New Belgium Brewing Company has appointed Rich Rush as its next chief sales officer.
Rush, who joined the company in 2007, previously served as divisional VP of sales in the eastern U.S. and Canada. He will be tasked with guiding Kirin-owned New Belgium and Bell’s sales force and continuing the company’s growth trends.
Rush’s two-decades-long career in the industry included stints at Diageo and Deschutes. He also served on the board of Flying Embers from 2018 until it was acquired by JuneShine earlier this year.
New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie said in the announcement: “With his extensive knowledge of New Belgium and proven success at navigating market challenges, Rich has a clear and ambitious vision to guide our best-in-class sales team.”
Rush added: “I’m honored to step into this role and continue building upon the industry-leading success of New Belgium’s sales team. In an ever-changing market, our talented and passionate people continue to deliver impressive results, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this team into the future.”
Rush supplants Michael Corrigan who exited the company in March after 15 years to join Keg1, one of New Belgium’s largest wholesaler partners. He’s part of an overhaul of the company’s c-suite that includes Belongie’s appointment as CEO and last month’s hiring of Rebecca Dye Yonushonis as CMO.
Rush led a team to deliver “double-digit sales growth for the last four years” and was “instrumental” in the company’s expansion in Alaska, Canada and 14 northeastern states, according to the announcement.
New Belgium and Bell’s combined produced 1.675 million barrels of beer in 2022, a +7% increase over 2021, according to production data collected by the Brewers Association (BA). New Belgium alone increased its output +14%, to 1.23 million barrels. In 2023, the combined companies’ volume made Kirin the ninth largest brewing company in the U.S., according to the BA.
Year-to-date through April 13, New Belgium has posted double-digit increases in dollar sales (+16%) and volume (+11.7%) in off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm NIQ.