1. Susan Hoff, proprietress & owner - Fantesca Estate & Winery
Fantesca Estate & Winery (www.Fantesca.com), located on Spring Mountain in the
famed Napa Valley, produces nearly 5000 cases of estate cabernet, chardonnay,
pinot noir and a proprietary red blend each year. She and her husband, Duane,
started the winery in 2004 with their two children, after retiring from executive
positions at the nation’s largest electronics company, Best Buy (NYSE: BBY).
Susan began her 30 year career with Best Buy working first as the accounts payable
clerk, at age 18, in the finance department when the regional company only had four
stores; she then went to work in sales at the Roseville, Minnesota store and interned
in the communications department starting the company’s first newsletter while
she worked her way through college. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in
applied graphic design and advertising from the University of Minnesota - Twin
Cities, Susan held the posts of supervisor, manager, director, vice president, and
then senior vice president & CCO.
Susan was the primary communications strategist for the Fortune 100 company for
nearly 25 years, representing Best Buy’s entire family of brands including its
namesake chain in North America and Canada, high-end electronics retailer
Magnolia Audio Video, the company’s computer service division, Geek Squad, and its
Canadian Future Shop chain. Her team consisted of Public Relations, Government
Relations, Investor Relations, Employee Communications, Yellow Tag Productions,
Community Relations and The Best Buy Children’s Foundation (BBCF). She retired
as the SVP & CCO in 2006 to pursue her MBA in International Business at KEDGE in
Bordeaux, France. She graduated with Distinction in 2007.
Although no longer serving in her communications position, she continued her
philanthropy work at Best Buy in the foundation she established in 1994 for the
company, the BBCF and it’s famed Charity Classic. She served as the president; it’s
Founder, CEO & Chairwoman of its board of trustees until retiring her role in 2013.
She established the annual Best Buy Charity Classic, a high-profile fundraising event
for the foundation, which hosted LPGA legends and entertainment legends Sheryl
Crow, Beyoncé, Elton John, Seal, Keith Urban and Steven Tyler to highlight a few.
The annual event attracts thousands of attendees and raises $3 to 5 million yearly to
benefit children’s causes.
She is a firm believer in community involvement and just finished multi-year terms
as a trustee for both the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Guthrie Theatre in
Minnesota. She is now focusing her community work through local non-profits and
entrepreneurial start-ups in the Bay area. She was recently named to the board of
trustees of the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation
(www.schulzefamilyfoundation.org) and the Innovation Board at XPrize
(www.xprize.org).

2. When she’s not at the winery or on a conference call, you can find Susan in the gym.
She became a NASM certified personal trainer in 2013 to learn more about health
and nutrition while pursuing her passion for lightweight bodybuilding. She
competes year round internationally in the WBFF's Fitness Diva category - placing
consistently in the Top 5. In August 2015, she was awarded her Fitness Pro Card at
the WBFF’s Worlds Competition. (www.susanhoff.fitness) She practices what she
preaches and believes in daily exercise. Susan's an avid weight lifter and can also be
found practicing yoga or biking with her husband. She is currently studying to
become Precision Nutrition certified too.
Susan and her husband reside in St. Helena, California and have two adult children.
One is making wine in Bordeaux, France and the other is a budding biotech
entrepreneur on the West Coast.
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