As founder and CEO of BevNET, John Craven is a widely-recognized authority on the beverage industry and he is frequently cited in mainstream media. His vision shapes the editorial, publishing, and positioning of all of BevNET's properties, including BevNET.com, BevNET Magazine, Brewbound.com, BevNET FBU and their associated conferences. John is a graduate of Boston College with a BS in Marketing and Computer Science.

Lee leads the Dairy and Beverage businesses at Whole Foods Market, which includes all refrigerated and shelf stable beverages as well as mainstay refrigerated grocery segments. His depth of experience at Whole Foods Market is used to propel innovative business strategies and organizational evolution forward. Equally comfortable strolling through grassfed farms, retail store backrooms, or state-of-the-art facilities, he’s passionate about developing his team of experts who continually push the boundaries of category innovation. Prior to his experience at Whole Foods Market, he matched up his passion for bicycle racing with his profession at Dick’s Sporting Goods in the Bike buying department.

Kellam Mattie is the Chief Marketing Officer & Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for the Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) business unit of The Coca-Cola Company. She is responsible for leading all VEB brand businesses and for leading mission-seeking and nurturing new opportunities to build the next generation of growth.

Ken Sadowsky is known by insiders in the beverage business as “the beverage whisperer” for having an incredible track record of investing in and advising many of the fastest-growing and most successful new beverages over the last 20 years, including Glaceau/VitaminWater, VitaCoco, and Bai. Prior to becoming a prominent investor and advisor in the industry, Ken was a principal of Atlas Distributing Inc., overseeing the non-alcoholic beverage division that he developed. The division was founded in 1988 and sales were $50k that year. In 2007, sales were over $16 million and the total company sales were in excess of $75 million.

Patrick Bolden is a business expert with 24 years of beverage experience. Alcohol, non-alcohol, traditional, non-traditional, on and off premise are many aspects of the beverage industry that are familiar to Pat. Pat is the Co-Founder and President of L.A. Libations. After a short stint playing professional basketball, Pat began in beverage by working for 7up / Rc Bottling in 1993. He worked in a variety of different roles there from field sales to operations to national accounts. After 7 years he transitioned to the Coca Cola Company into their trade development department and called on national accounts such as BP ampm, Target, Walmart and Sam’s Club. In 2005, Pat took on a National Account Manager role at Heineken USA. Learning the ins and outs and legalities of the alcoholic beverage industry was challenging but rewarding. This experience allowed Pat to be much better-rounded within the beverage channel but also understand how to create a new approach to being innovative and disruptive. In 2009 Pat, Danny and Dino started this organization to position “better for you and healthy alternative” products in mainstream retail accounts. Pat’s strength are his deep nationwide retail relationships. He has always said “providing value is the key to true partnership.” Innovation and incubation continue to be the phases of beverage brands where Pat’s experience shines. His passion to integrate beverages that are centered on health and wellness into mainstream outlets is what drives him to trail blaze in this industry and his results speak for themself.

Jordan Gaspar is a Managing Partner of AccelFoods, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in consumer products. Jordan co-founded the fund in 2014 with the intention of offering entrepreneurs a unique perspective and approachable capital to help them build their businesses. With $40M under management and 34 portfolio companies and growing, AF operates as a hands-on partner working with entrepreneurs to bring innovative, high-quality food and beverage products to the forefront of the industry and create the next generation of enduring brands. Jordan oversees deal origination, structure and investment execution on behalf of AF, as well as heads up strategy, investor relations and general management of the fund. Prior to founding AF, Jordan was an attorney at Morrison Cohen LLP where she advised venture and private equity firms and their portfolio companies on acquisitions, sales, mergers, and financings. She also served as a Managing Director of Golden Seeds, a national angel network that invests in women-run companies. Jordan graduated from Columbia College and received her J.D. from Fordham Law School. A New York City native, Jordan currently resides there with her husband, son, and daughter. She is constantly on the hunt for unique, purse friendly snacks for her kids.

Dan is a Managing Partner at Powerplant Ventures ("PPV"). Powerplant Ventures is a growth equity fund investing in emerging consumer food & beverage, foodservice and food-tech companies. Notable investments include Beyond Meat, REBBL Beverages, Ripple, Vive Organic, Perennial and Thrive Market. Dan currently serves on the board of Your Super, another PPV Portfolio Company. Dan cut his teeth in the consumer food sector as the Co-Founder of Health Warrior, which he successfully helped incubate, scale and exit to Pepsi in 2018. Prior to diving into entrepreneurship and venture investing, Dan spent 15 years working on Wall Street as a Partner and Portfolio Manager at a large investment management firm.