A Brief History of Southern Wine & Spirits Mid Atlantic – Virginia Division

In February 2005, Mr. Wayne E. Chaplin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., Miami, Florida, announced that it had acquired the Control State operations formerly owned by The United Group of Braintree, Massachusetts.The purchase agreement included operations in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont and Hannah & Dunn LLC of North Carolina and Virginia.

Since its founding in 1968, Southern Wine and Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), is the leading nationally recognized wine and spirits distributor in the United States known for its historic commitment to delivering the highest standards of customer service, creative marketing programs and partnerships.  The Company is also known for its best-in-industry professional and well-trained sales, operational and support staff, its ongoing investments in and contributions to hospitality and beverage education for its staff, its customers and to many national educational institutions. In addition, Southern is justly respected for its deeply held belief in the importance of giving back, for being a socially responsible corporate citizen and for making generous contributions to national, state and local charitable organizations.

Referring specifically to the Hannah & Dunn operations, Mr. Wayne E. Chaplin said: “The acquisition of these Control State operations in Virginia and North Carolina will be a perfect fit for our overall Control State Strategy, where our goal is to bring a new level of service and professionalism to our Mid-Atlantic Control State customers and our supplier partners. This new fine wine and spirits division in Virginia and North Carolina will continue to be run with the highest levels of professionalism together with our Company’s reputation for delivering outstanding customer service.”

According to Mr. Chaplin, “Paul Criscuolo, Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits Mid Atlantic, which encompasses Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia, will work hand in hand with Peter Hickey, Executive Vice President, General Manger of Southern Wine & Spirits of America’s Control State Group and his entire team to ensure we keep growing in these three critical markets.”

Since the acquisition, Southern Wine & Spirits Mid Atlantic’s Virginia division has emerged as one of the state’s most innovative wine and spirits distributors. Overall, Southern Wine & Spirits Mid Atlantic’s Virginia division is growing rapidly and is poised to post still stronger gains during the next few years, according to Mr. Criscuolo.

Southern Wine & Spirits Mid Atlantic’s Virginia division is able to field a state-of-the-art marketing and merchandising network. The Company’s modern facility is home to its various statewide sales, executive, administrative, information management, educational, transportation and business operations.

Today, Southern operates in 32 states, including its original Florida market, where its corporate headquarters is located in Miami. Over the past 42 years, pursuing a determined strategy to expand through internal growth as well as through the acquisition of established wholesalers; the multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia—as well as the additional seven states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah through the Southern-Odom/Spirits West partnership. Southern also has a presence in Maryland and the District of Columbia through a joint venture with F.P. Winner Wine & Spirits. Southern has recently announced the pending formation of a joint venture in Minnesota with J.J. Taylor Distributing Company—and holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 11,000 team members.

It should also be noted that as of 2010, Southern’s Control State Group is now present in 16 out of the total 18 Control State markets, plus Montgomery County, Maryland, which collectively account for more than 80 percent of total Control State wine and spirits volume.