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Listen to this articleThe CEO of Vartan Group Inc. on Thursday swapped his blue Honda Civic for a bright purple MerlotMobile and stepped into the life of “Merlot Mike” Wilson.
For the record, he opted for Wilson’s cork shoes to go with the purple suit and crown as “King of the Grapes.” Wilson is a partner at The Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey.
Vartan led business meetings with vineyard staff, filmed a promotional video and helped guide a private tour of operations, among other activities as “Merlot Mike.”
But donning the suit and giving tours of winery and brewery operations is only part of Wilson’s daily duties. His primary job is as vice president of relationship management at Members 1st Federal Credit Union.
Throughout his day pretending to be Wilson, Vartan also wore a more traditional business suit and credit union pin as he attended community functions supported by Members 1st and met with senior leadership to discuss prospective client deals and upcoming fundraisers supported by the financial institution. Children’s Miracle Network is one example of community support.
Part of Vartan’s time was spent with George Nahodil, acting president and CEO at Members 1st.
While splitting up his time between the two roles, Vartan leveraged his own community contacts to try and upgrade Wilson’s garage with a new Maserati on the Carlisle Pike. He also had a little fun with the MerlotMobile in a McDonald’s drive-thru after Wilson pulled a similar stunt Monday at a Wendy’s restaurant.
Here are some of the day’s highlights from social media:
Look for more about the business swap experiment in next week’s Business Journal, including takeaways from the two men involved. And don’t miss other social media posts from the guys @hrvartan and @Merlot_Mike.
@hrvartan Your uniform for the day is ready, sir. With this uniform comes great responsibility and a code of conduct. Don’t take it lightly. pic.twitter.com/eceU19DS89
— Merlot Mike (@Merlot_Mike) October 19, 2017
Members 1st a sponsor of Conference for Women event at the Radisson. #bizswap with @Merlot_Mike @Members1stFCU pic.twitter.com/ocjffkpW8s
— Jason Scott (@JScottJournal) October 19, 2017
When worlds collide #bizswap @hrvartan @Merlot_Mike @VineyardHershey @JScottJournal @cpbj @Members1stFCU pic.twitter.com/5p2s4mrZHl
— Amy Spangler (@amysp) October 19, 2017
Not sure if they are going to wash the MerlotMobile or trade it in?#bizswap with @hrvartan & @Merlot_Mike pic.twitter.com/CAlZ5njCED
— Amy Spangler (@amysp) October 19, 2017
McDonald’s drive-thru with acting @Merlot_Mike https://t.co/g7XX5jQiD2
— Jason Scott (@JScottJournal) October 20, 2017
Talking shop at the vineyard https://t.co/rEnAipnOj0 @Merlot_Mike @hrvartan
— Jason Scott (@JScottJournal) October 20, 2017
Car shopping with @Merlot_Mike @hrvartan on #bizswap day https://t.co/6QgBB4uIrE
— Jason Scott (@JScottJournal) October 20, 2017
Special report @Members1stFCU: Acting @Merlot_Mike sits down to talk business with George Nahodil @bizswap https://t.co/J8myZq5uiz
— Jason Scott (@JScottJournal) October 20, 2017
