Beverage Industry
We all have a story…
My Story
A child of an alcoholic, a national youth drug-free leader all through high school, a fraternity president, and I did not even touch a drink until I was 21 years of age, yet…
I helped build & taught an Academy for Bartenders & Sales Staff to educate themselves on spirits production & classic cocktails certifying well over 300+ staff and bartenders elevating our cocktail scene & created expectations for sales staff to elevate their game.
We started the Indianapolis Chapter of USBG, & we had bartenders & bar/restaurant excitred about further educating their staffs to enhance custiemr experience & begin investing in employees.
We built an on-boarding program for SGWS new staff, so we could educate on wine, spirits & cocktails, along with core training such as Company Culture, Sales Processes, Reporting, Merchandising & Brand Standards.
Then I worked as a National Educator for Diageo & ran the east coast for 28 consultants worling In major markets for Diageo Reserve brands, fixing dayparts, investing in experiences, education & piloted the idea for the “gin lab” which is now a staple, touring education Diageo Reserve brings to every market.
Most importantly, I was able to both educate to & demonstrate the importance of respecting alcohol consumption & identifying if you need help and the resources to receive it.
National On-Boarding Program
As the director of training for SGWS, I created & piloted an on-boarding program for new employees. It was a 5-day program & we looked to ensure we had set dates in which we ran this on-boarding program to maximize participation. We wrote it to also be able to cover off on core training programs (Core Sales Training, Achieve Global Modules) all company employees needed to complete, and then we added a day of tasting wine & spirits introducing basic spirits category knowledge and wine varietal & label reading skills.
This program became the template for all of
SGWS distributors to use for new employees.
Also while in this role, we created a C-Suite Retreat for planning purposes not just for the divison & the brands they represent to build their AOP plans, but as an entire HOUSE. That means, how do we collectively go take share from the competitor vs. recycleing internal shares of any category. We planned on how we could be more operationally efficient, how we could celebrate our wins together & build a culture we all wanted to work and be a part of daily.
Started as a national spirits educator & ended up managing the eastern half of the United States managing 28 people, budgets, KPI’s, distributor relationships & client expectations.
Below is a map of the states managed with 1 to 6 people working in major markets supporting Diageo Reserve brands.
Just as rewarding is seeing what my former team members are doing now due to the work we completed!
Markets Supported & Managed:
Boston, NYC/NJ, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Charleston, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Nashville, Louisville, New Orleans
Notable Bars/Restaurants in our Program:
The Campbell (NYC/NJ), Jack Rose (DC), Husk (Charleston), Broken Shaker (Miami), Hanson’s Shoe Repair (Orlando), CW’s Gin Joint (Tampa), SOS Tiki Bar (Atlanta), Better Luck Tomorrow (Houston), Midnight Rambler (Dallas), Nickel City (Austin), The Aviary (Chicago), Old Glory (Nashville), Hell or High Water (Louisville),
Academy of Spirits & Fine Service
As the Director of Training, I also created an Academy of Spirits & Fine Service for Bartenders, so they had a better understanding of productions methods, quality, and what makes a great cocktail from the classic to today. This Academy changed our marketplace as we invested in those who invested in our brands, and saw both sales and quality of cocktails increase in our state.
Welcome to the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service. This program is designed for Beverage Managers, Bartenders and Restaurant personnel who want to upgrade their knowledge and skills in bar operations, category knowledge, and classic cocktails. I started this program from scratch, as I noted there was no real way to engage the entire bartending community in a manner that was both cost effective and broad-reaching. This is only in a few select states, and has really changed the culture of bartending in the state of Indiana, and I am enormously proud of the program and our graduates. It is literally beginning to change the entire on-premise community, and was a prerequisite to work at many cocktail bars in the city.
This is a 12-week program conducted once a week for a two and half to three hour session. The Academy provides working product knowledge on all types of alcoholic beverages in the United States and throughout the world. This hands-on program allows participants to recreate “Prohibition Era Classic Cocktails” and create new, trendy cocktails while focusing on the use of simple garnishes that enhance the esthetics of the drink. Each participant will be armed with the knowledge and awareness of responsible consumption.
Past Speakers at the Academy
Course Description
This program is designed for Beverage Managers, Bartenders and Restaurant personnel who want to upgrade their knowledge and skills in bar operations.
Objectives
Provide working product knowledge on all types of alcoholic beverages in the United States and throughout the world.
Impart essential skills to prepare, mix and serve different types of beverages.
Allow participants to discover “Prohibition Era Classic Cocktails” and create new trendy cocktails while focusing on the use of simple garnishes that enhance the esthetics of the drink.
Create awareness of the use and abuse of alcoholic beverages.
Technical product knowledge
History of each cocktail, cocktails & food pairing, classic/trendy cocktails, and hands-on mixology training will be part of each session.
The Advanced Academy is a travel program for beverage professionals in partnership with suppliers and manufacturers. This allows professionals to have hands-on experiences with master distillers, distilling, wine making, and brand teams. Over the last few years, we have taken bartenders, influencers, and retailers to:
Scotland to visit Tanqueray and Single Malt Scotch Distilleries
Jamaica to visit Appleton Rum
Wild Turkey Distillery, the Bourbon Trail & Behind the Barrell
Cognac with the BNIC
Paris, France with Pernod Ricard & history of French Apertifs training
Chicago & NYC for cocktail bar research & experience
Professional Knife Skills and Molecular Mixology Class
Advanced Academy of Fine Spirits
Behind the Barrell @ Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey Distillery trip we took for the Advanced Academy, I built the experience and the agenda for the time for this experience with Tony Magliocco, formerly of Campari Indiana. We wanted to build an experience where bartenders could have an experience with the brand in a meaningful way that would provide value back to Campari well past the experience itself with career bartenders. I love the fact this still exists today and many people now get to expeience all they have to offer and pass along more education to the marketplace.
United States Bartenders Guild, Indiana Chapter
USBG CONTINUES LEARNING & PROFESSIONALIZES THE BAR TRADE
The Academy fueled more opportunities for learning & professionalism of the trade through the efforts of the community.
The growth of these groups led to the creation of a United States Beverage Guild Chapter in Indiana, which is one of the countries largest and most active chapters in the country. These Academies brought new members to the group, and allow them to continue their education well past the classroom. I am immensely proud see the growth of this professional group. This group is still operating & has had its members in national leadership positions.
The Punch Bowl
We created an internal, yearly competition for the most knowledgable employee about all things beverage. This quiz-bowl type competition ended with a category winners, and one overall winner who was allowed to travel on an upcoming distillery or winery trip inside the SGWS portfolio of brands. It was a way to further encourage the importance of continued education & remaining sharp on these initiatives for themselves & their customers.
Qualifier was a CSS or WSET 2 certification. You could compete until you won (or left the company).
