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America’s Beer Distributors Applaud Craft Beer

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is pleased America’s craft beer segment continues to experience solid growth even during soft economic times. According to the Brewers Association (BA), craft volume increased by 6.5 percent and dollar growth increased by 11 percent in the first half of 2008.

“Craft brewers are entrepreneurs who are generating a new excitement in the beer market and elevating the image of the beer industry. Craft beer is generating a new energy because Americans are exploring new flavors and learning about new styles,” said NBWA President Craig Purser. “The growing sales of craft beer show how much Americans of legal drinking age are experiencing the wide selection of flavors and styles of beer brands available across the country. America’s 1,420 craft brewers are a vital part of the American beer industry, and America’s beer distributors congratulate them for their continued success.”

Nearly 13,000 labels of beer are available across the U.S., and America’s 2,750 licensed beer distributors give those labels a vehicle to market and provide consumers with unparalleled choice. Distributors deliver beer from a wide variety of brewers – large and small, domestic and international - unlocking the market for new beer brands, small breweries and innovative beer. Specifically, beer distributors help craft brewers grow and compete by providing the infrastructure small brewers need to reach a wide network of retailers.

“America’s consumers have the best beer selection any where in the world. No place else can you find such wide variety on a store shelf, restaurant list and bar tap,” added Purser.

Aguera to Be Honored with 2009 ABL Top Shelf Award

The American Beverage Licensees (ABL) has announced that Ralph D. Aguera has been selected as the 2009 ABL Top Shelf Award honoree.  Mr. Aguera is vice president, trade relations for Brown-Forman, one of the largest American-owned spirits and wine companies. The Top Shelf Award recognizes those who have demonstrated excellence over their careers in the beverage alcohol industry and have a successful history of positive influence on their communities. It is the highest honor given by ABL and will be presented to Mr. Aguera at the Top Shelf Award Banquet at the  7th Annual ABL Convention on March 2, 2009, in Las Vegas.

“Ralph has been a longstanding supporter of alcohol beverage retailers everywhere and is deserving of this recognition,” said ABL Executive Director Harry Wiles. “His support of the Brown-Forman Retailer of the Year Program has become a symbol of industry unity and an example of his and Brown-Forman’s willingness to stand by their retailer partners through thick and thin.”

Aguera has been associated with the alcohol beverage industry for 48 years. In his current capacity, he is responsible for Trade Advertising, Industry Charity Donations and is Brown-Forman's liaison with industry affiliated associations including ABL, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, Wine & Spirits Guild of America, the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, and the World Association of Alcohol Beverage Industries.

“Though it is difficult to imagine, Ralph’s work and success in the alcohol beverage industry is only dwarfed by his passion for helping those less fortunate,” said ABL president Kevin O’Laughlin. “His work on behalf of charitable causes- especially the Sky Ranch for Boys Foundation- has placed him on a level of his own.  Everyone in our great industry should be grateful for everything he has accomplished.”

Aguera has been the president of the Sky Ranch for Boys Foundation since 1994 and is an active participant in their Mentor Program, writing personal letters of advice and encouragement to the boys at Sky Ranch. For this he has received the Mentor of the Year Award in 2002 and 2008. His generosity is also shared with numerous boards and committees of industry charitable organizations. He is active in a number of volunteer activities in the Greater Louisville area, including Center for Interfaith Relations, Share Our Strength, Gilda's Club and Kentucky Derby Festival.  He is the recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for community service, National Hispanic Corporate Achiever of the Year, WAABI Unity Award, National Liquor Store Association Man of the Year, Sky Ranch Hall of Fame and American Cancer Society Hope Award.

Aguera and his wife, Judy, reside in Louisville, Kentucky. They are the proud parents of two children, Celeste and Ralph David and grandparents to Jack and Sofia.

For more information about the ABL Top Shelf Award Banquet and 2009 ABL Convention, which will be held on March 1-3, 2009 at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, please visit www.ablusa.org.

Bombard Joins Board

The Nightclub & Bar Advisory Board welcomes Michael Bombard, a veteran of the restaurant industry for more than 20 years. Beginning his career journey as a server at Bennigan’s during college, he soon became a bartender, worked kitchen shifts and trained front-of-house staff.

After attempting various other professions such as food and beverage manager for Holiday Inn Orlando and then as an entrepreneur, he found himself back bartending, this time at TGI Friday’s, where he stayed for nearly five years. Bombard then managed and bartended at a local sports bar for over a year until getting a call from Michael Werner, founder of ShowTenders Beverage Consulting Co., for a position as beverage consultant. For the next 10 years, Bombard developed signature drinks, beverage training programs for restaurants, hotels and cruise ships and conducted training seminars all over the country.

In 2005 Bombard accepted the beverage director position with E-Brands Restaurants, a multi-concept restaurant group based in Orlando, Fla. He is responsible for designing beverage programs for the company’s six concepts, including wine menus and drink menus with the training programs to accompany. Currently he is responsible for the beverage programs for all 15 restaurants and is working on the development of 3 new concepts to come in late 2008.

