Pacific Northwest-born Frances Lalas is now living and working in sunny Mendoza, Argentina, at the Vines of Mendoza, overseeing the development of the new Vines Resort & Spa, a five-star resort on 1,000 acres at the base of the Andes set to open at the end of 2013. She is also spearheading the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives — an important measure for a resort that defines itself by being so close with nature. One eco-measure the soon-to-open resort has taken is the extraordinary use of locally sourced building materials.