quarterly
mixer
2nd Quarter 2014
In This
Issue
2 Executive Corner
3 THE X-Pfeil
4 Drink Corner
5 Human Resources
6-9 Success Stories
10-11 Around the State
12 Social Media
12 CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
FEATURED: SALVADOR DALI MUSEUM IN St. PETERSBURG , FL
a note from bob
Mixology & Training Center: Open for Business
Premier Beverage has always placed high importance on innovation and incorporating added value
opportunities throughout our organization and to our suppliers and customers. We have created operational efficiencies with our warehousing and distribution systems, developed social media platforms
to enhance communication, and most recently unveiled our Mixology & Training Center to educate
the trade and our customers.
Mixology and hand crafted cocktails have seen an emergence in popularity over the last few years
and it was important to Premier that we establish ourselves as credible leaders in this category. This
began with building a custom, state-of-the-art, Mixology & Training Center (MAT) in our Fort Lauderdale office. The next step was finding the right person to represent Premier and launch the MAT as
the premier educational hub throughout the state. We are proud to have mixologist and beverage
specialist, Nick Nistico, on our team.
Here are a few of the successes we’ve had the first half of this year:
-Over 1000 bartenders have been trained to date either inside the MAT or on-site at an account
- Premier, represented by Nick, has an increased presence in United States Bartenders Guild (USBG) chapters around the state
-Menu and cocktail development for accounts such as Blue Martini, Disney, the Ritz Carlton and many more
-The top “Best In Show” award at the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America’s (WSWA) annual Iron Mixologist Competition
We look forward to more great successes from the Mixology & Training Center during the second half of the year; I would encourage
everyone on the sales team to think about how you can use these assets with your accounts to add value and gain market share with our
customers.
Executive Corner
MARK SCHUETZ
Managing Director - south florida
“I have FOUR simple core values: Integrity - you do what
you do because it’s the right thing to do; Passion - you
have to love what you do and enjoy getting up and going to work every day; Ownership - take responsibility for
yourself, your company and your customer; Constancy
of Purpose - you have to have an intense desire to win
and kick the crap out of the other guy.” - M. Schuetz
Mark Schuetz graduated from the University of West Florida
with a BS in Management and an AA in Accounting. He spent
a year in the banking industry prior to returning to West Florida as a graduate assistant baseball coach. After relocating to
Tampa in 1986, he began his career in the wine and spirits industry as a sales representative in the Tampa market for National
Distributing Company in 1986. In 1992, he moved to Denver,
Colorado accepting a position in Operations. He spent the next
14 years working in Denver, Atlanta and Jacksonville, eventually being promoted to Vice President of Operations in South
Florida. Mark moved to Premier Beverage Company in 2006 as
Executive Project Manager reporting to Bob Drinon. His diverse
background in sales and operations contributed to implementation of several state level initiatives such as the state consolidation of Customer Service which eventually helped provide a
blue print for the CSG national customer service department.
Mark has always embraced the commitment for change and
improvement and has continued to do so in his role as
General Sales Manager and his current position as Managing
Director - South Florida. As Managing Director of South Florida,
Mark’s responsibilities include all phases of sales, operations and
human resources functions in the South Florida market, from
Vero Beach to Key West.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Tampa warehouse COVERS
over 12-1/2 acres UNDER ONE
roof and you can park (44) 737
jets in the warehouse without
touching each other!
2
2
QUARTERLY MIXER | COMPANY NEWS
“This business is simple albeit, not without challenges. I made
a living out of doing what the other guy wasn’t able to do or
refused to do. That commitment to customer satisfaction has
been an underlying theme throughout my career whether it was
a Friday night via as a sales rep, throwing 10 cases of Grey Goose
in my car and delivering it to a club five miles east of Clewiston
because of an order error or meeting a rep at the warehouse on
a Saturday morning and pulling an order. If we broke it, I will try
and fix it 100% of the time, if the customer broke it, I will try and
fix it 99% of the time. It doesn’t always work that way, but that is
the culture I think we have created and I am very proud of the
team we have developed,” says Mark.
Mark and his wife Cindi will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary this year and have two children. Hillary, 21, is a graduate student at Florida State University having graduated with a
Bachelors degree in Communications this past May and will have
a Masters degree in Integrated Marketing next May, achieving
this in four years. Matthew is 15 and will begin his sophomore
year at PJ Taravella high school in Coral Springs. Mark enjoys
his family time with a glass of wine and jazz music, golfing with
great friends and as a season ticket holder for the Florida State
Seminoles, tailgating in Tallahassee on a beautiful fall Saturday.
