2025 Speakers

Kaleigh Theriault

Director of Thought Leadership, Nielsen IQ

Kaleigh has 8 years of NIQ experience and considerable background working with clients in multiple categories. She has been involved with the Beverage Alcohol category for the last four years working on Thought Leadership and client specific business questions and projects. Kaleigh brings a unique skillset of analytic capabilities, as well as commercial selling story creation, and has significant background in bringing consumer insights to the forefront in support of sales trends. She has been pivotal in the NIQ strategy and tactics for Beverage Alcohol as the industry changes and develops.

Dr. Christopher Thornberg

Beacon Economics

Dr. Christopher Thornberg h has been called many things throughout his career, but his favorite thing to be called is correct. He founded Beacon Economics in 2006 and the firm quickly made a name for itself as the only major forecast on the West Coast to correctly predict the collapse of the sub-prime real estate bubble and the global recession that followed.

More correct calls followed, including predicting the rapid V shaped recovery from the pandemic and the subsequent surge in inflation. Under Dr. Thornberg’s leadership, Beacon Economics has become one of the most respected research organizations in California producing economic forecasts, impact analyses, policy studies, and regional economic analysis for private industry, public agencies, and non profits.

With a career rooted in academia, Dr. Thornberg holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from the Anderson School at UCLA, where he later taught in the MBA program and served as a senior economist with the Anderson Forecast. As a thought-leader and dynamic public speaker, Dr. Thornberg speaks in front of tens of thousands of people every year, urging audiences to ask the right economic questions before accepting pervasive social and political narratives.

Greg LeSait

Partner, Farella Braun + Martel

Greg LeSaint focuses his practice on corporate and financial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, secured lending, fund formation, corporate finance, secondary and derivative transactions, restructurings, and general corporate representation.

Greg serves as a trusted advisor to owners, operating companies, family offices, private equity and real estate funds, banks, private clients, high tech executives, entrepreneurs, and investors, and his clients value his broad and deep knowledge of the legal and business issues they face, as well as his leadership, collaboration, and personable and efficient negotiation style.

Greg works across many industries, including technology and software, wine, real estate, financial services and banking, apparel, and professional services.

He is a co-chair of Farella’s Private Equity and Venture Capital initiative and a member of Farella’s Professional Standards Committee.

Jenny Heinzen

Broker & Owner, Vineyard Professional Real Estate

Jenny Heinzen is California’s top Vineyard Broker for acclaimed wine industry clients, investment funds, and high-net-worth individuals. Beyond insider expertise and long-standing relationships, clients benefit from Jenny’s in-depth understanding of the Paso Robles American Viticultural Area and extensive real estate experience across Napa Valley and beyond.

With over 10,000 acres sold across 50+ vineyard transactions, Jenny is a top 1% agent in the country by dollar volume and holds the record for selling the highest-priced estate in Paso Robles wine country. From 2000 to today, she continues to grow Vineyard Professional Real Estate into a market leader. Accomplishments include the #1 searched listing on Realtor.com and frequent quotes in Bloomberg, Wine Business Monthly, and more media outlets.

A California Central Coast native, Jenny grew up in a real estate investment family and earned a Master’s in Agriculture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo before becoming a licensed broker in 2004. She has served as President of the Napa Valley Women’s Council of REALTORS® and was named a “30 under 30” by the National Association of REALTORS®.

To learn more about Jenny Heinzen and Vineyard Professional Real Estate please visit https://vineyardprorealestate.com/

Central Coast Insights

The economic and financial conference for the Central Coast wine industry

To view a Speaker biography, click the “+” on the photo.

Kaleigh Theriault

Director of Thought Leadership, Nielsen IQ

Dr. Christopher Thornberg

Beacon Economics

Greg LeSait

Partner, Farella Braun + Martel

Jenny Heinzen

Broker & Owner, Vineyard Professional Real Estate