Kate Stamps - Owner
Kate came to work with wine by happenstance. An hour short of college graduation, Kate signed up for the first study abroad program available to: NSW, Australia. Upon arriving, she realized she had accidentally been sent to the wrong school, a sister school focusing on wine-making. Weeks later, when the time came to relocate, she declined as she had fallen deeply in love with the vineyards and wine. Three years and a concurrent viticulture and enology degree later, Kate headed to NYC for a year of pallet training (WSET). She remained in NY for eleven years, earning multiple wine certifications and working on all tiers of the industry. In 2015, Kate relocated to Asheville, NC with the idea of starting her own wine import company. In 2017, that vision was realized when Rise Over Run was founded. In 2019, Kate bought out her business partners and investor to become the sole owner and director of the company.
Samara Rasmussen - Finances
Samara began her career path in design before moving into restaurant management for nearly a decade, and then into the world of accounting. With a background in food & beverage, and a love for numbers and systems, joining the Rise Over Run team felt like a perfect match. During her time in restaurants, Samara developed a passion for supporting farms who grow the highest quality product in a gentle and sustainable manner; this passion is carried on through working with wine growers who practice the same ethos. When not crunching numbers or creating spreadsheets, Samara enjoys unwinding with her husband, three children and menagerie of animals they live with on their small homestead in Leicester, NC.
Becca Wilkerson - Operations
Becca moved to Asheville in 2019 drawn by the mountains and biodiversity of plant life of the area. She studied philosophy and the liberal arts in her home state of New Hampshire and has since lived and worked around the country in various cafes and restaurants and in landscaping. Shortly after settling in NC she started working for Rise Over Run, happy to work for a company with the vision and practice of supporting both small, sustainable agriculture and politically conscious values. She is also a fan of bubbles.
Chris Thornbury - Wine Rep, Asheville
Chris studied art before becoming obsessed with the subject of wine and its endless details. This lead to a career in the restaurant business spanning over twenty years. Originally from Detroit, he’s lived and worked in Savannah Georgia and Portland Oregon. Chris has spent his career advocating for small, family run wineries who practice low intervention viticulture and the people who make these places function. Chris lives in Canton North Carolina with his beautiful wife and three boys.
Sophie Payne - Jr Wine Rep, Asheville
Sophie is originally from New York City, and grew up surrounded by a constant appreciation and love for wine. She attended UNC Chapel Hill for Creative Writing, Photography and French. After traveling to France for the first time in 2013, she fell in love with the similarities between wine and her creative pursuits: color, texture, light through the vines. She began working for Rise Over Run in 2021, charmed and appreciative for the female-led, anti-egotistical safe space in the wineworld, with a focus on all things important: supporting family farms, sustainable agriculture, pairing of varietal to land. She spends her time outside of work writing and reading with her three rabbits.
Tracy Ervin - Wine Rep, Triangle
Tracy is a free spirit, lover of nature, food, wine, and a good story. Her education in Fine Arts and background in Documentary Photography led to a life of travel that heavily relied on the lifeline restaurants could provide. Her 20 years of service industry experience fostered an undeniable passion for wine. When she's not sharing wine with others, she's discovering more reasons to love the craft of low intervention winemaking, regenerative agriculture, and most importantly, the fabulous people behind it.
Natalia Roman - Wine Rep, Charlotte
Born and bred in Miami, Natalia has been in the Charlotte area for over 13 years and lives with her two pitbull and kitty rescues. A lover of baking, tacos, and all things fermented, Natalia's journey with wine began in college while working at a small bottle shop, when she first began to discover the vast world of wine. Her passion for sustainability and preserving the environment led Natalia to the world of 'natural' wine where she has since developed a passion for wine made by growers and producers who stay true to and preserve the expression of the terroir, while working in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. "If I had to pick one grape varietal to sip for the rest of my life, I think it would have to be Gamay all the way!".
Laura Thomas - Wine Rep, Charlotte
A native of Miami Laura spent the first 20 years of her career in Hospitality where she developed her love of food and wine. Working in many different cities spanning from Houston to Chicago, Laura’s travels finally landed her on Maui. It was here she lived and learned the importance of sustainability, which shaped her future career choices. Laura moved to Napa Valley to pursue her passion for wine at the first CCOF winery in the valley. When love came calling Laura followed her heart to Charlotte. For the last decade Laura has been selling wine and is thrilled to finally get to showcase minimally intervened and natural wines. Laura’s favorite things are bubbles, French fries and her beautiful Maine Coon kitty, Taylor.