SYOSSET, New York--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Larry Goodrich, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, Inc. (Southern), a division of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., today announced the appointment of Michele Ricci as Director, Italian Wines, New York State. Mr. Ricci’s appointment is effective January 10, 2011.
Noting how Mr. Ricci’s appointment will strengthen Southern’s Italian wine operations both in Metro New York and in Upstate New York, Mr. Goodrich said, “Michele is a proven leader in managing and selling large and diverse Italian wine portfolios for more than a decade; he’s also a talented brand builder. On behalf of our entire Southern Wine & Spirits of New York team, I want to welcome him to Southern. We have every confidence he will take our Italian wine portfolio to new sales levels in 2011 and beyond.”
Ricci will report to Brett Dunne, Vice President, General Manager, Wine, Southern Wine & Spirits of New York. Dunne added, “Mr. Ricci brings tremendous experience and management skills to his new position. Larry and I know he will be a great addition to our Senior Management Team overseeing our leading portfolio of Italian wine at Lauber Imports and at Southern. We believe that Michele and his team will continue to enhance our position in Italian wines for the benefit of our suppliers and customers in New York.”
Prior to joining Southern, Ricci served as Vice President of Sales for Vias Imports Ltd., New York. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Hospitality Management from Instituto Di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
About Southern Wine & Spirits of America:
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.(Southern) is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor with operations in 33 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia — as well as the additional seven states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah through the Southern-Odom/Spirits West partnership. In addition, Southern has a presence in Maryland and the District of Columbia through a joint venture with F.P. Winner Wine & Spirits as well as a joint venture operation in Minnesota with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern employs more than 11,000 team members. www.southernwine.com
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6569825&lang=en