"As an IBM marketing executive, Cynthia Bohn was presenting a case study on the Mondavi Winery to the Harvard Club in 1995 when she experienced what she calls her "retirement" epiphany. Having worked with IBM for several years, traveling the world, she knew at that moment she wanted to own a vineyard in her home state of Kentucky. On the plane back from Boston, she started sketching out the business plan. By the end of 1996, at age 39, Bohn had found a partner in banker-friend Cindy Hall, bought a 38-acre farm outside of Lexington and begun a first planting. "What started as an idea became a passion," said Bohn, CEO and winemaker at Equus Run Vineyard, "and the passion became a business."
Raised on a tobacco farm herself, Bohn knew the work involved in running a farm. "There's such romance associated with vineyards, but the truth is it's hard work," she said. "During August and September, it's painfully hot in the fields. We start very early, often before the sun is up, to avoid the bees and wasps that come out later in the day. There are environmental issues, with vines subject to black spot and mildew — all sorts of things." In 2002, her partner left to pursue another career, and Bohn became full owner of Equus Run.
The timing was right: Kentucky was transitioning from its tobacco-based agricultural system to alternative crops and agri-tourism. Still juggling her IBM accounts and frequent travels along with her management of Equus Run Vineyards, Bohn began expanding the business, improving the property and renovating the barn for the wine tasting and gift shop. With her capable staff, she has turned the farm into a lively tourism destination.
She says she's always had this drive and energy. "Both my parents were jack-of-all-trades kind of people. My father could take apart and rebuild just about anything." With three sisters and three brothers, Bohn described her early life as "sort of like the Von Trapp family. I would follow my dad around asking questions about the plumbing and electrical systems, watch him work on engines. Every Saturday morning, Dad would gather his industrious family together, and we'd all work on car repairs. He made sure every one of us could take apart a motor and put it back together. Ours was a close family — still is — with strict discipline and family dinners."
Today, Equus Run Vineyards is known for its wine, its summer music concerts, picnics and vineyard tours, corporate events and weddings on site. A converted tobacco barn houses the winery, with a promenade garden, bocce and croquet courts nearby. In the summer of 2007, upon learning that Actor's Guild of Lexington needed a home, Bohn saw an opportunity and partnered with them to offer Shakespeare at Equus Run. "The core of our business is the experience people have; we just happen to have wine to go with it," Bohn said.
Outdoor performances, barbecue and Equus Run wines draw thousands each year looking for summer evening entertainment. Bohn is involved in all phases of the operation, from repairing specialized winery equipment and overseeing production, to introducing a music group from the stage of the newly expanded wood and stone amphitheater. Having a master's degree in industrial technology and a Ph.D. in educational technology has never stopped Bohn from getting her hands in the soil.
"The original plan for Equus Run was to grow the business by 17 percent each year, but it surpassed that goal within the first two years and now brings in a gross income of over a million dollars each year," she said with pride. The winery employs four full-time employees and 18 part-timers, with 30 or more volunteers who help harvest the vines in the summer. "People just stop in, asking to help work in the vineyard," she said. Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the winery produces more than 9,100 cases each year, and its award-winning wines have been selected as the commemorative wines of the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs since 2005.
"Equus Run is the perfect place for me," Bohn said. "I have hands-on contact with all phases of winemaking, beginning in the vineyard and ending at the cellar. One day I drive a tractor in jeans, and the next, I'm in a business suit, getting on a plane. It's great. I just want to enjoy what I do and keep the dreams alive!"
Janet Holloway is president of j. holloway & associates and co-founder of Women Leading Kentucky. A national columnist for womenentrepreneur.com, she can be reached at: jhollow@womenleadingky.com