Southern Glazer’s Promotes Executives; Arizona Exec Retires
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has made enhancements to National Accounts, Customer and Trade Development, National Retail Sales, Center of Excellence and eCommerce functional units. These teams continue to evolve under the National Accounts umbrella, enabling Southern Glazer’s to remain the strategic thought partner to grow these categories and gain market share.
In addition, Tom Boyle, executive vice president and general manager of Arizona, will retire effective at the end of 2023.
“Southern Glazer’s National Accounts team’s vision is to be an indispensable and trusted partner to the company’s valued customers and deliver excellence to associated buyers, suppliers, and market teams,” said Chris Williams, executive vice president, National Accounts. “This enhanced structure enables us to provide an even more collaborative and comprehensive level of service to our partners.”
Customer and Trade Development
- Ryan Sass has been promoted to vice president, Customer and Trade Development, for National Retail Sales and On Premise. In his new role, Sass will drive supplier relations and closely manage the Company’s NRS business with the support of Customer Development category experts. Sass will report to Chris Williams.
eCommerce
- Robyne Eldridge has been appointed vice president, Omni Channel Development.She will continue to lead B2C deliverables for digital first, eCommerce Business Priorities development and supplier integration. Reporting to Eldridge will beSam Raia, senior director, Omni Channel Development;DarShanna Smith senior director, Amazon; Sarah Twitchell, director, Liquor Channel;Brennan Duke, director,(Mass/Club/Drug); and Jennifer Bailein, director, Grocery. Eldridge will report to Chris Williams.
National Retail Sales (NRS)
- JR Allen has been promoted to vice president, NRS Commercial Operations. In his new role, he will work directly with each region’s Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, with a focus on forecasting, inventory and execution. He will report to Scott Moore, senior vice president, National Accounts Off Premise.
- Nicole Nottinghamhas been appointed to senior director, GoBrands. She will strengthen and foster national strategy and connect with NRS supplier planning process Customer Business Priorities. She will report to Scott Moore.
Center of Excellence (COE)
- Adam Byrne has been appointed vice president, Customer Planning and Development COE. The COE will focus on “Elevate,” the company’s program that offers customers branded merchandising recommendations, large and small format channel development and Southern Glazer’s unique suite of Retail Joint Business Planning process and tools. Byrne recently joined the company and will report to Chris Williams.
Boyle is a longtime Southern Glazer’s employee.
“During his 40-year tenure, Tom has made a tremendous positive impact on the success of the company, as well as the professional success of our employees,” said John Wittig, chief commercial officer. “His best-in-class leadership has made him a role model in Arizona and beyond. We’ll miss him greatly and will forever appreciate his many contributions to the company.”
“Tom’s exceptional dedication to fostering a workplace culture where authenticity thrives has been a true cornerstone of Arizona’s success,” commented Patrick Daul, president, West Region. “In addition to this, his commitment to innovation transformed the market into a hub for pioneering pilot programs, from industry-leading electric vehicle testing to the introduction of a unique convenience store concept. These contributions have positioned us at the forefront of progress, leaving an indelible mark for years to come.”
In 1983, Boyle began his career in beverage alcohol as a salesperson for Southern Wine and Spirits in San Diego. After years of hard work expanding the company’s supplier portfolio, Boyle was promoted to on-premise division manager in 1989. Shortly after, Boyle led Southern Wine and Spirits in entering its fourth market in Arizona, where he served as Southern Arizona branch manager.
After helping lead significant growth for the business and working in roles of increasing responsibility, Boyle accepted the position of general sales manager of Arizona and spent the next 18 years working alongside Michael Jahn and the Arizona team to make Southern Wine and Spirits the number one distributor in Arizona. Upon Jahn’s retirement in 2019, Boyle stepped into his most recent role as executive vice president and general manager of Arizona.
“As Tom embarks on a new chapter in life, we express our deep appreciation for his service and wish him a retirement filled with much happiness and health,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, chief executive officer. “His legacy will continue to inspire us, and his presence will be missed.”
An announcement for Boyle’s replacement will be forthcoming. Boyle will remain on the team to ensure a seamless transition and support the leader who will be replacing him.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Sports Figures Added to Yerbaé Advisory Board
Yerbaé Brands Corp., a plant-based energy beverage company, has named six sports luminaries and leaders to its new Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment. In an advisory capacity, Board members will provide guidance and support to fuel Yerbaé’s rapid growth and introduce Yerbaé to new groups of consumers, focusing their input primarily on Yerbaé’s strategic decisions, brand positioning, marketing campaigns and product innovation.
Introducing the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment:
- Richmond Flowers III – Founder of QB Collective and Collective Sports Advisors, former NFL player and coach, and chair of the Yerbaé Advisory Board, Sports and Entertainment
- Kyle Shanahan – Head coach, San Francisco 49ers
- Annie Thorisdottir – Professional CrossFit champion and two-time “Fittest Woman in the World”
- Lincoln Riley – Head coach, University of Southern California, USC Trojans
- Ejiro Evero – Defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers
- Ben Johnson – Offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
“Yerbaé supports champions with plant-based energy, whether in sports, entertainment or everyday pursuits. Our new advisory board members know what it takes to excel,” said Todd Gibson, co-founder, chief executive officer and chair of the board of Yerbaé. “We are drawing on their expertise to inspire our fast-growing Yerbaé community to greater achievement and wellbeing.”
