Young Professional of the Month: Brandon Hall of ONEHOPE

The San Diego Young Professionals Committee (YPC) is committed to supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County by planning and hosting fun and upbeat fundraising and networking events throughout the year.

A new way the San Diego YPC is supporting the community in the New Year is by celebrating one deserving Young Professional of the Month in a new humanitarian series featured on DiscoverSD.com.

Our Young Professional of the Month for February 2011 is Brandon Hall of ONEHOPE WINE. This innovative local entrepreneur has a vibrant passion for life, business and the art of giving back. In a short period of time ONEHOPE Wine has become one of the most recognizable cause brands in the nation. ONEHOPE is a for-profit enterprise of socially conscious wine that donates 50% of profits to partner charities through the creation of cause-specific varietals of wine, including California Cabernet Sauvignon – Fight Against Autism and California Sauvignon Blanc – Supporting Our Planet.

Thanks to Brandon and his partners, all you have to do is enjoy a glass of fine wine to give back to a good cause of your choice. I mean let's face it - we can celebrate anyone who enables us to drink for a cause, right? Get to know Brandon Hall and learn his inspiring ONEHOPE story in this Young Professional of the Month spotlight!

DiscoverSD: At 10-yrs-old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Brandon Hall: At 10-yrs-old I was determined to be a professional athlete. At that point of my life it was either Baseball or Ice Hockey.

DSD: What is your education and business background?
Brandon: I graduated from The University of California, Berkeley in 2004, majoring in American Studies.  Business wise, I worked for Gallo Wine Company as a sales rep for one year before I started my first business. The first was a casino rental company called Ace High Casino Rentals. We rent out casino tables for private, charity or corporate events. About six months after that I came together with my seven business partners to start ONEHOPE. Most of all my business education has been in the fly. We made a lot of mistakes in our first couple years of business, but I always go back to a lesson I learned playing sports. Everyone will make mistakes, it’s those who learn from their mistakes who will continue to take steps forward.

DSD: Please share how you launched the ONEHOPE brand.
Brandon: Myself and the seven other founders of the ONEHOPE team all worked together at Gallo Wine Company before we started ONEHOPE. Jake Kloberdanz initially came up with the concept of ONEHOPE when we had a promotion for one of our brands that included a small donation to a local charity for every bottle sold. After watching the success of this promotion and the flood of breast cancer promotions that were starting to flood grocery stores during the month of October, we decided to create a brand that was based around this concept of giving back.

DSD: How did you and the ONEHOPE team decide which charities to support? Do you have a personal passion for any of the specific charities?
Brandon: There are many reasons why we choose the charities we choose, but to simplify this answer, the perfect charity partner is one that truly believes in our vision and is willing to do what they can to help promote our brand through their grassroots networks.

DSD: How much money has ONEHOPE raised for charity organizations? Where do you hope this number will be five years from now?
Brandon: We have been able to donate over $400,000 since our inception. Our goal is to be able to donate $4,000,000 during 2013.

DSD: What is the most important business lesson you’ve learned from working with ONEHOPE?
Brandon: As I mentioned earlier, I have learned many lessons over the years. I'd have to say the one lesson that really signifies our company and has made the biggest impact on me personally, is understanding the power of giving. Whether it is a donation, your time, a bottle of wine, a thank you card, a ride to the airport or advice, it is amazing the opportunities that present themselves when you stop asking what someone can do for you, but ask what you can do for them.

DSD: San Diego charity events are another great way to have a fun time while giving back to a good cause. What are some of your favorite annual charity events in San Diego?
Brandon: This is a tough one, I have attended so many great events over the past couple years that it is hard to choose one. I'm going to go with the Chocolate & Vino Affair. It is the one event that we have participated in every year and have had a blast each time.

DSD:Why do you think San Diego such a great city for professional and social networking?
Brandon: San Diego is a great city for networking because there is such a diverse range of people from all over the country / world with many backgrounds. Most of us know that it is really hard to find someone who grew up in San Diego. I travel all the time now and it seems as if every person I meet across the country has a good friend or family member living in SD. If you take the time to get out and meet people you'll find you can learn a lot from them and open yourself up to new networks that reach far outside San Diego.

DSD: What advice do you have for young San Diego entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in the world, starting at the local level?
Brandon: I could probably write a book on this question, but I'll narrow it down to a couple key points:

Passion: You must have an unwavering passion for your business.

Positive attitude: Things are never perfect, there will be great times and very hard times, but as long as you have confidence in your vision and wake up with a positive attitude every morning it will be very difficult to de-rail you.

Care: Always care for your family, care for your friends, care for your customers, care for your teammates, care for your followers. Truly caring for the people around you is powerful. The minute you think you are too good or too busy you lose. I always use this example, the bartender that takes the time to introduce themselves and ask "how are you?" will always have 10 x more customers and usually loyal customers then the bartender that just hands you a drink and moves on to the next person.

Happiness: Life is too short to be anything but happy! If you're not happy then why are you doing it? Whatever "it" may be…

DSD: When you’re not working, where can we find you in San Diego?
Brandon: When not working you can find me grabbing a drink BASIC, Wine Steals or Quality Social. Dinner at Gaslamp Strip Club, Bareback or The Neighborhood. I try to spend a lot of time at FIT. You'll notice I have a hard time leaving my downtown bubble. As for hobbies, I snowboard or golf whenever I have the opportunity.

Love Brandon? So do we! Learn more about Brandon Hall and the ONEHOPE brand at onehopewine.com.

To learn more about the San Diego Young Professionals Committee, Young Professionals of the Month, or quality networking events, friend them on Facebook. All funds raised by the Young Professionals Committee events are donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters of San Diego County.  To learn more about the BBBS program, visit the BBBS site.

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