Jones Soda is searching for new leadership after president and CEO David Knight departed the company last week, the company announced Monday afternoon.
Paul Norman, the chairman of the Jones Soda Board of Directors and a former President of Kellogg’s North America, has been named Interim President and CEO.
“I am honored to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer during this transition period for the Company,” said Norman. “As we continue to launch new and exciting brands, I intend to ensure that Jones Soda will remain committed to focusing on value-creation strategies and operating efficiently.
“I look forward to working with the Board, the management team, and the entire organization to unlock value for the Company’s shareholders and to help identify and bring on a new permanent Chief Executive Officer who can execute on the many exciting initiatives we currently have underway.”
After a couple of short CEO stays – first shareholder Jen Cue, followed by Mark Murray – former Pepsi man Knight joined the Washington-based soda company in June 2023 with the promise of accelerating innovation and developing Jones into a broad beverage platform in tune with modern consumer tastes.
The brand’s aggressive approach yielded new products – including its first ventures outside glass bottles – and sub-brands, ranging from mixers to its first-ever cola to cannabis drinks from Mary Jones. Jones’ latest releases for this fall include juice-based Fiesta Jones, the prebiotic soda Pop Jones and function-forward Jones+ with additional caffeine. Under Knight’s leadership, the company also sought closer ties with convenience store accounts and food service via partners like Dot Foods.
In its most recent quarterly earnings report in August, the company reported a 49% year-over-year increase in revenue ($7.2 million), with gross margin at 35%, a 3% improvement from the same period last year.
“Could we be the fourth beverage company [after Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Keurig Dr Pepper]? I think the answer is ‘yes,’” Knight told BevNET in July. “Instead of a $17 million company, we should be a company with a ‘b’ at the end of our revenue.”
The circumstances involving Knight’s exit are unclear. Earlier this month, the CEO was at the convenience-focused NACS trade show in Las Vegas speaking to reporters about Jones’ slate of new products.
According to a LinkedIn post, Eric Bittner, who was named COO at Jones at the time of Knight’s appointment, has also left the company to join Dios Azul Tequila, a new venture backed by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO and president Dana White.