Breakthru Beverage Group has tapped National Restaurant Association president and CEO Tom Bené as its next CEO, effective October 4.
He will succeed Greg Baird, who will retire from day-to-day operations but plans to stay on as an advisor until the end of the year.
“I’m very excited to join Breakthru at such an important time for the company. Breakthru’s strong positioning in the marketplace provides a springboard to accelerate growth,” Bené said in the release.
Bené stepped into the top role at the National Restaurant Association in June 2020, when the country’s service industry was reeling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, he spent nearly seven years in various leadership roles at Sysco, last serving as the foodservice giant’s president, chairman and CEO, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“While leading Sysco, Tom oversaw international expansion and numerous acquisitions, primarily of family-owned businesses, adding significant revenue to the top line,” Breakthru wrote in the release. “During Tom’s tenure, the company grew sales to more than $60B across a variety of countries.”
Before joining Sysco, Bené spent more than 23 years at PepsiCo.
“Tom has a demonstrated history of leading organizations through periods of exceptional growth and innovation,” Charles Merinoff, co-chairman of Breakthru’s Board of Managers, said in the release. “His transparent, compassionate and inspirational leadership style struck us immediately, and we’re excited for him to continue building Breakthru’s culture of excellence and inclusivity.”
“Tom brings invaluable expertise in distribution strategy and supplier and customer partnerships,” co-chairman W. Rockwell Wirtz added. “We are confident that he will advance Breakthru’s position as an industry leader as we implement our growth strategy and continue to transform our business.”
Baird announced his planned retirement earlier this year.
“It has been an incredible honor to lead Breakthru Beverage through a transformational five years,” Baird said in a March press release. “Our team’s passion and expertise are the true reason for our success and I’m confident that Breakthru, supported by our outstanding and deeply committed leadership team, is well-positioned for growth long into the future.
I have worked with our ownership and Board to prepare for a thoughtful transition and will be proud to hand the reins to a new CEO who will take the company through its next phase of success,” he continued.
Baird became president and CEO of Breakthru in 2016, after the merger of Wirtz Beverage and Charmer Sunbelt Group, of which Baird previously held several leadership positions. While at Breakthru, Baird helped the company become “a North American leader in total beverage alcohol,” expanding its presence into 14 US markets and throughout Canada, with $6 billion in annual sales, according to the release.
Breakthru operates 36 beer, wine and spirits distributors in 13 states (Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin) and Washington, D.C., and Canada, where it serves all provinces. Its portfolio includes offerings from Molson Coors, Constellation, Diageo, Heineken, Mark Anthony, Brown-Forman, Sazerac, E. & J. Gallo and Moët Hennessy, among others.