several years, she worked closely with Jim Oliver and the Wine Division, which ignited her personal interest in wine. When In Vie began, Tippi was offered a position that would better utilize her creativity, marketing, and event management skills. She jumped at the opportunity, and is thrilled to be part of such a dynamic group of people. When not at work, Tippi keeps busy with her husband and two little ones. She enjoys re-discovering the world through the eyes of her children, using it as an excuse to avoid housework, and praying for creative inspiration and a full night’s sleep.
Kim was born and raised in Marion, Indiana. She has worked a wide variety of service-oriented jobs, including cook, security, and as a bartender. She came to work for Olinger Distributing Company in the Customer Service department in 2000. Her experience here piqued her interest in wine, and she pursued increasing her exposure, knowledge, and understanding any way she could. Kim joined the In Vie team in October, 2005, as the Customer Service Specialist. Her duties include basic customer service administration, keeping the rest of us in line, and developing her own telemarketing and sales territory. Kim has really blossomed in her position with In Vie, and has branched out to provide staff training and educational seminars to her customer base. While continuing to provide excellent service to both In Vie customers as well as In Vie staff, she has also managed to increase the sales volume and average case cost in her territory. Her skills can best be summarized in her proven ability to sell high-end champagne over the phone.... no small feat! Calm and soft-spoken by nature, Kim is always ready to assist customers with their needs as well as the In Vie staff. She enjoys sharing her growing knowledge of wine with customers, consumers, and always encourages them to continue exploring “the most fascinating beverage in the history of the world.” She is currently studying for her Wine Specialist Certification.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Rob grew up watching James Bond movies, always thinking how cool it was that 007 knew so much about wine and spirits... Rob received his Undergraduate and Graduate work at Miami of Ohio, in International Studies, History, French and Marketing. Studying abroad in the south of France during his junior year in college, he caught the wine bug, and it only intensified when he returned home. After countless wine tastings and wine shopping trips in Chicago and Cincinnati, Rob realized that a career in the wine business might be in his future. After college, Rob was recruited by the E&J Gallo winery, and moved to Indiana to work for their distributor. He worked six years in Fine Wine Sales and Sales Management with National Wine and Spirits Corp of Indiana. Rob has also worked on the retail side with Kahn’s Fine Wines. A move back to Ohio and a short stint with a Champagne importer made him realize how much he missed Indianapolis and the love of a wonderful Hoosier girl. So he moved back in late 2004 (smart move, because they are now engaged). Rob has been a Winery Consultant with In Vie since its inception in June of 2005. When not pulling corks for business or pleasure, Rob enjoys cooking, reading (Arturo Perez-Reverte “Captain Alatriste” novels, any alternative history or historical fiction), golf, and a spirited game of Texas Hold’em.
Having come from a gastronomically-inclined family, an interest in wine was a natural progression for Marie. Her mother is a Greek immigrant who owned two restaurants in Bloomington, Indiana and spoiled the family with lovely Mediterranean goodies at home. At an early age, Marie started exploring the world of wine. While studying Classical Languages in college in Wisconsin, where the drinking age was 18 at the time, she picked up her first bartending job to help put herself through school. That was the first in a long line of restaurant jobs. After a couple non-beverage related jobs (Program Director for a horse camp and touring North America showing Lipizzan horses), she ended up managing a restaurant in Lafayette, Indiana, which ultimately connected her to Olinger Distributing. She accepted a position with Olinger in 1999, and transitioned over to In Vie when it began in 2005. In her spare time, she spends time running, riding her horse, hiking with her four dogs, vacuuming hair from her four dogs, gardening (with a focus on heirloom veggies), growing orchids, doing the New York Times Crossword Puzzle, and dabbling with home improvement projects.
Like a good wine, we are only beginning to learn the subtleties and nuances of Brendan Zebroski. So far, we have found him to be lively and easy on the palate, and we’re sure there are layers of complexity we have yet to explore. In the meantime, we have learned a few things about him. For example: he was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania and was educated at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He likes Japanese Samurai and a rousing game of chess, but don’t try to push your luck at Dungeons and Dragons. And certainly don’t try to convince him of the merits of the third “Matrix” movie. Brendan has an extensive background in the restaurant industry. He has spent the last 15 years working in restaurants in both the midwest and the east coast. His primary focus in the last 5 years has been geared towards fine dining. He has worked as Bar Manager, Sommelier, and Associate General Manager of The Pasta Grill, an Italian restaurant in Evansville, Indiana. He has a 7-year old son, and his girlfriend, Jessica, recently gave birth to another son, Sam.
Jana’s professional career started with her post high school education at Purdue University. She graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management in 1991. While pursuing her degree, she found her love of fine wine. In October of 1992, she started working for Olinger Distributing as a merchandiser. In 1993, she married her college sweetheart and now has 3 lovely children. Also in March of 1993, she earned her first sales territory. This was a developmental territory with many wine accounts that showed a lot of potential. Throughout her career, she has continued her professional study of wine, and has passed the Court of Master Sommelier Beginner Course, The Culinary Institute of Wine - Sensory Evaluation Course, Glazer’s Academy of Wine and the Certified Specialist of Wine exam from the Society of Wine Educators. Currently, she is continuing her studeis with a goal of being a Certified Wine Educator in 2009. In 2005, she was asked to join the In Vie team. As an In Vie team member, she is deeply committed to helping her restaurants and retail stores reach their full potential. Through wine training and customer service, she helps keep her customers on the cutting edge of wine service.
