The Women of Eight Oaks, Part 4: Vicky Zisman

At the heart of everything we do at Eight Oaks Farm Distillery is our commitment to help make our community a better place. 

A part of that is our commitment to the growth of local jobs. We welcome our crew into our family and provide them a career where they can learn and grow. 

Since 2017 Vicky has continued to grow with Eight Oaks. She started out with us  in Philadelphia at Reading Terminal Market as a brand ambassador of our storefront we used to have, and now leads our sales efforts as our On/Off Premises Sales Manager. 

As the On/Off Premises Sales Manager Vicky is responsible for the distribution of our spirits to bars and restaurants (on-premises), as well as through the PLCB system (off-premises), which puts our spirits on the shelves of Fine Wine and Good Spirits stores within Pennsylvania. 

Vicky also holds another critical position at Eight Oaks, our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (J.E.D.I.) Advisor. 

In this role, Vicky makes sure attention is given to diversity and inclusion in everything we do at Eight Oaks. She also provides leadership by assessing equity impacts of policies to lessen any inequitable impacts on people from marginalized communities. 

Vicky and Tom

Finally, as a facilitator and educator, she creates a safe space for our crew to discuss and work on "metabolizing" the intergenerational trauma we continue to experience as a result of our country's history and systemic oppression within our culture.

When she’s not at Eight Oaks you’ll find her spending time with her boyfriend Tom and their dog Nanu. 

How Vicky Leads at Eight Oaks

To Vicky, being a good leader is something you can learn; it’s all about seeing your crew and being willing to learn from them. A leader is also someone who engages, empathizes, and provides for their crew. 

“I see a good leader as flexible, and one who truly wants to see their crew outgrow them and surpass them. I gotta say we got some good leaders on our crew and I feel honored to be among them and learn something new from them every day.”

Nanu

Why Vicky Works at Eight Oaks

Vicky believes in Eight Oaks’ product, vision, and values.

“It’s a place where someone like me can feel heard, trusted, and valued. I see Eight Oaks as more than just a distillery, I see it as a tool of positive change within our industry and a real support for our community.”

A Quote that Guides Her Every Day

"All that you touch you change. All that touches you changes you." ~Octavia Butler

Stay tuned next week for part five and the last in our series: The Women of Eight Oaks, and meet Michele. 

Cheers. 

At Eight Oaks we don’t just make whiskey, we make a difference. 

Tell us what you want to see in future blog posts. You can do that by sending your feedback to Josh at jvandenberg@eightoaksdistillery.com. 

We’ll work as many questions into future posts as we can, and for those topics selected we’ll make sure to send you a fun prize pack.