Kings & Convicts Hires Mike Giordano to Lead Ballast Point Sales
Kings & Convicts, the Chicago-area craft brewery that reached an agreement to acquire Ballast Point and its multiple taprooms from Constellation Brands in December, has hired industry sales veteran Mike Giordano as vice president of sales for the San Diego craft brand.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike to the family,” Kings & Convicts CEO Brendan Watters said in a press release. “He lives in the birthplace of Ballast, so he knows its DNA, and we can’t think of anyone more qualified or passionate to be the steward of our sales team.”
Giordano most recently led strategic sales and profit growth initiatives for FIFCO USA, the Rochester, New York-headquartered maker of Seagram’s Escapes and Magic Hat and importer of the Labatt beer brand in the U.S. His career also includes sales stints at Anheuser-Busch InBev from 2004 to 2010, where he managed “a multicultural territory of over 5,000 retail accounts” and assisted with portfolio integration after InBev acquired A-B in 2008; and Four Loko maker Phusion Projects from 2010 to 2011. Giordano’s beer industry career started at now-shuttered San Diego wholesaler Mesa Distributing.
For the Ballast Point brand, Giordano will focus on building a national account sales team and regional teams, building wholesaler relationships and “sharing Ballast’s spirit as an independent craft beer brand through community events and consumer activations,” according to the release.
“Selling an iconic craft brand that started here in San Diego nearly 25 years ago and is entrenched in the community that I grew up in excites me beyond belief,” Giordano said in the release.
The transaction between Kings & Convicts and Constellation Brands is “expected to close once all regulatory permits and licenses are secured,” the company added in the release.
Archer Roose Builds Sales Team
Archer Roose Collective, a Boston-based company specializing in canned wines, has hired two craft beer industry veterans to lead its sales efforts.
Bill Dillon joins the company as VP of sales and marketing, following a stint at Lord Hobo Brewing Company in Woburn, Massachusetts, where he held the same title.
Archer Roose has also hired Aaron Moore as national accounts director. Moore last worked as VP of sales for Pampelonne Sparkling Wines.
“We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Bill and Aaron to Archer Roose Collective,” CEO and co-founder Marian Leirner said in a press release. “Both of them are the total package — they possess strong national sales networks, great attitudes, and a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist for brands and distributor partners in today’s beverage confident.”
Prior to joining Lord Hobo, Dillon worked as a regional sales manager for Anheuser-Busch and as national sales director for Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Surly Brewing.
Moore was previously the national accounts leader for the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collection, which includes Oskar Blues Brewery, Cigar City, Three Weavers, Deep Ellum, Perrin Brewing Company, Squatters and Wasatch.
Archer Roose’s portfolio includes varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec and Rosé, as well as a low-calorie, low-ABV line of sparkling wines called Spritz.