“I’m really particular about what I would even consider endorsing. So the fact that I’m not only joining the advisory board at Yerbaé, but an actual investor in the company, should tell you how unique I think this product is,” said Shanahan. “The taste, the ingredients, the fact I don’t feel like crap after drinking it — this is the best caffeinated beverage I’ve ever tried and it’s not really close.”
“I’m excited to be joining the board at Yerbaé because I finally now have a caffeinated product that doesn’t negatively affect my body,” said Riley. “Everything about Yerbaé is exactly on point – healthy, effective and enjoyable. There’s simply nothing else like it.”
“My whole job revolves around recognizing the perfect fit — in football and beyond,” said Flowers. “Not only do I love how Yerbaé tastes, it’s uniquely suited to the daily lives of both coaches and players. They have demanding jobs that require them to be at their best every day, mentally and physically. Yerbaé helps them achieve those goals with healthy energy to keep going all day. And if it’s good enough to help athletes to achieve peak performance, imagine what it can do for everyone else.”
Yerbaé’s Q2 earnings results show a 122 percent year-over-year gain in net revenues along with other indicators of strong, positive market momentum, including expanded partnerships with key distributors and retailers. Yerbaé has disclosed the successful close of two tranches of its Celebrity Investment Round announced Aug. 21.
Harnessing the power of nature, Yerbaé’s key ingredient (yerba mate, a South American herb) is known to produce 196 different vitamins, minerals and nutrients as well as caffeine.
By combining yerba mate with its premium ingredients and flavors, Yerbaé provides consumers with a no compromise energy solution. All Yerbaé energy beverages are zero calorie, zero sugar, non-GMO, and gluten free.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
DoorDash, ALDI Expand Service to Include Alcohol
DoorDash, the local commerce platform, and ALDI, the grocery price leader for six years running, have expanded their partnership, announcing that consumers can now order on-demand alcohol delivery from more than 1,200 ALDI locations across 21 states on DoorDash. With the addition of ALDI, one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, nearly 80% of DoorDash consumers can now access alcohol through safe, age-verified delivery.
“In addition to giving merchants a new way to reach customers, on-demand alcohol delivery helps partners grow their business. On DoorDash, adding alcohol may increase grocers’ average order value by up to 30%. Order values for U.S. convenience orders were on average over 50 percent higher when alcohol was added,” said Fuad Hannon, vice president of new verticals at DoorDash. “We’ve worked hard to build a trusted alcohol ordering and delivery experience. The expansion of our partnership with ALDI reinforces our commitment to provide growth opportunities for local merchants, while simultaneously providing a safe, high-quality experience for customers.”
This expansion comes just a few months after DoorDash and ALDI first announced their partnership to bring on-demand grocery delivery to nearly all ALDI locations nationwide. Now, consumers can conveniently shop the private-label selection of top-quality, award-winning wine, beer, hard seltzers and ciders, along with all their grocery needs, at the affordable prices they expect from ALDI. On-demand orders can be placed from local ALDI stores via the DoorDash Marketplace app or website.
“ALDI offers an everyday selection of private-label adult beverages and rotates in limited, seasonal flavors so there’s something for everyone,” said Scott Patton, VP of national buying, ALDI. “Earlier this month we also launched a new, premium ‘Specially Selected’ wine collection, with most bottles costing under $10. With the expansion of our DoorDash partnership, more consumers can now sip their favorite ALDI products at the prices they love, delivered straight to their door.”
Earlier this year, DoorDash released its inaugural Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report, a deep dive into the changing landscape of consumer online ordering preferences and emerging dining and drinking trends. The report found that delivery was the preferred way for consumers to safely purchase alcohol with more than 100 percent year-over-year growth for alcohol pickup and delivery on DoorDash from 2021 to 2022. Comfort, convenience, and time-savings are the top reasons consumers say they enjoy using alcohol and delivery services.
Since launching alcohol in 2020, DoorDash has built an impressive alcohol catalog including more than 100,000 SKUs available for purchase across thousands of grocers and restaurants nationwide. U.S. customers across 32 states can access a wide selection of alcoholic beverages, whether it’s to-go drinks from a favorite local restaurant or celebratory champagne from a nearby local store.
DoorDash is deeply committed to delivering alcohol safely and in compliance with local laws and regulations, and has enacted best-in-class safety protocols, including advanced two-step ID verification, alcohol-specific safety compliance modules and a streamlined returns flow for Dashers, and a voluntary self-exclusion or opt-out register for consumers who don’t want alcohol delivered on the platform or in marketing. The company will continue to develop and launch innovative safety features so alcohol deliveries can be responsibly facilitated through the DoorDash platform.
For more news of interest to the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