Kevin Guidry grew up in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, where he studied English, with a concentration in creative writing. Out of college, he spoke English adequately, did NOT write the next great American novel, and thus realized that wine may be better as a job than just a hobby. He has since worked with wine in multiple capacities, including in restaurants, retail, as well as both large and small distributors. Kevin has visited wine regions in California, Washington, and France. He also has taught leisure wine classes at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Kevin's favorite thing about working with wine is helping people understand that it is fun, not stuffy. Kevin found his way to the In Vie team because his girlfriend moved to Indiana to attend Law School at Indiana University. He is very excited to be part of such a dynamic and knowledgeable group of wine professionals.
Lisa grew up in New Orleans, but moved to San Francisco in the “Winter of Love”: December of 1969. Having spent such time in two of the Culinary Capitols of the world, she naturally spent time in the restaurant industry. She started in the restaurant business working for her brother-in-law’s pizza joint while in high school. She continued to work part time in the restaurant business for years while in college, majoring in changing majors. One day, she realized that great food and wine were her real passion, so she focused her energies on this epiphany. She got in on the ground floor of a restaurant group based in Marin County, CA that was cutting edge in their wine program. Having the wine country literally in her back yard made the job a beautiful dream. She worked for this company for 20 years and had the opportunity to travel across the country opening new stores. This is what brought her to Indiana. Having lived here for about 12 years, she had the privilege of working for Something Different and Oakleys Bistro. She was a judge at the International Wine Competition for seven years (what a great education that was!) and participated in the Pinot Forum in the Russian River Valley in 2006 (another invaluable experience). Looking for new opportunities to continue her passion for wine, Lisa left the restaurant business for the distributor business. She hired on with In Vie at the beginning of 2008 with great hopes that her knowledge and background can be a vital asset to the company, and vice versa. Her passions include her vegetable garden, cooking, and creating art from wine foils. She has a design label: “Foiled Again”. She also has a blog, but sadly has not written a word in over a year: awomanonwine.com.
Like a fine wine, you really need to pay close attention to Rick to appreciate the captivating subtleties of his personality. From his dry sense of humor and his robust understanding for working well with different types of people, to his glass-half-full outlook (a favorite in this industry), Rick has proven to be an invaluable part of the team since joining In Vie as a Winery Consultant in early 2008. Rick brings extensive experience, having worked in the food and beverage distribution industry since 1994, focusing the last six years specifically on wine and other adult beverages. Prior to joining In Vie, Rick worked with a supplier/distributor in the Chicago area. Having worked in various markets throughout his career, Rick holds experience in business development in urban territories such as Houston and Chicago, and is excited to work at developing the North Central Indiana market. Rick is dedicated to each and every task he undertakes. Currently, one of these is fixing up his home in Northwest Indiana… one of his favorite hobbies. Rick also enjoys spending time with close friends and family, and prides himself on his ability to adapt to any situation, while wearing many hats ….though he prefers his Chicago Cubs baseball hat the most.
Roxi has Moxie. She would laughingly deny this, but it’s evident in the choices she has made in her professional and personal life: She has lived, worked, or attended school in a wide variety of locations, including Hawaii, Chicago, Boston, Japan, and Madison, Indiana. She moved to Boston on a whim because she liked the city, and then looked for a place to live and a job. She moved to a new city to help her mom run a specialty gourmet grocery store, with only a Culinary Arts degree under her belt. When she first hired on with In Vie, she started everyday with a two-hour commute to work. And if that weren’t challenge enough, she adds a husband, a young daughter, and a continuing education degree in Hospitality Management! Roxi’s passion for wine, food, and travel has been a big motivator in her life choices (we at In Vie like passion!). She has worked in many restaurants in many positions, including Pastry Chef. Her short tenure in Customer Service for In Vie quickly turned into a sales territory, and she was recently promoted to Winery Consultant covering the southeastern portion of the state.
A recent addition to the In Vie Indianapolis area, Sarah brings a solid background in the restaurant industry to her role as Winery Consultant. While she may be reserved and soft-spoken, don’t let this fool you into underestimating her abilities. She’s knowledgeable and competent, and we see great things on the horizon for Sarah.
Born to Mexican and Bolivian parents, Simon was separated from his biological family in a freak catapult accident involving peanut butter. To this day, Simon is deathly afraid of both peanuts and catapults. Rescued by a romp of otters, Simon was feral until he was 13 years old, when he was abandoned by the otters at the doorstep of a printing press, deep in the Bolivian wilderness. The kind, ink-covered workers raised Simon as their own and read to him nightly the works of the great writers. Simon is allergic to wine. Simon has overcome his biological allergy to wine by perfecting the art of psychic tasting. Simon enjoys scrabble and defaming the peanut industry in his spare time. He is the father of Soren Milagro Barrios, the 53rd President of the United States. Simon spent 13 years in the restaurant industry. Half of those years were spent practicing the culinary arts, the other half was spent in dining room management. Simon has authored four Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence. He has completed the first level of the Court of Master Sommeliers, and is currently studying for the Intermediate level as well as for his Certified Wine Educator exam with the Society of Wine Educators.
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Gary Hulseman, CSW
Sean Lynch, CSW
Tippi Hickey, CSW
Kim Powell
Rob Garber, CSW
Marie Silberstein, CSW
Brendan Zebroski
Jana Neher, CSW
Kevin Guidry, CSW
Lisa Cunningham
Rick Eucce
Roxi Kelley
Sarah Windsor
Simon Barrios, CSW
