Ashley Cates

Ashley Cates has been an Oregonian since 2002 when she moved here with her family to plant and launch an estate vineyard and winery, Agate Ridge. After graduating from University of Oregon in 2010, she and her husband, winemaker Matt Cates, worked in the wine industry in Spain, New Zealand and Oregon.

Ashley returned to the Rogue Valley from working abroad in 2013, was pinned with the Guild of Sommeliers in 2016, received her Oregon Tourism Professional Gold Pin from the American Hotel & Lodging Association in 2018, and graduated from the Oregon Tourism Leadership Academy in 2022.

Ashley has had an impressive career in wine, tourism and hospitality for the last 20 years and currently serves the Coquille Tribe as the Director of Marketing for their hospitality portfolio in Medford. In addition to serving on the SOREDI board, she is the Vice President of Rogue Valley Vintners, Chair of the Arts Commission for the city of Medford, and owns two small businesses herself, Cates Consulting, LLC and Lukaris Cates Estates, LLC.

Ashley is a foster Mom, a vineyard owner, outdoor enthusiast, an avid traveler and a passionate advocate for the Rogue Valley at large. Ashley believes in southern Oregon and is dedicated to its betterment on behalf of the people who live and thrive here.

Fun Fact: Ashley was born in Sonoma, grew up in Germany and lived in Alabama prior to moving to Southern Oregon in 2002.

Favorite Outdoor Activity: Hiking and Hammocking, specifically near waterfalls in Southern Oregon 🙂

Why is Southern Oregon a great place to do business: Southern Oregon is a great places to do business because there is still a small town connectivity, intact moral community fabric and a region full of residents who care about doing the right thing.

Location of our region is also advantageous as we are centrally located on the West Coast with easy inbound and outbound access via the airport or I5.

In Southern Oregon, your word still matters, how you treat people matters and how you conduct business is critical to your overall success as we are a community that believes in doing right by our neighbors and neighbors taking care of neighbors.