HONOLULU--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gerry Rivero, Executive Vice President, General Manager, Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits of America (CPWS) — a division of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor with operations in 35 states — announced today a new appointment for the division’s senior management team. Effective April 1, 2014, Rivero has named Ryan Sipe as Vice President, General Sales Manager of Pacific Wine & Spirits (PWS) of Hawaii. Ryan will be succeeding Frank Ashford in this role, and the PWS Hawaii Sales and Trade Development organization will report directly to Sipe, who in turn will report to Gerry Rivero.
Commenting on Sipe’s appointment, Rivero said, “On behalf of our entire Coastal-Pacific Wine & Spirits team, I want to congratulate Ryan and wish him continued success in his new role. Ryan is a proven leader who will drive the implementation of the CPWS Transformational Priorities and lead Pacific Wine & Spirits of Hawaii to become a world-class organization. Ryan has been a part of the Coastal Wine & Spirits (CWS) of Indiana team since our inception in 2010, and has been an instrumental part of the team’s commercial success, as recognized on a national platform by our supplier partners. I would also like to thank Frank Ashford for his years of dedicated service to the PWS of Hawaii organization, and wish him well in his new role as Vice President, Wine & Spirits Manager within the Southern Wine & Spirits of Hawaii organization.”
Southern’s Executive Vice President, General Manager Brad Vassar added, “We are excited to promote Ryan to this Pacific role in Hawaii where he can build on his successful experience in Indiana. We also look forward to Frank taking his vast knowledge and experience base to the Southern selling division in Hawaii. These transitions are truly a win-win for both PWS and SWS in Hawaii.”
Prior to this promotion, Ryan was Director of On-Premise Sales for CWS of Indiana, and held a key leadership role in the CWS of Indiana Off-Premise General Market organization. He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Ryan and his wife, Brooke, will relocate from Indianapolis to Honolulu.
About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern) is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. Southern currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs nearly 14,500 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.