THE X-PFEIL
“We are nothing without our brands.” - E. Pfeil
Eric Pfeil
Executive Vice President
Wow!!! Half the year is gone, we’ve closed 6 Suppliers Fiscal Years with varying degrees
of success and we are on pace to achieve our Financial Goals (with a little push at the
end of the year). The summer swelter is upon us, but that doesn’t mean the mood in
Florida is changing. Hotels are at all time Occupancy Levels and Higher Room Rates.
Restaurants are busy, now many doing nearly two turns a night. Miami Spice is about
to start which should bring even more people out. The Housing Market is still tough in
Florida, but getting better. The overall atmosphere in Florida is very positive. All these
positive feelings are exactly what we need as we head into our best selling season. Our
people will soon be sitting with accounts lining out the plans for November/December
of 2014, and January-April of 2015. By all expectations, it should be a very good season
for Premier Beverage. We are gaining Market Share, both Retail and On-Premise. Our
On-Premise Wine sales continue to shatter the trends in Florida, while our On-Premise
Spirits are not far behind. Our Retail business is a little soft, but there’s also many new and
different accounts coming to Florida, like Trader Joes, WaWa and Family Dollar.
We continue to grow our business by continuing to build new and better relationships
in the marketplace at all levels. Our Inventory out of stocks are at an all-time low. Driver
acceptance by our Customers is at an all-time high. Everyone is working together to
insure that Premier Beverage is truly the Distributor of Choice.
Let’s continue to build on these Relationships during the Dog Days of Summer so we can
come out true Winners this Fall.
WELCOME KORBEL BRANDY
We excited to welcome Korbel Brandy to our portfolio! This brand sells
approximately 8,000 nine liter cases in Florida and this acquisition just made
Premier Beverage that much bigger. Korbel is a true California brandy because all of the grapes are sourced 100% from California. Paul Ahvenainen,
Korbel’s present-day Master Distiller, is very passionate about his work, which
he reminds us is no mere byproduct of the winemaking process.
Korbel Brandy is made predominately from white grapes such as French
Colombard and Chenin Blanc, as well as red varieties such as Barbera and
Zinfandel. The result is Korbel’s current triumvirate of handcrafted brandies:
Korbel Brandy (usually referred to as “the Classic”), the V.S.O.P Gold Reserve
and the XS.
Korbel is the only major maker of brandy at which the entire process is
conducted as a single business. The distillation is conducted in DiGiorgio,
California, a small rural town near Bakersfield that boasts whimsical street
names like Weedpatch and Sheepdip Avenue. From there, the brandy is
shipped up to Korbel’s wine country location in Guerneville, Sonoma County,
for blending and bottling.
COMPANY NEWS | QUARTERLY MIXER 3
3
DRINK Corner
COMPANY NEWS
Please drink responsibly
TIN CUP COLORADO
AMERICAN WHISKEY
TINCUP is a new American
Whiskey founded by distilling
veteran Jess Graber and bottled in Denver, Colorado. Made
using a blend of rye, corn and
malt, TINCUP is a bold and
spicy bourbon aged in American white oak casks and cut
with pure Rocky Mountain water.
Enjoy TINCUP neat, perhaps
with a bit of water, or an ice
cube.
LA CREMA MONTEREY
2012 PINOT NOIR
The 2012 vintage has been described by both winemakers and
growers as ideal. The relatively mild
conditions allowed the fruit to ripen slowly, developing the concentration and lush fruit character that
can only come from extended hang
time on the vine. Monterey Pinot
Noir developed beautifully with this
additional time to mature, while retaining its natural juicy acidity and
freshness. This release offers up
both savory and sweet tones, with
pomegranate and blackberry taking the lead on the palate.
44
QUARTERLY MIXER | COMPANY NEWS
DIMENSIONS OF INCLUSION
BY ROSANNE MATHEWS
VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Recently, we were all privileged to receive a letter from Charles Merinoff, Chairman and CEO of The Charmer Sunbelt Group, that discussed
the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. We were all asked to recommit our support to a workplace that honors and welcomes
everyone.With this request in mind, we thought it would be a good time to review the Mission Statement of the CSG Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee (DISC): “Foster a culture which recognizes and nurtures people’s differences and allows us to maximize associate
talent, optimize supplier and customer partnerships to successfully grow our business.”
Our Dimensions of Inclusion go far beyond traditional categories. Diversity
takes into account every dimension that makes us each unique. It has always
been our philosophy that all associates are to be treated and are to treat others with dignity and respect.
Creating an environment that fosters acceptance and appreciation will increase associate engagement, ensure compliance with our corporate philosophy and policies, maximize sales by enabling targeted focus on specific
demographic segments of our customers and consumers, drive development
of appropriate marketing strategies, and ensure our continued commitment
to social responsibility and community involvement. Thank you for your commitment to be an Ambassador of Inclusion!
