Page 13 - Indulge October/November 2016

Our latest Valley Girl’s ties to
the land are undeniable. After
moving to the Lehigh Valley in the early
1970s and buying a farm, Franklin Hill
Vineyards was born.
Its owner, Elaine Pivinski, has seen
her vineyard grow from nothing but
a dream to a thriving business that
employs 25, has three stores across the
Valley and also includes a new distillery
with an upscale eatery within it.
Over the years, Elaine has spread her
roots into the community, as well as her
vineyard. She has served as a member
of the Women’s Business Council of
the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber
of Commerce and supported such
causes as American Heart Fund, The
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, YMCA,
YWCA, America on Wheels, Athena,
The DaVinci Science Center, Cedar
Crest College Women’s Conference and
the Third Street Alliance. She also is a
sponsor of ArtsQuest and a contributor
to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Among the accolades she has is being
named one of the Top 50 Women in
Business in Pennsylvania by then-Gov.
Ed Rendell and being a recipient of the
Athena Award and the Nike Award.
Elaine took time out of her busy
schedule to talk to us.
Q: How did you go about following
your dream?
A: I followed my dream by never losing
focus of how I wanted my life to be.
I would tell God my desires and then
I listened. He will answer you. When I
became a single mom, I worked every
day so I would not miss a payment and
made sure my bills were paid. I also had
a very supportive family that I could rely
on. My business plan was my intuition.
Your “gut” will tell you if your dream is
right or wrong. If you have your health
and are a risk taker, go for it.
Q: What advice would you give
someone looking to follow the
same path?
A: My advice to someone on any path
would be that following your dreams
requires focus, risk taking and hard
EBloaninneiePPivyisnhsekri,, friend aonf dFrcahnikelfinwHiniellmVainkeeyr,aerdnsjo.ys one of the vineyard’s
owner
work. It’s important to have reasonable
expectations and to set weekly goals that
are attainable. If a loan is necessary,
borrow within your means so that if you
don’t succeed you are still able to pay it
back. Have an exit plan.
Q: If you could tell a fellow
businesswoman something about the
winery business, what would it be?
A: To be in the wine industry and
do what I do is a privilege. Every day
you clean up after God, it’s a miracle.
You harvest grapes, crush, press and
ferment. You pump juice into a tank
and after fermentation, you pump out
wine. There is a great sense of pride
in marketing a product that you grow,
produce, cellar and sell.
Q: How has the winery scene in the
Valley changed?
A: In the early years, having my
business in the Lehigh Valley enabled
me to support my two children. Today
it enables me to support 25 employees.
Our community is so supportive of
locally grown products. I was the first
winery in the Lehigh Valley. I started
my vineyards in 1976 and the winery in
1982. I was an attraction and now there
are nine wineries in the Lehigh Valley as
well as seven in the Poconos and well
over 200 state wide. We are the No. 1
wines
with
commodity in Pennsylvania because we
are both agriculture and tourism.
Q: What do you like to do for fun
or to relax?
A: My work is fun. All I do is meet
people, share stories, enjoy wine and
attend tastings, events and festivals.
When I know I am caught up, I relax by
sitting and looking at the magnificent
vineyards surrounding my home.
Q: Is there anything you would like
to add?
A: Just when I was thinking about
slowing down, my son Adam came to
me two years ago and said, “the laws
are changing in Pennsylvania and they
are making distilling legal.” I bought
him a T-shirt that said “Prohibition
is Over,” but that didn’t suffice. Last
year, he wanted his own legacy and
opened Social Still Distillery, the first
distillery in the Lehigh Valley. I am
so proud of him as he is supporting
the farming industry while making
hand-crafted spirits including vodka,
gin, rum, whiskey and bourbon. He
restored the old bank by ArtsQuest on
Third Street, Southside Bethlehem
to distill and sell his spirits. A small
tapas kitchen has now grown into
a full upscale kitchen menu in a
sophisticated environment.