RNDC President & CEO Tom Cole to Deliver Keynote Address at ABL Annual Meeting
Will Address Beverage Alcohol Retailers on the Future of Distribution
December 20, 2017 – Bethesda, MD – American Beverage Licensees (ABL), is pleased to announce that Tom Cole, President & CEO of Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC), will deliver the keynote address at the association’s upcoming annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 11-13, 2018.
“Most ABL members have business relationships with RNDC, Breakthru Beverages or both companies,” said ABL Executive Director John Bodnovich. “We are excited to welcome Tom as this year’s keynote speaker and look forward to his perspective on the recent announcement of the merger between RNDC and Breakthru Beverage Group and the future of the distribution tier of our industry.”
In November 2017, RNDC and Breakthru Beverage Group announced that they would combine their assets and operations to create the nation’s second-largest wholesale distributor, with operations in 27 states. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018.
Tom Cole has served as the President & CEO of RNDC since its creation in 2006, helping the business grow to be the nation’s second largest distributor of wines and spirits with sales of approximately $6.5 billion. He has been in the wine and spirits industry for over 30 years, having launched his career with Duval Spirits Company in Florida in 1981 and was named President of Magnolia Marketing Company in 1991.
He has continued in the chief executive position through several expansions, culminating in the merger of Republic Beverage Company with National Distributing Company. He also serves on the board of directors of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and its Government Affairs Committee. A New Orleans resident for the last 24 years, Tom is originally from Mt. Vernon, Ohio and a graduate of the University of Miami, Florida.
Registration for the 2018 ABL Annual Meeting is currently available online for $299, and includes access to all general sessions and hospitality-related events. Click here to view 2017 ABL Annual Meeting schedule of events. For more information on ABL or the annual meeting, please visit www.ablusa.org.
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Source: ABL