MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern
Glazer’s Wine & Spirits (“Southern Glazer’s”) — the largest
North American wine and spirits distribution company — is pleased to
announce a new structure and appointments within the Control Region,
effective December 1, 2016. The new organizational structure allows
Southern Glazer’s to strategically approach the business across all
Control States in the United States, placing the Company in an optimal
position to manage respective supplier needs in each control market.
Additionally, the structure will increase efficiencies and streamline
processes for all suppliers and liquor boards.
As a result of this new structure, Brad Waxman, Robinson Cooper and Kirt
Clemens have been appointed Executive Vice President and General
Manager. Each of their roles will report directly to Scott Oppenheimer,
Regional President, Control States and Canada.
Brad M. Waxman, Executive Vice President and General Manager,
will be responsible for performance within the state of Pennsylvania. He
brings 39 years of experience to his position at Southern Glazer’s Wine
& Spirits of Pennsylvania. Waxman began his career with Superior Wine &
Spirits in 1977 where he rose from Warehouse Manager to President. In
1995, when Superior Wine & Spirits was acquired by the Sunbelt
Corporation, Waxman became Marketing Manager for the new Sunbelt
organization. Waxman arrived at Southern Wine and Spirits in 1999, where
he took on the responsibility of General Manager of the Pennsylvania
Wine & Spirits Division. In March 2003, he was promoted to General Sales
Manager. In January 2008, Waxman was promoted to General Manager of
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Pennsylvania.
Robinson Cooper, Executive Vice President and General Manager,
West Control Region, will be responsible for Idaho, Iowa, Michigan,
Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Cooper brings more than three
decades in the beverage alcohol industry to his new role. He began his
career with Margolis Wines and Spirits in Pennsylvania as a
merchandiser. Cooper would eventually take additional merchandiser roles
with Bacardi and Brown-Forman in New Jersey. In 1995, he was promoted to
District Manager with Bacardi where he spent five years in numerous
roles with increasing responsibility, ultimately becoming Distributor
Manager, Key Market. In 2000, Cooper joined Seagram’s as State Manager,
New Jersey. Cooper took the Regional Marketing Director with Allied in
Connecticut in 2005, until they sold part of their business to
Pernod-Ricard and Fortune Brands. Cooper then assumed the role of the
Eastern Control Regional Marketing Director with Beam’s Fortune Brands
Spirits Division. He joined Southern Wine and Spirits in 2008 as General
Manager, Ohio. His most recent role was Vice President, Great Lakes
Division, where he was responsible for Ohio, Michigan and Iowa. Cooper
earned his bachelor’s from Moravian College. Cooper also currently
serves as Vice President of the Ohio Spirits Association, a non-profit
organization created to help promote the advancement of spirits
legislation in Ohio.
Kirt Clemens, Executive Vice President and General Manager, East
Control Region, will be responsible for Alabama, Maine, Mississippi, New
Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. Clemens
brings almost 30 years of experience and has spent half of that time in
the beverage alcohol industry. He began his career with Pepsi Cola in
Florida. Holding various sales roles of increasing responsibility such
as District Manager and Territory Development Manager. In 1993, he
accepted a sales management role with Perrier Group of America’s home
and office division in Orlando and eventually took the role of Southeast
Regional Sales Director, Direct Store Delivery division. In 1999, Kirt
began his career in beverage alcohol as a Distributor Manager with
Guinness UDV. He was then promoted to Market Manager, Chains, where he
was responsible for leading headquarter calls and managing the business
at Publix, Albertsons, Winn Dixie, Costco, and BJ’s. Clemens joined
Southern Wine and Spirits in 2006 as Vice President and General Sales
Manager, Diageo and Moët Hennessy division in North Carolina. In his
most recent role, Clemens served as Senior Vice President, where he was
responsible for nine Control States in the Eastern Region. Clemens
earned his bachelor’s from Florida State University.
Scott Oppenheimer also noted, “As a result of the implementation of this
new structure within the Control States, Paul Criscuolo and Bret Rupert
will be leaving the company to pursue other interests. We would like to
thank both Paul and Bret, two dedicated professionals, for their nearly
decade long service to the Company. We wish them well in their future
endeavors.”
Additionally, each EVP for each region within the Control States will
have a Vice President of Finance and a Vice President of Business
Intelligence. These newly created roles will support their respective
functions within each Control State division. A separate announcement
for these appointments will come at a later date.
About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is North America’s largest wine and
spirits distributor, and the preeminent data insights company for
alcoholic beverages. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states and
the District of Columbia, Canada, and the Caribbean, and employs more
than 20,000 team members. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers
and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products
responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com.
Follow us on Twitter
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@sgwinespirits and on Facebook
at Facebook.com/SouthernGlazers.
Contact:
Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, LLC
Lee Brian Schrager, Office: 305-625-4171, ext. 1040, Mobile: 786-417-5164
Senior Vice President, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility
leeschrager@sgws.com
or
Cindy Haas, Office: 305-625-4171, ext. 1166, Mobile: 786-498-7640
Senior Director, Public Relations
cynthia.haas@sgws.com