Meet the Team
“Teamwork is the secret that makes common
people achieve uncommon results.”
– Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha
Our Passion, Our People
The heart behind every bottle.
We are truly blessed to have had and continue to have such a wonderful team of people surrounding the winery. There is a shared passion for growing and producing the best wines possible and showcasing the best that we have to offer with unmatched enthusiasm and a friendly smile.
Jim Ewers – Owner
General Manager
Spreadsheets, taxes, Mr. Fix It, meet Owner/General Manager, Jim Ewers. After falling in love with the idea of growing grape sin the mid-90’s, Jim joined forces with his father-in-law, Barret Rochman, to create the vision of Blue Sky Vineyard. He has been at the helm since the beginning to help make this winery what it is today.
Jim is extremely detail-oriented with all tasks winery related as you can see immediately upon entering the winery drive. One look at the vineyard and you’ll notice that every row is perfectly straight and in order. Trust us, it’s laid out with painful precision. He may not always sugarcoat things or beat around the bush, but underneath that tough exterior beats the heart of someone who genuinely cares about his team and that’s a huge part of why we can offer the tremendous winery experiences we do today.
Kaleb Wilson
Winemaker | Vineyard Manager
A native to southern Illinois and an SIUC graduate with a degree in forestry, Kaleb Wilson began his career with Blue Sky Vineyard in 2005. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Kaleb became intrigued with the grape growing process and cemented his interest in Shawnee Hills grapes almost immediately. Since then, he has cultivated a deep understanding of what it takes to curate unique and award-winning wines from our region.
A firm believer that the wine starts in the vineyard, Kaleb has been twice awarded Illinois Grape Grower & Vintner’s Alliance Grape Grower of the year and has also received the Ted Wichmann Grape Grower of the Year award twice. Since becoming the head winemaker in 2023, Kaleb has won 3 Best in Show awards, as well as, other esteemed wine awards. He has a hand in all things vineyard and wine related at Blue Sky Vineyard and has been an integral team player to our winery family since the beginning.
Brandy Nance
Marketing & Event Director
Wine Club Manager
Brandy has been a member of the Blue Sky Vineyard team since we opened in 2005. After starting, what she thought was a seasonal job, Brandy fell in love with the Shawnee Hills wine industry and the rest is history. Over the past 20 years, she has worked her way through the ranks from wine server, to cellar hand, to marketing and event director. She is the creator and manager of our wine club and handles all shipments and club events.
Brandy is also the executive director of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail and serves as the president of the Board of Directors for Southernmost Illinois Tourism. She is a proud supporter of all things local, especially Shawnee Hills wines.
Malory Apke
Tasting Room Manager
A proud SIUC graduate with dual degrees in Business Management and Marketing, Malory enjoys creating bonds with our guests over everything wine. She has been a valuable member of our team and has expanded her overall wine knowledge by helping in as many aspects of the business as possible including: planting, harvesting, bottling new vintages and, in her words, “serving the finest wines in the Shawnee Hills.”
She truly enjoys her grape to glass adventure at Blue Sky Vineyard and has found a passion for the area and all it has to offer. When she’s not working at the winery, she loves spending time with her husband and her dog. She enjoys visiting her mom, her best wine drinking partner, and loves a good book with a great glass of wine.
Thomas Atkins
Vineyard Crew Leader
Tom came to southern Illinois in 2014 to pursue a degree in horticulture at SIUC and enjoy the region’s opportunities for rock climbing. During his time at SIU, he was exposed to grape growing and winemaking through a wine tasting course. This course led to graduate research projects at various vineyard sites throughout the Shawnee Hills, and, eventually, to a vineyard position at Blue Sky Vineyard in 2016.
Thomas enjoyed a two year break from Blue Sky in 2018 to travel and work at wineries in the Yakima Valley of Washington and the Barossa Valley in South Australia but eventually made his way back home to the Shawnee Hills.
He is an avid archer, fly fisherman, forager and loves to tinker on just about anything in his free time. He is passionate about wine and food and the unique vessel they create for memorable moments in life.
Nick Wankel
Wholesale Manager
Hailing from a family that delighted in home winemaking, Nick enjoys a passion for craft wines and beer, especially the experience of finding the perfect pairing of wine and food.
As an SIUC graduate studying plant and soil science and music, Nick trekked from southern Illinois to UNCA to continue following his music interests. After an extended time away, Nick returned to southern Illinois to learn more about the vineyard and winemaking process. He enjoys meeting new people and sharing his fondness for Blue Sky Vineyard wines at tastings with our retail partners and restaurant teams.
We appreciate Nicks passion, dedication and knowledge of our wines and his love for sharing how to craft a great experience. If you see him out and about in the Blue Sky Vineyard van, be sure to give him a wave.
