About Us
MAGNUM WINE & SPIRITS started in November of 2019 by two women Christi Davison and Marisela Ellwanger. They got through the hard task of obtaining a distribution license in NV, however they didn’t come from the wine & spirits business. Our team bought in with them to grow the business, & eventually took over the company & all operations.
THE PEOPLE
Ron Mumford - Master Sommelier, CEO
Ron is a wine, spirits & hospitality industry veteran of more than 30 years, Starting in F&B in college he completed the Master Sommelier Diploma at The Dorchester Hotel in London in 1999. (One of only 270 in the World since 1969). As the head of Education for Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, he taught numerous seminars and classes at restaurants, hotels, colleges, and courses for the Court of Master Sommeliers. He has also been an expert wine speaker for The Newport Beach Wine Festival and The Park City Food & Wine Classic for the past decade and been a guest sommelier with many celebrity chefs such as NOBU, Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse. Along with a strong commitment to wine he brings the unique experience of 7 years in automotive sales and sales training, Ron is a 21-year veteran of SGWS, working through the ranks and finishing as VP On Premise Wine with an additional 3 years VP Off Premise, Spirits and Operations for Vin Sauvage Wine & Spirits and add a year of National Sales for a Napa winery.
Tara Meierkord - MBA, CPA CFO
Tara brings with her a demonstrated history of working in automotive technology, beverage wholesale distribution, automotive tools distribution and construction industries. Strong accounting professional skilled in Forecasting and Modeling, Project Management, Business Strategy, Leadership, Change Management, and Financial Accounting. Experience working in a Private Equity environment, with acquisitions, as well as small family-owned businesses and large national corporations. Iowa State Bachelors, Accounting UNLV MBA (Asst Controller SWS 8 yrs)
Debbie Kay - Office Manager
Debbie came to Magnum from the financial services sector with a strong emphasis on accounting and was an owner of a gourmet wine & spirits shop in Florida. She previously held investment licenses Series 7, 63, 66, 24, 9/10 and Florida State Life & Health Insurance.
Luis DeSantos - Master Sommelier ASP/ WSET Sake L3
Luis started his wine career in fine dining at Chef Charlie Trotter’s Las Vegas restaurant and led to running wine programs for Joachim Splichal’s Pinot Brasserie, Charlie Palmer Steak and Hotel Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Kitchen and Wine Director for Wolfgang Puck’s Spago Group. In 2002 he was the first person of Filipino descent to complete the Master Sommelier Diploma and went to work wholesale at Southern Wine & Spirits. Luis Completed the Advanced Sake Professional certification and the WSET Sake L3. He went on to run the Sake program for SWS for 3 years.
Paul Ellis - Wine Specialist, Wine Rep, Sommelier, Restaurant Mgr
Wine Educator UCLA For 12 Years