Our Team

Jay Behmke, President

Jay Behmke and Yao Ming Jay Behmke was named President of Yao Family Wines effective May 1, 2020. He has served as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel since inception, responsible for business planning and strategy, finance, banking, administration, legal and employment matters. He is one of the founding members of the company and serves on the board of directors. It has been a singular pleasure to work with Yao Ming.

Mr. Behmke started his legal career in Seattle, Washington, where he worked for Perkins Coie in the corporate securities group. In this position, he worked on numerous venture capital financings and private placements in the high-technology field, representing both investors and companies, as well as several public offerings, including Costco Wholesale.

In 1986-87, Mr. Behmke received a Fulbright grant to teach law at the Institut de Droit des Affaires, Université d’Aix-Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, France. During that year in France, he had the good fortune to get introduced to the French wine industry by a number of French friends. which lead to a life-long interest in wine and vineyards. He is fluent in French.

In 1988, Mr. Behmke moved to Sonoma County and began his career in the California wine industry. From 1988 to 1992, he served as general counsel and chief financial officer for Belvedere Winery in Healdsburg, California, as part of a turn-around team for a 300,000 case winery with 450 producing vineyard acres. In 1992, he started his own law practice representing wineries, vineyard owners, nurseries, distributors, restaurants/bars, retail stores and industry trade groups in all regions of California. These experiences have given him a perspective on the wine business in all its complexity and charm.

As a member of the United States Delegation to the Office International de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) from 1989 to 2000, he had an opportunity to tour the wine regions of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, South Africa, Russia, Georgia, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. Every country has its own history and tradition with wine, and the contrasts and similarities to the California experience has been enlightening. Another client with international projects sent him to Australia, the United Kingdom and Peru. With Yao Family Wines, he has had the opportunity to see the wine industry in China and Hong Kong as well.

He is a graduate of Princeton University, and the Yale Law School, and holds a masters in philosophy from the Yale School of Graduate Studies. He is married to Kathleen Clancy, an adventure of some 44 years, and has three grown children, who have careers in law, medicine and technology. And he is slowly drinking through a large collection of magnificent wine.

Chief Marketing Officer, Co-Founder

During his career as an athlete marketing executive, Bill has established himself as a pioneer in the world of athlete marketing and brand building. His work with icons such as Yao Ming and Steve Nash in many ways helped set the standard for athlete marketing. More recently, Bill oversaw the talent marketing team at Excel Sports Management, where notable clients included Blake Griffin, Danica Patrick, Derek Jeter, Kevin Love and Brandon Ingram. During his career, Bill has aligned his clients with numerous global brands, including: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade, Vitamin Water, Visa, American Express, Apple, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, Guinness, Bridgestone, Raymond Weil, Tag Heuer and many more.Bill currently represents Clayton Kershaw, Christian Yelich, Dustin May, Aaron Nola, Jeff McNeil and other MLB superstars.

Bill’s passion for understanding enthusiastic fans has translated into his unique approach at Yao Family Wines. Throughout the history of the company Bill has been responsible for the winery’s marketing strategy, which includes a commitment to building strong bonds with the winery’s core customers. One customer at a time, Yao Family Wines has build a community of wine lovers with an appreciation for outstanding, independent Napa Valley wines.

Bill earned his MBA, with an emphasis in Marketing and Entertainment Studies, at UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he currently serves as Adjunct Professor of Marketing. Bill earned his Bachelors of Arts in Political Science at Loyola Marymount University.

Bill Duffy, Co-Founder and Board Member

As Chairman and CEO of the powerful BDA Sports Management, which he founded over 30 years ago, Bill Duffy is one of the most successful and respected agents in professional sports. He represents more than 40 NBA players, including 38 first-round picks, 22 Lottery picks, seven number one overall Draft picks and currently represents more than 80 professional basketball players internationally in eight different countries.

He was also a standout basketball player in his own right. He transferred to Santa Clara University before the 1981 season after starting his career at the University of Minnesota. He was named Santa Clara’s 1982 Scholar Athlete of the Year and, as a senior, was the team’s leading scorer and was named a District VIII All-Academic. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets and in 2003 he was inducted into SCU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Duffy previously has served on the boards of numerous educational, health-care, and charitable organizations including: I Have a Dream Foundation, Brain Trust Committee to support brain research at Cedars-Sinai and was selected to the Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Renaissance Leaders at Morehouse College. Bill and his wife, Jamese, live in Walnut Creek, California and have five children.