Remy Cointreau USA Names Xavier Desaulles as Senior Vice President - Sales Strategy

NEW YORK, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Remy Cointreau USA, Inc., a leading beverage alcohol distributing company in the United States, today announced the appointment of Xavier Desaulles as Senior Vice President -- Sales Strategy. In this role, Xavier will be charged with organizing Remy Cointreau USA's wholesaler network and implementing the changes resulting from Remy's distributor alliance with Bacardi and Brown-Forman.

"Mr. Desaulles re-joins Remy Cointreau USA with incredible knowledge and understanding of the global drinks business. His considerable experience makes him a perfect candidate for this key strategic role, enabling him to quickly develop and implement our distributor partnership objectives," said Tom Jensen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Remy Cointreau USA.

Mr. Desaulles joins Remy Cointreau USA from Remy Cointreau, S.A. in Paris, France where he was the Director of Business Development, leading the development of a new distribution organization as the Group prepares to exit Maxxium in April 2009.

Mr. Desaulles is no stranger to Remy Cointreau USA, as he was a member of the Remy Martin Cognac marketing team in the U.S. before moving on to take the position as Senior Consultant in the Consumer and Retail Practice at A.T. Kearney in France. He returned to Remy Cointreau, S.A. in 2002 to become the International Brand Group Manager of Remy Martin, and then Director of Central Marketing Services before taking the position of Director of Business Development.

"I am excited with the challenges set before me in my new role at Remy Cointreau USA. I am convinced that the new distributor alliance set-up with our partners will deliver superior growth on our premium portfolio of brands," said Mr. Desaulles.

Xavier is a graduate of the prestigious Hautes Etudes Commerciales school in France with a major in Corporate Finance, as well as an additional degree in Philosophy from the Universite Paris IV -- Sorbonne. He also has an MBA from INSEAD in France. He will take over his new role at Remy Cointreau USA in June of 2008.

About Remy Cointreau USA, Inc.

Established in 1981, Remy Cointreau USA is a subsidiary of Remy Cointreau, SA, and is charged with importing and distributing an extensive portfolio of premium and ultra premium spirits and wines. Headquartered in New York City, Remy Cointreau USA imports and distributes products within the United States from the full range of the wine and spirits spectrum, including cognacs, brandies, liqueurs, scotches, rums, gins, champagnes and both still and sparking wines. Exclusive brands include Remy Martin(R) Cognac, Cointreau(R) Liqueur, The Macallan(R) Scotch Whisky, The Famous Grouse(R) Scotch Whiskey, Highland Park(R) Scotch Whiskey, Mount Gay(R) Rum, Metaxa(R) Greek Liquors, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck(R), Champagne Charles Heidsieck(R), Masi(R) Agricola, Vietti(R), Ricasoli(R), Jacopo Biondi Santi(R), Laroche(R), Piper Sonoma(R) and Bearboat(R) wines.

Source: Remy Cointreau USA, Inc.

Strauss and Verrecchia Join OP Board

The Oxford Publishing Advisory Board welcomes new members Jason Strauss and Richard Verrecchia.

Strauss (pictured) is managing partner of Tao Asian Bistro & Nightclub and Marquee Nightclub in New York City. Strauss and his partner formed Strategic Group in 2001 and currently collaborate with a multitude of high profile companies to directly integrate brands into various platforms that influence popular culture. With prestigious clients such as Coca-Cola, Mercedes Benz and Tommy Hilfiger, Strategic Group has evolved rapidly into a multi-faceted and continually evolving company.

Verrecchia is director of beverage for OSI Restaurant Partners, which includes Outback Steakhouse, Carrabbas Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill, Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine bar, Roy’s Restaurants, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Lee Roy Selmon’s and Blue Coral. He supports each brand’s president and director by working with them to develop their concepts, beverage visions and goals.

Keynote Speakers Added for Atlantic City and Las Vegas Shows

Oxford Publishing Inc. has announced that Jonathan Newman will deliver a keynote address at its East Coast event, the Nightclub & Bar Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City, N.J., October 13-15.
Newman served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), the largest buyer of wine and spirits in the United States and the largest purchaser of California wines in the world. The PLCB operates more than 600 stores and manages more than 4,500 employees statewide and generated almost 1.7 billion in retail sales in fiscal year 2006-07.

Clay Dover (pictured) will be one of the keynote speakers at International Hospitality Week in Las Vegas, March 1-4, 2009. Dover is president and CEO of Metromedia Restaurant Group (MRG), one of the world’s leading multi-concept table-service restaurant groups, with more than 700 locations in 16 countries operating under the brands of Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern, Steak and Ale, Ponderosa Steakhouse, Bonanza Steakhouse, Bennigan’s Sport and The Tavern concepts.

