MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Executive Vice President, General Manager Brad Vassar of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) — the country’s largest wine and spirits distributor — announced today the appointment of Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida’s (SWS-FL) Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing John Wittig to Executive Vice President, General Manager of SWS-FL. Wittig is succeeding the recently retired Steve Power.
Commenting on the appointment, Vassar said, “John did a great job as the General Manager of our Nevada business, and he has been an integral part of running and helping to restructure our Florida business over the last couple of years. With the retirement of Steve Power, John is the perfect fit to take over the reins in the Florida market. His creativity, drive and collaborative leadership approach give us a high level of confidence about Southern’s future in the great State of Florida.”
Southern’s President & Chief Operating Officer Wayne E. Chaplin remarked, “We are excited to have John take on this important commercial role, and know that he will rise to the challenge in this leadership position in Florida. We fully expect John will lead his team to new levels of success across the marketplace — all to the benefit of our supplier and customer partners alike.”
In his new role, Wittig will lead a team comprised of Executive Vice President, General Manager of North Florida Barry Zeidwig; Vice President, General Sales Manager of South Florida Patrick Cassidy; Vice President, General Manager of Transatlantic Wine & Spirits Ron Sedia; Vice President, General Manager of Atlantic Wine & Spirits Greg Rabinovich; Vice President, Marketing & Sales Planning Marty Durkin; Vice President, General Sales Manager Tyree Williams; and Vice President, Chain Division Chris Morris.
Regarding SWS-FL’s Back Office organization, the following leaders will also report directly to Wittig: Vice President, Operations Sam Nimah; Vice President, Finance Luis Ramos; and Vice President, Human Resources Joe Penna.
This appointment is effective January 17, 2014.
About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs nearly 14,500 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.
