Coke Florida Names Gerald Charles, Jr. as Chief Information Officer, Terrence Gee Transitions to Advisor Role

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) announced Gerald T. Charles, Jr. has joined the company as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer. Charles is a technology leader known for being a transformation architect with a focus on optimizing customer experience and modernizing IT infrastructures. His career spans multiple industries and a broad base of technology initiatives including omni-channel customer experiences, productivity-driving solutions, and network infrastructures with companies such as Capital One, Under Armour, Cisco, TRW, and OAO Technology Solutions.

"We are excited to welcome Gerald to the Coke Florida family. His deep IT experience and collaborative business approach will help us build innovative capabilities and solutions to drive profitable growth. His reputation as a thought leader demonstrates the spirit of collaboration that aligns with our customer-centric approach," said Troy Taylor, Coke Florida’s Chairman and CEO.

Charles added, “I am excited to build upon the success of the team and deliver on the next set of competencies for even greater customer experiences and long-term scalable growth.”

Terrence Gee, Coke Florida’s Senior Vice President, Technology and Enterprise Transformation, has been with the company since its founding in 2015. He has led Coke Florida’s IT function and played a key role in the company’s route-to-market transformation and program management activities. Gee will transition to an Advisor role with a focus on the automation of the company’s warehouses in Tampa, Orlando, and Broward County.

“I have worked with Terrence for over 20 years, and he has played a key role in the strategic initiatives that have helped transform Coke Florida’s operations for growth. He will now provide guidance on our warehouse and delivery automation activities to create a better working environment for our associates, a better customer experience for our business partners, and better business outcomes for our company,” continued Taylor.

About Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is the sixth largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. Coke Florida markets, sells, manufactures, distributes, and merchandises products of The Coca-Cola Company in an exclusive territory that covers over 21 million consumers across 47 Florida counties that includes the Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas. The company employs over 5,000 associates and has four GreenCircle certified manufacturing facilities and eighteen sales and distribution centers. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Tampa, Coke Florida is one of the largest Black-owned businesses in the United States and is Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certified. In 2024, Coke Florida was recognized as a US Best Managed Company by Deloitte-Private and The Wall Street Journal for the third consecutive year. To learn more, visit www.cokeflorida.com.