OUR STAFF

Lars Neubohn
President

Lars Neubohn

President

Born into a European family of wine lovers, it was inevitable Lars would develop an interest in all things fermented. His extensive travels through various wine regions in Europe only broadened his perspective on the world of wine. Lars graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in political science and spent five years working on Wall Street. Deciding to refine his business skills, Lars moved across the country to attend business school at the University of Washington. During business school, Lars worked on the refinancing of a real estate portfolio for a self storage investor giving him insight into the financial side of the storage business. After graduation, Lars moved back to New York and returned to the financial services business. It was during this time, as an outside investor in a restaurant that Lars began collecting wine. It was not long before he found himself unintentionally buying more wine than he was drinking. Lars discovered a demand for a wine storage business run by people who were wine savvy and emphasized customer service. Lars founded the Wine Cellarage in 2003. Lars currently lives in Manhattan with his wife and son.

Jenifer Janis
Marketing Director

Jenifer Janis

Marketing Director

Jenifer Janis developed an interest in wine during her college years in New York City while working part time at a restaurant. Soon this interest blossomed into a full-fledged passion and after several years and wine classes later Jenifer began teaching introductory wine classes at Bin 36 in Chicago. Her next foray into the wine world consisted of Assistant Sommelier at Nomi in the Park Hyatt Chicago overseeing a 20,000 bottle collection. The role of Assistant Sommelier, allowed Jenifer to travel to many different wine growing regions, including the Pacific Northwest, California and South Australia. Soon after completing the introductory level of the Court of Master Sommeliers, she became Wine Director and Manager of the Custom House, a modern steak house in Chicago. After spending a year oversees in India, she decided to switch gears and join the Wine Cellarage as Marketing Director where her passion and knowledge for wine dictate many of the wine purchasing decisions.

Gretchen M. Dec
Sales & Marketing Manager

Gretchen M. Dec

Sales & Marketing Manager

Gretchen’s appreciation for wine was sparked by her experience in the restaurant industry during college. Graduating from University of Vermont with a B.A. in English, Gretchen headed for NYC where she continued to explore her wine interest. Investigating career options, she worked at the country’s oldest Wall Street law firm for several years, but her mind always drifted back to wine. A thirst for wine knowledge prompted her to take classes and to travel to some of the world’s intriguing wine regions, including Bordeaux and Northern California. Ultimately, Gretchen began to pursue her dream, a career in the wine industry. Thrilled to join the Wine Cellarage team in December 2010, Gretchen started out writing the website’s blog and assisting with marketing projects. Her role has expanded to include wine buying, sales management and customer relations. Gretchen holds an Advanced Certificate from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and enjoys cooking, art, music and travel.

Saiyad Maknojia
Financial Manager

Saiyad Maknojia

Financial Manager

Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Saiyad is the most recent addition to the Wine Cellarage team. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance at Mumbai University, Saiyad obtained his visa in 2007 and moved to the U.S. to complete his M.B.A. His prior employment experience includes working part-time at a CPA firm while attending college in Mumbai and as a Graduate Assistant at the New York Institute of Technology. His analytical and technical skills and have proven indispensible to his role as Financial Manager. Saiyad is altruistic in nature; he enjoys playing cricket and is fluent in Hindi, Gujarati and English.

Jie Chen
Warehouse Manager

Jie Chen

Warehouse Manager

Jie is a jack of all trades in every sense of the phrase. Originally from China, Jie moved to New York at the age of 15. Graduating with a degree in Advertising and Design, Jie’s first love is photography. He was employed for several years as a photo assistant and is proficient in Photo Shop, Web Design and Quark Express. Because of the many inconsistencies inherent in the photography industry, Jie changed professions and joined the Wine Cellarage team in 2005. His position at the Wine Cellarage transitioned from part-time driver to the essential Warehouse Manager role he fulfills today. His palate is slowly expanding, while Bordeaux remains a favorite region; he is committed to gaining knowledge of all the major wine growing regions. Jie is still able to indulge in his passion for photography by taking photos of wine labels for the website.

Nusrat Manesia
Logistics Specialist

Nusrat Manesia

Logistics Specialist

Originally hired as a part-time Staff Account in early 2009, Nusrat Manesia’s role has recently expanded to full-time and includes various other responsibilities such as, wine logistics specialist, wine inventory management and customer service. Relocating to the US in 2007, Nusrat is a native of Mumbai, India. She graduated the University of Mumbai in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and shortly after acquired her MBA in Finance and Accounting. Nusrat’s analytical mind and interest in numbers make her an asset to the accounting department. In her free time, Nusrat enjoys cooking, watching movies and playing tennis.

Micheal Mai
Assistant Warehouse Manager

Micheal Mai

Assistant Warehouse Manager

Michael joined the Wine Cellarage team in 2008 part-time to assist the logistics department. In 2010 he began a full-time position at the Wine Cellarage as the Assistant Warehouse Manager. Originally from China, Michael moved to New York with his family at the age of fifteen. He attended both LaGuardia Community College and Hunter College and graduated with a major in Photography. After thirteen years in the photography industry, he welcomed the change in careers the Wine Cellarage offered. He is proficient in Photoshop and is bilingual in English and Chinese. His hobbies include, cooking, traveling and taking photos.

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