Drawing on her experience working with Italian, Spanish and Portuguese brands, Schlendorf coordinates media outreach, story pitching projects, trade promotions and social media campaigns that garner attention for a diverse array of wines and vineyards. She also brings a tenacious and organized hand to wine events for press and trade.

Schlendorf joined Benson’s New York office in 2008 from Winebow, a successful wine importer and distributor located in New York. Working in the education department, Schlendorf developed training materials to help the sales team and buyers better understand and sell the company’s broad portfolio of brands. Schlendorf is a Certified Specialist of Wine, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, and graduated with a BA in history and economics from Colgate University.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 1

Whitney joined the agency’s Napa Valley office at the start of 2020, bringing direct-to-consumer sales and digital marketing experience. Her specialties include social media strategy, designing cohesive campaigns and sharing compelling brand stories.

Prior to joining the team, Whitney worked in marketing for Napa Valley’s HALL Family Wines and focused on developing strategy and producing email and social media campaigns for its three brands. She was involved with the digital marketing and creative efforts to drive sales and awareness to e-commerce, social channels, wine club membership and visitation. She also has experience in trade marketing and new product development at Ghirardelli Chocolate and direct-to-consumer sales at WineAccess.

Whitney graduated from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, photography and studying for the WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 16

Jones leads a variety of marketing efforts, developing strategy and executing tactics to create buzz for clients and their products. She has a keen interest in market place trends, what people are drinking and how they are spending their free time. Thinking like an editor, Jones has a knack for developing appealing storylines that resonate with writers and result in ink for the agency’s clients.

Prior to joining the agency, Jones worked for Robert Mondavi Corporation’s headquarters in Napa where she coordinated media campaigns for the company’s wine brands. She graduated from Boston College.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 10

Batich joined the agency in fall 2019, bringing an array of public relations, influencer marketing, media tours, and sponsorship experience from the luxury lifestyle food & beverage space.Prior to Benson, she worked for importers such as Kobrand and Remy Cointreau, and agencies including Sopexa and Bullfrog & Baum. Her brand experience includes top tier Champagne Houses, Ketel One Vodka (and the launch of Ketel One Botanical), Gérard Bertrand Winery, as well as a bevy of French & Italian wine trade councils including Cognac, Loire Valley, Burgundy and Brachetto d’Acqui.

When there’s spare time, you might find her mystery shopping in retailers to keep a finger on the pulse of what consumers are looking for and where they get their information. Batich graduated with a BA in speech communications and rhetorical studies from Hofstra University.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 15

Since 2007, Susan has managed the agency’s accounts payables and receivables, cashflow, and client expense accounts. She coordinates a range of different domestic and international accounts the agency uses to fund operations and client campaigns. Prior to joining the agency, she managed winemaking and vineyard rojects as Pahlmeyer Winery’s first full-time employee, in Napa Valley. Her finance career began in Los Angeles at First Interstate Bancorp, managing corporate and municipal debt obligations, and she continued in that role later in the bank’s San Francisco department. She has a B.A. in History from the University of Redlands, in southern California.
Telephone: +1 917.633.6002 EXT 11

Cristen joined Benson Marketing Group in the fall of 2018 with a background in public relations and event planning. Prior to joining the agency, Cristen worked for Rubenstein Public Relations in New York where she worked with a variety of hospitality clients, which sparked her interest in wines and spirits and cocktail culture. Prior to that, she worked at JMG Public Relations, planning events for celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne, Paris Hilton, Kathy Lee and Hoda, among many others. Cristen was responsible for pitching and garnering placements in top-tier publications, as well as client management.
Cristen earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Public Relations with a focus in Journalism from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Telephone: +1 917.633.6002, EXT 9