SafetY Corner
Premier celebrated with Westley Bryant “FTA Driver of the Month
January” at Marriott Tampa Waterside during the Florida Trucking Association Safety Management Council recognition dinner.
More than 600 professional drivers and their company representives attended the dinner to recognize these drivers for their superior driving records. Westley has over 40 years and 2.8 million
miles with no crashes.
Left to right: Rick Thoni Distribution Manager, Westley Bryant Driver FTA
of the Month, Eric Roth EVP of Finance and Operations, and Tracy Linhart Director of Safety.
JOURNEYMAN SPIRITS CLASS OF 2014
BY KEITH HATHAWAY
DIRECTOR OF LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
JASANNA BAUMANN
CARA CALLAHAN
JOSE CARILLO
RYAN DAVIS
JOSHUA DIETZ
JOSHUA FRANCK
ERIC GORDON
BRIAN GRIFFIS
HEATHER HURLEY
DARRYL JOSSI
JAMES KERUL
ALEISHA MACOMBER
KATHLEEN NAHAT
RIDER NAVARRO
ANDY NEILL
MATTHEW PHILLIPS
ERIC TIMME
ALAINA VINCENT
Special thanks to director of education, Al Beck and
Regional director of atlantic division learning and
development, craig locascio
HUMAN RESOURCES | QUARTERLY MIXER 5
5
SUCCESS STORIES
BACARDI MANGO FUSION
GREAT TGIC WINES
PAT’S LIQUOR LEAF
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
OVIEDO, FL
Great job by Sales Representative KEVIN STEPHENSON
and Field Sales Manager RITCH WATSON on this great
42 case Bacardi Mango Fusion front end display! A special
thank you to the merchandising team RICHARD NICOL and
KEVIN O’MALLEY.
BAY HILL, FL
Congratulations to Sales Representative BRETT NEVINS and
Field Sales Manager JOSH MORRISON for a great Tinto
Negro Malbec display at Whole Foods Market in Bay Hill, FL!
This is just one of three impressive TGIC displays that was
executed at this Whole Foods Market location.
MATT KUCHAR FOR GREY GOOSE
BROUDY’S LIQUOR
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL
This golf themed display was a great accomplishment and
tie in to the Grey Goose sponsorship with Matt Kuchar. The
display was up for the weeks leading up to Matt’s participation in the Player’s Championship at Sawgrass. Great job by
Sales Representative MATT STANKO and Field Sales Manager BARRETT TENNANT for executing this great Grey
Goose themed 45-50 case display, highlighting the newest
flavor Le Melon, at Broudy’s Liquor in Jacksonville Beach, FL!
6 QUARTERLY MIXER | SUCCESS STORIES
6
LEADERSHIP BROWARD AWARD
LAUDERHILL, FL
Jenna Ingraham recently represented Premier Beverage in
the Leadership Broward program. Leadership Broward is a
10-month long leadership development program that also incorporates a team community project. Ingraham and her team
worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary school to
develop a mentoring program, community speakers, and engaging curriculum. They coordinated visits from the Dolphins,
DJ Irie, and several others. Their project won the coveted community award and the school received a $1000 donation.
RED BLENDS OF SOUTH AMERICA
360 VODKA CELEBRATES 4TH OF JULY
WORLD MARKET #345
UNIVERSAL WINES & SPIRITS
Great job by Sales Representative JAKE MARCHETTI and
Field Sales Manager JEFF CHADWELL on this great TGIC Red
Blends from South America display at World Market #345 in
Orlando!
Congratulations to Sales Representative JOHN STACK and
Field Sales Manager DAVID KOVANIS for a great front end
cap execution! This 4th of July 360 Vodka Patriot display at
Universal Liquors in Tampa definitely represented the Spirit of
the USA.
ORLANDO, FL
HOLIDAY, FL
SUCCESS STORIES | QUARTERLY MIXER 77
BACARDI & JACK DANIEL’S
DEWAR’S IN THE MEGA CHAIN
ALBERTSON’S #4319
MEGA DISCOUNT LIQUORS #5
Congratulations to Field Sales Manager TJ STACHER and
Sales Representative NINA FERGUSON for this great display
at Albertson’s! Nina, who has been at Premier for a very short
period of time, was able to sell in 100 cases of Bacardi and 50
cases of Jack in the best location in the store!
Great job by Sales Representatives YONEL MORENO and
MUSA ABU NASSAR for selling in this impactful Dewar’s display in Mega Discount Liquors #5 in Miami, FL! The display included 40 cases of Dewar’s White Label and 20 cases of Dewar’s 12. They also sold in a Dewar’s display in each of the other
Mega store locations.