Gerry Ruvo, president and CEO of SKYY Spirits LLC, also will deliver a keynote address at the Las Vegas event. SKYY Spirits LLC, a subsidiary of Milan's Gruppo Campari, boasted more than $315 million in revenue last year, with SKYY Vodka alone accounting for 12 percent of sales, or approximately $158 million. Ruvo and SKYY Spirits manage brands including SKYY Vodka, the SKYY 90 luxury brand, SKYY Flavors, Campari, Cabo Wabo tequila and others.

For more information about the shows, visit www.nightclub.com.

Future Brands Appointments

Future Brands LLC, the U.S. sales and distribution operation for Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc. and the Absolut Spirits Co. Inc., has announced the appointment of Pryce Greenow to VP, sales, west region. Greenow reports directly to Bill Newlands, senior vice president of U.S. commercial development for Beam Global.

The company also has appointed Tony Truzzolino to VP, sales, east region. Truzzolino, a 25-year veteran of the beverage alcohol industry who has served in a variety of senior-level roles in the sales, distributor management and marketing areas, joins Future Brands from Beam Global Spirits & Wine, where he was VP, commercial development.

For more information, visit Beam Global  and www.drinksmart.com.

Beam Hosts Great Whisk(e)y Debate at World Whisky Conference

Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., a unit of Fortune Brands Inc. recently hosted the first Great Whisk(e)y Debate ever held in Scotland. The debate was hosted for the World Whiskies attendees to exuberantly discuss the history, heritage, qualities and tasting notes of bourbon whiskey and Scotch whisky.

Bourbon was vigorously defended by Fred Noe, the great grandson of the legendary distiller Jim Beam and seventh generation distiller from the famous Bourbon family, while Scotch whisky was championed by Richard Paterson, third generation master blender of the Dalmore Scotch Whisky distillery and one of the world’s leading authorities on Scotch whisky. Moderated by Jim Kokoris, former president of the Kentucky Bourbon Circle and long time friend of all whiskeys, the Great Whisk(e)y Debate sparked strong opinions among the hundreds of spectators.

Beam Global CEO Tom Flocco personally weighed in on this topic yesterday during his keynote speech at the 2008 World Whiskies Conference, offering to set the record straight about bourbon.

“Kentucky produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon; almost two thirds of it comes from us,” he said. He reminded the audience “that loving one is not cheating on the other. In this industry, you really can serve two masters.”

Future Brands Appoints Greenow

Future Brands LLC, the U.S. sales and distribution operation for Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc., and the Absolut Spirits Company Inc., has announced the appointment of Pryce Greenow to vice president, sales-west region. Greenow reports directly to Bill Newlands, senior vice president of U.S. commercial development for Beam Global.

“Pryce comes to us from Beam Wine Estates, where he was responsible for sales strategy development and the execution of off- and on-premise national accounts, export markets, duty free, airline and military channels. Among his accomplishments, Pryce led the channel management team that accounted for 30 percent of total company wine sales and delivered market-beating results,” Newlands said. “Pryce’s results-oriented style coupled with a track record of delivering exceptional commercial benefits makes him the perfect candidate for this role. He is well-positioned to lead the Future Brands’ west region and its distributors to achieve their profit and market share goals in 2008 and beyond.”

“I look forward to working with the second largest spirits supplier in the U.S., where every major brand has seen improvement in dollar sale percentages in the last year. I also look forward to building on the strong relationships we have with our customers,” Greenow said. “Future Brands has had a strong start to 2008, and I am committed to meeting the company’s 2008 goals.”

Prior to Beam Wine Estates, Greenow worked at Allied Domecq Wines USA, where he led trade marketing and creative services. He was responsible for tailoring national marketing programs to enhance POS effectiveness and exploit local market, channel and account specific opportunities. He then went on to serve as a manager for Allied Domecq Wines USA’s business planning and analysis group. Preceding his work for Allied Domecq, Greenow was a consulting leader for San Francisco-based Marakon Associates. He spent seven years in the British Army where he achieved the rank of captain.

For more information, visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Heineken Opens Regional Headquarters in Chicago Area

Heineken USA has announced the opening of its new central regional business unit office in Downers Grove in the Chicago area. The new office, which builds on the company’s recent success in the central region of the country, will support a 30-person team responsible for managing the Heineken USA portfolio in critical sales market areas such as Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis.

Led by Scott Blazek, vice president for the central regional business unit, Heineken USA’s new physical presence in the Chicago area enhances the company’s ability to maximize its resources and meet the needs of its consumers to distributors and retailers who appreciate the Dutch and Mexican portfolio of brands.

“The central region is a key growth market for Heineken USA and we’re excited about continuing our commitment to Chicago as one of the company’s ‘corporate hometowns,’” said Chris Steffanci, senior vice president of sales, Heineken USA. “With our continued prominent presence in Chicago, Scott and his team have the ability to collaborate with our business partners on a real-time basis in a market that has helped make Heineken USA the nation’s premier import beer portfolio.”

For more information, visit Heineken USA.