United States Distilled Products (USDP) today announced the retirement of Dean Phillips as President & Chief Executive Officer of Phillips Distilling Company (Phillips), a subsidiary of United States Distilled Products Co., and the hiring of Pedro Caceres as President & Chief Executive Officer of USDP.
Mr. Phillips will continue to serve as an advisor and member of the USDP board while dedicating more time to Talenti Gelato <http://talentigelato.com/> , in which the Phillips family owns a significant interest, and the establishment of new consumer packaged food brands. “After twenty years of remarkable successes and non-stop fun, I am thrilled by the arrival of Pedro Caceres and excited to begin my next chapter while maintaining ties to the company, people and industry I love,” said Phillips. “While my day-to-day role is changing, a cadre of extraordinarily talented leaders will be perpetuating a five-generation, 100-year commitment to product innovation and dynamic, principled management,” he added.
Pedro Caceres joins USDP after holding executive positions at Hasbro Games, Newell Rubbermaid and most recently COO of Horizon Group USA.
“I am honored to steer this extraordinary organization into the 21st century as we endeavor to become a global enterprise, best-in-class producer and marketer of distilled spirits products,” said Pedro Caceres. “I am also pleased to announce the promotion of several key executives and new hires who will play a critical role in leading Phillips into the future.”
Executive promotions include:
• Jeff Feist, Executive Vice-President, US, Phillips Distilling
Jeff joined the company in 1999 from Gallo and has served in a variety of management roles, including Regional Manager, National Sales Manager and most recently, Vice-President, US sales. Jeff is responsible for Phillips’s US operations and will report to Pedro Caceres, CEO of USDP.
• Cam Matches, Executive Vice-President, Canada, Phillips Distilling
Cam joined the company in 2000 after tenures at Gallo and Mark Anthony Group and has built Phillips & SourPuss into two of Canada’s best-selling liqueur brands. Cam will manage Phillips’s Canadian operations and report to Pedro Caceres, CEO of USDP.
• Jason Connelly, Vice-President, US Sales, Phillips Distilling
Jason started his career as a distributor sales representative at Phillips Wine & Spirits in Minnesota and joined Phillips Distilling in 2003 as a Regional Manager. He was promoted to Division Manager in 2010. Jason will report to Jeff Feist, EVP USA.
New hires include:
• Amaris del Pozo, Florida Area Manager, Phillips Distilling
Amaris began her career in the Hotel & Restaurant Division of Premier Beverage of Florida and joins Phillips from Proximo Spirits, where she served as an Area Manager.
• Beth Borkosky, On-Premise Nat’l Accts Manager, Phillips Distilling
Beth joins Phillips after seven years as a Senior Member of the National Account Team at MillerCoors.
• Rumi Jaffer, Field Marketing Manager-Canada, Phillips Distilling
Rumi joins Phillips from Labatt Breweries, where he served as a Key Account Manager and Territory Manager in the Province of Alberta.
About Phillips Distilling Company
From a small distributor of candy and newspapers to becoming one of the most innovative and enduring distilled spirit companies in the U.S., Phillips Distilling Company has been producing high-quality products using the finest ingredients from around the globe for five generations. From America’s first schnapps in the 1930s, to flavored vodka in the 1950s, to flavored whiskey in the 2000s, Phillips has consistently been a pioneering company while operating as one of America’s last family-owned spirits businesses. The Phillips portfolio includes the UV Vodka line of flavored vodkas, Prairie Vodka, Trader Vic’s Rums, Liqueurs and Cocktails, Revel Stoke Spiced Whisky, Phillips Union Whiskey, SourPuss Liqueurs and Ice Hole Liqueurs. The company is based in Minneapolis. www.phillipsdistilling.com <http://www.phillipsdistilling.com>
