L.A. Libations Expands C-Suite in Hiring Wave
As it expands operations across the country and continues to build out new business units, beverage incubator L.A. Libations (LAL) has hired for several new key roles and is seeking to fill 35 more job openings this year.
Among the latest hires at the California-based company are chief customer officer Chad Coester, who previously served as SVP Own Brands at Albertsons, and Dan Weisbeck, a returning LAL team member who will now serve as head of the company’s SoCal Incubation Program (SIP). As well, the business has brought on two new directors of national accounts; Minnesota-based Jennifer Lesch, a former Monster Energy and Coca-Cola sales director, will oversee the Midwest while Brian Lizzarago, former director of specialty foods at Albertsons, will manage the West.
Speaking to BevNET, L.A. Libations CEO Danny Stepper and COO Pat Bolden said the 14-year-old company takes a deliberate approach to hiring and only fills roles it actively needs rather than bringing on new employees in anticipation of future growth. The business now has 80 full-time team members as it expands its portfolio of in-house brands.
“We only eat what we kill, and everybody knows that,” Bolden said. “We’re not planning on hiring in hopes of gaining business. We’re hiring to capture the immediate business opportunities that are right in front of us.”
In addition to the expanded team, the company has also promoted several employees from within. Tom Larsen, who heads beer brand Four Sixes and also works with LAL-developed nutrition shake Don’t Quit!, has been named chief growth officer and Kelsey Healey has been appointed as VP of operations. Director of sales Michael White, who prior to joining LAL in 2020 spent over 25 years at Kroger as a category manager for beverage, was promoted to VP of sales last month.
The hiring wave comes as LAL has widened its business operations across multiple units, including SIP, merchandising company Relentless Trade Solutions, emerging beverage marketing unit L.A. Vibrations, and a recent investment in Hi-Touch Distributing.
With 35 more roles to fill in the coming months, Stepper said most of these new jobs will go towards filling out the LAL “ecosystem,” with full-time roles for various in-house brands like Don’t Quit!, Four Sixes, Arriba Chelada, and kids drink brand PLEZI.
“This is not a victory lap that we’re hiring a bunch of people by any stretch, it’s more about installation and value capture of the deal flow we have right now,” Stepper said. “We’re grinders, we have worked so hard to create all these opportunities, now we are simply organizing the team to optimize all the opportunities which we have captured, and they’re all right here in front of us.”
The hiring announcements come in light of a restructuring at LAL’s minority owner and strategic partner Molson Coors Beverage Company, yesterday. The beverage conglomerate will create a new commercial division while president of emerging growth Pete Marino, who played a pivotal role in forging the partnership between LAL and Molson Coors, will exit the company at the end of April.
Stepper noted the timing of the two announcements was coincidental and they are unrelated to one another. He added that Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley has told LAL that non-alcoholic beverages remain a priority for the company.
“We’re going to miss working with Pete Marino. He is a friend for life and the greatest – he’s going to go on to do amazing things,” Stepper said. “And in the meantime, we’re going to continue building a great non-alc capability for Molson Coors.”
Alkaline Water Company CEO Resigns
Citing an unforeseen medical issue, The Alkaline Water Company president and CEO Frank Lazaran has stepped down from his leadership roles, effective February 20, the company announced last week. Director of sales and operations Frank Chessman has been appointed to both roles.
According to a press release, Chessman has been with the company since it was funded and helped lead its growth to roughly $100 million in retail sales revenue last year.
“The appointment of Frank Chessman as our new CEO and President allows us to maintain important leadership continuity for the Company,” said chairman Aaron Keay in the release. “Mr. Chessman’s extensive experience in sales, marketing, and operations, coupled with his longstanding commitment and passion for Alkaline88, make him an excellent choice to guide the Company through this transition as we continue to drive the brand forward.”
Lazaran will remain on the Alkaline88 manufacturer’s board of directors.
The announcement marks The Alkaline Water Company’s second president and CEO change in under a year. In June, Lazaran assumed the titles when longtime CEO Ricky Wright resigned after serving in the position since 2013. Wright’s resignation came months after the company reported a 259% increase in operating losses (nearly $11 million) in its Q3 FY2022 earnings results, partially offsetting the “excellent” sales growth it said it had achieved in the period.
Nirvana Names Khoury as New CMO
Functional beverage maker Nirvana Water Sciences Corp. has named Leila Khoury as its new CMO.
Khoury comes to the New York-based brand from CBD beverage maker Mad Tasty, where she served as VP of marketing. Prior to that, she oversaw business development at private equity firm First Bev Ventures. According to a press release, Khoury will work to support Nirvana’s plans for “rapid expansion” in the coming year, beginning with a rebrand and campaigns for the launch of new products.
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to bring awareness to Nirvana’s science-backed hero ingredient, HMB (βeta-hydroxy βeta-methylbutyrate), and delight consumers with our expanding portfolio of delicious beverages that will truly help transform their bodies and their lives,” Khoury said in the release. “It is a privilege to be a part of a revolutionary wellness company that can have that kind of impact.”