Bent Water Promotes Joe Companion to VP of Sales
Bent Water Brewing Company has promoted Joe Companion to VP of sales, after fewer than eight months with the Lynn, Massachusetts-based brewery.
Companion joined Bent Water in February as national head of sales development and distribution manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has worked in beer sales and distribution for more than two decades, including as sales and c-store chain manager for Stowe, Vermont-based von Trapp Brewery, Western Massachusetts area sales manager for Boston-based Mass. Bay Brewing Company, and a sales rep for Rutland, Vermont-based Farrell Distributing Corp.
In his new role, Companion will be responsible for “relationship management and strategy” with Bent Water’s distribution partners, reporting to COO Drew Yeager, according to a press release. He began transitioning to the position in August.
“Joe has shown a remarkable relationship management skill set,” Bent Water co-founder and president Aaron Reames said in the release. “His deep experience in the distribution business combined with his highly organized approach have already helped us expand our volume through distribution partners – and helped them take market share.”
Companion succeeds former Bent Water sales director Ryan Nestor, who recently departed the company to become VP of sales for Liquid Data Co., a Boston-based tech platform for beverage-alcohol brands.
Founded in 2015, Bent Water is now distributed in nine states: Massachusetts, Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The brewery has recorded year-over-year production growth every year since at least 2018, including a +6% increase in 2021 to 7,404 barrels, according to the Brewers Association (BA).
Robert McDonald to Join Bump Williams Consulting
Robert McDonald, former GM of Nevada Beverage Co., will join Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) this December.
McDonald spent more than 38 years at Nevada Beverage, an Anheuser-Busch distributor that now distributes nearly 12 million cases annually, according to a memo from BWC president and CEO Bump Williams.
At BWC, McDonald will “play an integral role” in the company’s new distributor mergers and acquisitions consulting business, launched this year in partnership with Arlington Capital Advisors, according to Williams. McDonald will also be tasked with helping secure new distributor deals, and will work closely with Williams and consultants David Williams and Brian “BK” Krueger on expanding and developing the company’s various data and tracking services.
Blair Stewart New General Manager at NZ Hops
NZ Hops has appointed Blair Stewart general manager, sales and marketing – a newly established role at the global hop supplier.
Stewart will be responsible for developing and expanding NZ Hops’ global sales and distribution partnerships, as well as overseeing the company’s market team and Australasia and North America sales team, according to a release.
“I am passionate about selling New Zealand products to the world,” Stewart said in the release. “We are a unique region with high-value products. I’ve forged my career in this area and I get a real buzz out of realizing the value of our products in offshore markets.”
Stewart worked for nearly a decade at Fonterra – a global dairy supplier headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand – serving in various roles, including business manager, APAC and North Asia, and product portfolio manager.
Mark Anthony Brands Hires First Chief Commercial Officer
Mark Anthony Brands appointed David Barnett as the company’s first chief commercial officer.
President Phill Rosse announced the move in a letter to partners on August 30, Beer Business Daily (BBD) reported.
Barnett comes to Mark Anthony Brands after more than 18 years with bev-alc giant Diageo, serving in various leadership positions, including head of sales for the company’s largest U.S. spirit division, Open States, according to his LinkedIn profile. Barnett also served as a board member for Distill Ventures, a Diageo spirit accelerator.
“David’s wealth of industry knowledge and experience will be invaluable,” Rosse wrote. “[His] leadership will be instrumental as we work to further strengthen our organizational foundation, shape our vision for the future and support our next stage of growth together here in the U.S.”
Barnett’s responsibilities will include overseeing Mark Anthony Crafted Spirits, its spirits arm which includes Bearface Canadian Whisky and Glendalough Distillery.
Olde Meck Appoints Eric Watts VP of Sales and Marketing
Eric Watts has been named VP of sales and marketing for The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Watts has more than a decade of experience in the beer industry, most recently serving as craft brands manager for Adams Distributing in North Carolina, according to a press release. Prior to Adams, Watts held roles at Catawba Brewing Company in Charlotte and Faubourg Brewery (formerly Dixie Beer) in New Orleans. He also worked for more than seven years at Budweiser of Asheville in several roles, including on-premise manager/specialty brand manager and craft brands manager.
Watts joins Olde Meck as it finalizes a brand and product refresh, launching in 2023, COO Jim Birch – who joined the brewery earlier this year – told Brewbound. More information on the refresh is expected in Q4.
Olde Meck produced an estimated 21,500 barrels of beer in 2021, a +5% increase compared to 2020, according to the BA.
Lenox Magee Named Molson Coors’ Corporate Communications Manager
Molson Coors appointed Lenox Magee its new corporate communications manager at the end of August.
Lenox has worked for nearly two decades as a multimedia journalist, including more than six years as executive producer and co-host of the radio show The Sip, and nearly 13 years as a blogger for Chicago Tribune Media-owned ChicagoNow, according to his LinkedIn profile.
As corporate communications manager, Magee will be responsible for implementing Molson Coors’ media relations program, providing “communications direction and message delivery on all corporate issues,” according to LinkedIn.
“This will include building relationships with key stakeholders in the news media and industry trade publications,” Magee wrote.