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Pete Marino Lands at Bardstown Bourbon Year After Molson Coors Departure
Former Molson Coors exec Pete Marino has found a new role as president of Kentucky-based Bardstown Bourbon Co.
Marino departed his role as president of emerging growth at Molson Coors in April 2023 to pursue “his next entrepreneurial venture,” CEO Gavin Hattersley said at the time. Marino’s departure was announced at the same time as the formation of Molson Coors new commercial division and the appointment of then-chief marketing officer Michelle St. Jacques as chief commercial officer and lead of the new division.
Marino’s tenure at Molson Coors included leading Tenth and Blake, the company’s craft arm, before being tasked with launching the company’s emerging growth division in 2019.
In his new role at Bardstown Bourbon, Marino will be responsible for helping scale business domestically and internationally for Bardstown, Green River Distilling and other affiliated brands, according to a press release.
Marino is a familiar face to the spirits company, having consulted Bardstown for the past 10 months. He also worked with the company while at Molson Coors.
Marino announced the news yesterday in a post on LinkedIn, writing: “I originally came to Bardstown as a customer when David Coors and myself created the Coors Whiskey Co. brands a few years ago. I was incredibly impressed at their quality, artisanship and commitment to customers back then. After spending the past 10 months getting to know them better, I am even more impressed with the company, the people and the brands.”
Marino’s appointment comes on top of several other new leadership appointments at Bardstown, including Andrew “Max” Walker as group brand director; Julie Lannon as VP of national accounts; Jennifer Reda as VP of sales, west division; and Nicholas Lewis as VP of sales, east division.
Beer Institute Hires Stacy Skelly as VP of Strategic Communications
The Beer Institute (BI) has appointed Stacy Skelly as VP of strategic communications for the Washington, D.C.-based trade group.
Skelly brings more than twenty years of public affairs experience to the trade organization, last serving as a senior VP of The Reis Group, a Washington, D.C.-based healthcare public relations firm.
Skelly said in the announcement: “Joining the Beer Institute is an exciting opportunity to champion the economic and cultural impact the beer industry has on America. I’m thrilled to bring my extensive strategic communications and public affairs background to the organization and look forward to supporting America’s brewers, beer importers, and industry suppliers.”
BI president and CEO Brian Crawford added: “[W]e know her wealth of experience in communications will elevate our ability to tell the story of our vibrant industry and the nearly 2.4 million Americans who work in beer. Stacy’s impressive background in public affairs, from mounting national public relations campaigns to countless interactions with media, will be a boon to the association, our members and the wellbeing of America’s favorite alcohol beverage.”
Voodoo Brewing Names CFO
Voodoo Brewing Company has named Isaiah Fitzgerald-Palacio chief financial officer of the Pennsylvania-based craft brewery.
Fitzgerald-Palacio, who is also a part of the company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), has more than 15 years of experience in financial management, according to a press release. In his role as CFO, he will be responsible for “guiding Voodoo Brewing Company’s financial strategy, fostering sustainable growth and ensuring fiscal responsibility.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Isaiah to our executive team and celebrate this moment for our brewery,” Voodoo CEO Matteo Rachocki said in the release. “His leadership and vision is instrumental in driving our continued success and deepening our commitment to a relentless pursuit of quality.”
“Voodoo’s commitment to a vibrant and inclusive community resonates strongly with me: Voodoo is all about community,” Fitzgerald-Palacio added. “This is a company where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, and I look forward to leveraging my expertise to support the brewery’s mission. It is an amazing moment in my life to be a new face among brewery owners and executives.”