Sales – Wine

Stephen daily went above and beyond in his customer service. It was apparent that wine was more than a job for him. It was PASSION. — Irv Wnuck, Sr. Vice President (Retired), Wine Warehouse

What Stephen did was truly amazing... in forming a wine appreciation/tasting club for the region, and in doing so, is responsible for educating the region to an unbelievable level and awareness. — Kit Nagelmann, Brand Manager, Laboure-Roi Burgundy/Dubos Frere Bordeaux

I have observed him taking over the market in his region through his efforts in organizing wine clubs, winemaker dinners, as well as newspaper columns. Both events I did with him were sellouts and first-class. — David Mirassou, Sixth Generation of the Oldest Wine Family in the US

Mr. Walker has been instrumental in helping my wine department grow and expand into other areas, thus benefiting my whole store. — Kyle Oney, Owner, Manor Market, retail supermarket

Stephen is a definite out-of-the-box thinker. — Michele Kester, Brand Manager, Wine Quest

Stephen’s enthusiasm and creativity have produced several new ideas that have been a valuable contribution to our restaurant. — Frederic Pierrel, Executive Chef, Lakefront Restaurant, Mammoth Lakes

Newspaper Articles: After forming a wine club with a local retailer, I organized various events, brought in dynamic suppliers, and wrote articles in the newspaper to promote the events.

Sommelier

“Sommelier of the Year”  California Restaurant Writers Association

LA Magazine:  Feature article “Eight Great Jobs”

Restaurant Service:  Food, Sommelier, Maître d’

“My sincerest thanks to you for your hospitality.”  Your friend, Mario Andretti

“Thank you for all your efforts in planning and coordination of the winemaker dinner. I was very pleased with the event.”  Gina Gallo, Winemaker

“Sommelier Stephen Walker not only knows his wines, but in addition has a marvelous sense of humor which immediately puts one at ease,”  Fil Perell, Dining Out newspaper

"Stephen’s passion and enthusiasm (as a server) are what restaurant service is all about.” Larry Lipson, Restaurant Critic, Host, The Wine Cellar, KGIL Radio, Los Angeles

“Stephen is a role model. His hospitality skills were unsurpassed. It is my strong belief that he contributed to Camelback Inn being named 'Hotel of the Year'. "  Larry Smith, Chaparral Restaurant Operations Manager, Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Arizona

Charitable

"Stephen Walker has been an invaluable asset as a volunteer soliciting donations for this lucrative event ... Stephen has been a pleasure to work with and extremely productive in his different capacities."  Evan Russell, President and CEO, Mammoth Lakes Foundation (College), Charitable

"Stephen has been a great asset. He demonstrates ... reliability, creativity, enthusiasm, and the ability to meet deadlines." Bernice de la Salle, Interim Director, Mono County Arts Council, Charitable

Speaking

Featured Speaker: Motivational Businessmen Luncheon, Red Lion Inn -  Dynamic Speakers – Sports Personalities, Businessmen

Feature Presentation: Inaugural meeting, World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery, Washington, D.C.
“… gratitude to Stephen Walker for his expertise and professionalism which contributed greatly to the success of our meeting” - Christo I. Tchervenkov, M.D., FACS, President

Staff Training

“Stephen developed and implemented Camelback Inn’s first and very successful wine training program. In 1996, wine sales rose by 20%, much being attributed to the seminars.” - Larry Smith, Camelback Inn, 1996 Hotel of the Year

Sales – Family Educational Programs

Regional Manager, Arizona, Nest Entertainment - hired and trained staff and personally sold animated accurate historic DVDs and books for family education - took my team from #25 of 57 markets to #1!

Medical Research Advances

Sold and demonstrated at medical shows an advanced research heart pump developed by Dr. Selwyn McCabe, which resulted in doctors getting new answers to questions in the fields of pediatric heart surgery, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, neurosurgery, radiology, and nuclear medicine. I received journal recognition for helping to implement protocols.