Jason Schladenhauffen, CEO of 375 Park Avenue Spirits is pleased to announce the expansion of the company with six new appointments across marketing and sales.
“We have ambitious growth expectations organizationally, and in an effort to support this endeavor we’ve decided to add personnel that will better position us to build our brands in critical, must-win markets,” commented Schladenhauffen. “We continue to bet on the come, and thus far the investments we’ve made have delivered the desired result. We believe these will follow suit as we look to continue that growth trajectory with our internal and external partners.”
NEWLY CREATED ROLE OF MARKETING MANAGER
Brian Reames has been appointed to the new position of Marketing Manager. In this role, Reames reports to Schladenhauffen and is responsible for leading marketing initiatives across the portfolio including building and executing brand strategy, creating programming, managing creative agencies, and liaising with suppliers. He will also develop and lead a team of ambassadors in key markets across the U.S.
Reames joins 375 Park Avenue Spirits with 15 years of experience in beverages and marketing. He began his career with Team Enterprises, a creative agency specializing in brand activation and event marketing before moving on to The Miller Brewing Company as the Import and Craft Manager for the Mid-Atlantic region. While in this role, he developed strategies for Peroni Nastro Azzura making the Mid-Atlantic the number one market in the U.S. Soon after, he was put in charge of field marketing programming for the full Miller Coors portfolio in Virginia and Florida where he created Blue Moon’s iconic “Artfully Garnished” campaign, which gained national recognition amongst consumers and trade while winning a number of marketing awards. Before joining 375 Park Avenue Spirits, Reames spent the last three years as the Vice President of Marketing for The Warsteiner USA Group where he led national marketing efforts and communication strategies for the company, which included new on-pack initiatives and partnerships, all of which led to substantial improvements in brand trial and awareness. While at Warsteiner, Reames was also a member of the “Top 8” team, responsible for creating global marketing initiatives to drive business around the world.
“I have a passion for creating programs and platforms that drive brand awareness and increase sales through creative marketing initiatives,” said Reames. “This is a fantastic opportunity to explore and create new ways to build brand loyalty across the 375 Park Avenue Spirits portfolio while improving marketing strategies.”
FIELD SALES FORCE EXPANSION
Over the past few months, 375 Park Avenue Spirits has also increased the field sales team with five new members who have been brought on board to help the company achieve its long-term growth objectives and support new alliances.
Evan Cohen, National Sales Manager commented, “With the expansion of our portfolio, we were able to bring more highly talented people into the 375 Park Avenue Spirits family. People are far and away our most important company asset and we believe that investing in the right people will yield results both in the short and long term.”
18-year industry veteran, Joe Montoya was appointed as the new Western Division Manager. Based in Alhambra, CA, Montoya is responsible for Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Washington. As a division manager, Montoya is tasked with managing the full portfolio in market and calling on distributor partner Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits. Prior to joining 375 Park Avenue Spirits, Montoya was with Treasury Wine Estates as the Regional Account Manager responsible for chain business in Southern California. Earlier in his career, he held several positions within Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits and was a Wine Steward at Pavilions. Montoya reports to General Manager Jake Mutscheller.
Wyatt Wankelman recently joined the company as the Southern Division Manager responsible for Florida, Maryland, Delaware and District of Colombia; he comes to 375 Park Avenue Spirits with two decades of experience in the beverage industry. Most recently, he was the Southeast Regional Manager for Abita where he managed wholesaler and chain partners for the past ten years. Wankelman is based in Tampa, FL and reports to General Manager Sam Scheibal.
In New England, Carol Francolini was recently appointed the Northeast Regional Manager responsible for Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. She comes to 375 Park Avenue Spirits from C. Mondavi & Family where she spent six years as the New England Regional Manager in charge of managing wholesalers, pricing, programming, calling on chains, launching new products, and acting as an ambassador for the brands in the portfolio within her markets. Since starting in the industry 18 years ago as a salesperson for Beehive Distributors in NY, she has also been a Brand Development Manager for Stella Artois and Chair of Martignetti Woman’s Beverage Alcohol Symposium. Francolini is based in Massachusetts and reports to General Manager Sam Scheibal.
Ben “Irish” Peart was named the Mountain Regional Manager responsible for Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Kansas. Peart comes to 375 Park Avenue Spirits from Republic National Distribution Company (RNDC) in Colorado where he was an on-premise sales representative for the past four years. Before joining RNDC, he spent 23 years in the restaurant industry in a variety of roles. Peart is based in Fort Collins, CO and reports to Jake Mutscheller.
Toni Ferrari was named the On-Premise State Manager for Illinois where she is responsible for growing the on-premise business and brand visibility of the 375 Park Avenue Spirits portfolio. Ferrari’s first job in the industry was working for her family’s distribution company in New Mexico. She later began managing bars and nightclubs in Chicago before transitioning into sales. Most recently, Ferrari was with Southern Glazers Wines & Spirits in Arizona where she focused on the Pernod Ricard catalog. Based in Chicago, Ferrari reports to Midwest Division Manager Tom Kempski.
