A Brief History of Southern Wine & Spirits of West Virginia

In July 2006, Wayne E. Chaplin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., announced the formation of Southern Wine & Spirits of West Virgina. At the time of this announcement, the Company had established operations in 14 Control jurisdictions, including: Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Later in 2006, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. announced the establishment of Southern Wine & Spirits of Alabama and in 2007 the establishment of Southern Wine & Spirits of Ohio, bringing to 16 the number of Control jurisdictions in which the Company operates.

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.

In making this announcement, Mr. Chaplin said: “We remain determined to continue building our Control State Group’s overall reach and coverage. With this latest expansion move, our Control State operations now encompass 14 out of a total of 18 Control State markets, plus Montgomery County, Maryland, in the United States. On a collective basis, these 14 Control States in which we operate account for about 65 percent of the total national Control State wine and spirits sales volume in 2005.”  Mr. Chaplin added, “As we have in all our operations, we will bring our expertise and leadership in the establishment and ongoing development of our West Virginia division.”

At the time of this announcement, Mr. Chaplin added, “We are excited about our expansion into West Virginia. Our continued expansion into the Control State arena is a critical part of our overall supplier- and customer-centric growth strategy. This is especially true following our acquisition of Control State operations in the Northeast, the Pacific Northwest, together with our existing presence Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.”

In making this announcement, Peter Hickey, Executive Vice President, General Manager – Control States Division of  Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., said, “Our Company’s expansion into West Virgina is an integral part of Southern's overall strategy to offer our supplier partners as well as all our Control State customers the very highest levels of professional service. I look forward to working with all our Control State associates and our customers in West Virginia.”

Brad Vassar, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., said at the time of the announcement, “We intend on adding manpower and resources to the West Virginia operation to ensure that our current suppliers as well as those that choose to join with us achieve greater coverage that is second to none in this marketplace.”

Mr. Vassar added, “Our Control State Group, led by Peter Hickey, Executive Vice President, General Manager-Control States Group of Southern Wine & Spirits of America and his dedicated team, will work closely with Jay Davis, Vice President, General Manager-Control States Group for West Virginia on all appropriate state liquor control board issues, national initiatives, and supplier and brand programs and strategies as well as implement best practices in all our control state markets.”

Mr. Hickey said, “Here at the Control State Group at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, we are intent on building a coast-to-coast team of experienced Control State executives, all of whom know what is involved as we focus on our suppliers as well as effectively and efficiently serve all the appropriate Control State entities in which we are privileged to operate.” He added, “Mr. Davis will report to Paul Criscuolo, Vice President, General Manager for the Company’s Mid-Atlantic division, which includes North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.” 

Mr. Hickey said, “Here at the Control State Group at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, we are intent on building a coast-to-coast team of experienced Control State executives, all of whom know what is involved as we focus on our suppliers as well as effectively and efficiently serve all the appropriate Control State entities in which we are privileged to operate.” He added, “Keith will manage both the Alabama as well as our Company’s existing Mississippi operation that Southern commenced earlier this year.” 

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 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.