In 1971 Ron began dreaming about owning a winery, while studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis. Forty years later in 2011, that dream came true when he purchased River Road Family Vineyards and Winery. Located in Green Valley of Russian River Valley, Sonoma County. 

Ron began his beverage career starting in 1972 with his family’s owned Central Wholesale Liquor Co. in Mount Vernon, Illinois, staying with the family company for the next 22 years. 

In 1994, Ron purchased The Republic of Tea, a Marin County, California specialty tea business that his son, Todd currently leads. 

In 2017, Ron funded The Maynard Amerine Wine Label and Menu Collection, at U.C. Davis, by providing the seed funding to create a searchable online database making the collection usable around the world. He also began TRAINED FOR “SAVING LIVES” program in collaboration with the American Red Cross and ZOLL Medical Corporation. River Road Family Vineyards and Winery is covering the cost of one ZOLL AED PLUS (Automated External Defibrillator) unit. To date, 383 United States wineries joined this program with over 1,800 newly trained staff members in CPR, AED, and First Aid. 

Ron currently serves as Board President of the Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute. And is a current member of the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation. 

In 2022, Ron received an Honorary Doctorate degree in Humane Letters from Sonoma State University. Also, he received the American Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence. His winery became a Certified B Corporation, one of only thirty-three worldwide.