OAKLAND PARK, FL
MIAMI, FL
A STAR IN THE MAKING
STAR WINE & SPIRITS
CORAL SPRINGS, FL
Congratulations to Miramar Package Division Field Sales Manager PETE ARENA for a great job at Star Wine and Spirits
XVI that recently opened in Coral Springs, FL. The store was
a former Crown Liquors location with a lot of opportunity to
increase exposure for our brands. Pete achieved a 28 case
display of Bacardi Superior and Gold at the front of the store.
In addition to this great success, he also sold in 3 cases of Early
Times Fire Eater and Blind Archer, a 26 case display of a variety
of Jack Daniel’s brands, as well as a 7 case Southern Comfort
display by the front window. Great job!
88 QUARTERLY MIXER | SUCCESS STORIES
SUCCESS STORIES
A BAREFOOT SUMMER
WALMART #705
MOUNT DORA, FL
Getting ready for summer with a variety of Barefoot Wines!
Congratulations to Sales Representative MIKE RANDS and
Field Sales Manager JEFF CHADWELL for an amazing 200 case
Barefoot Wine display at Walmart #705 in Mount Dora, FL!
EL JIMADOR AND HERRADURA
KENDALL-JACKSON AVANT
GROVE LIQUORS
LONGBOAT KEY LIQUORS
Great job by Sales Representative ERNESTO VILLANUEVA
and Alliance Package Field Sales Manager EDUARDO RONQUILLO for this impressive El Jimador and Herradura Tequila
display at Grove Liquors in Coconut Grove, FL! Ernesto incorporated some Herradura Barrel Art to make the display
standout even more!
Congratulations to Sales Representative JOSH KELLEY and
Field Sales Manager KLARK KELLEY for a great Kendall Jackson
Avant display at Longboat Key Liquors in Longboat Key, FL! The
success doesn’t stop there, Josh also secured 32 new points of
distribution and a 4 case display for Kendall Jackson Vintner’s
Reserve, a total of 60 cases in the account! Great job.
COCONUT GROVE, FL
LONGBOAT KEY, FL
SUCCESS STORIES | QUARTERLY MIXER 9
9
WINES OF SOUTH AFRICA BBQ
> KEY WEST, FL
CORPORATE RUN
> FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
JACK DANIEL’S SINATRA SELECT PARTY
> ORLANDO, FL
ST. AUGUSTINE DISTILLERY GIN LAUNCH
> ST. AUGUSTINE, FL
ACROSS THE STATE
IRIE WEEKEND
> MIAMI, FL
10
10 QUARTERLY MIXER | ACROSS THE STATE
CHRIS MORRIS BOURBON SEMINAR
THREE OLIVES ELVIS PRESLEY LAUNCH
> TAMPA, FL
> MIRAMAR, FL
FLOR DE CANA LAUNCH
> MIRAMAR, FL
BURGER BATTLE
> FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
SOUTH WALTON WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL
> DESTIN, FL
ORLANDO TEAM VISITS BACARDI DISTILLERY
> PUERTO RICO
BERN’S WINE FEST
> TAMPA, FL
KIM CRAWFORD LOVEBLOCK FL VISIT
> MIAMI, FL
ACROSS THE STATE | QUARTERLY MIXER 11
11
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO #HASHTAGS
Practice makes perfect and you will be hashtagging like a pro in no time. If you are a hashtag novice, you might be wondering why you keep seeing pound signs (#) in front of words or phrases.
On Twitter and Instagram, a hashtag turns your word or phrase into a searchable link, allowing
you or a brand to organize content and track conversations around certain topics. Here are a few
tips for those who might be unfamiliar with hashtags:
- NO SPACES: If your hashtag includes multiple words, group them all together
facebook.com/premierbevFL
- KEEP IT SIMPLE: Don’t use more than three hashtags and don’t hashtag the same word twice
- GIVE CONTEXT: Give your followers a good description of your photo or video by utilizing
hashtags within your caption
twitter.com/premierbevFL
instagram.com/premierbevFL
- JOIN THE CONVERSATION: You can join in on conversations by searching a hashtag and incorporating that hashtag into your post or tweet
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION - SOUTH FLORIDA
Premier Beverage Company is a proud partner of the American Lung
Association, an organization dedicated to saving lives by improving lung
health and preventing lung disease. The organization educates families
and the community about lung health with local programs like Better
Breathers Clubs, Open Airways for Schools and Asthma 101. Eighty-four
cents of every dollar donated to the American Lung Association goes
directly to research, education and advocacy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fight for Air Climb February 28, 2015
Las Olas Wine and Food Festival
May 1, 2015
Inspire Life Breathe FreeLuncheon
June 10, 2015
12
12
QUARTERLY MIXER | SUCCESS STORIES