On-Premise Commercial Leader · Wine & Spirits

On-Premise Commercial
Leadership

Twenty years in wine & spirits. Diageo, Breakthru Beverage and Southern Glazer's. On-premise, from both sides of the three-tier system.

Most recently I led Breakthru Beverage's Northern California sales organization: three Field Sales Managers and fourteen Sales Representatives across San Francisco, the East Bay, Napa and the North Coast, accountable for revenue, distribution and menu placements across 200+ supplier partners. Before that, six years on the supplier side at Diageo, building programs and leading specialist teams in Northern California and Washington.

$19MAnnual team revenue

17Person sales organization

200+Supplier partners

Download résumé Contact Alexis LinkedIn San Francisco Bay Area · Available now

Results

Selected results

$2MIncremental revenue

$2M in incremental revenue across four Northern California counties

I led Breakthru's transition from sub-distribution to direct coverage in Mendocino, Lake, Del Norte and Humboldt Counties, establishing direct distribution across 200+ accounts.

Distributor transition · regional expansion · 200+ accounts

300%Volume, year over year

300% year-over-year volume growth at a ferry concessionaire

I matched a Northern California ferry concessionaire's quick-service needs with a simpler product selection, testing options with the account. The work added $100,000 in incremental revenue and four new points of distribution.

Account growth · distribution · revenue

33%Menu share

33% menu share against Diageo's 25% benchmark

In Washington, I launched two sales and marketing programs and led a five-person specialist team. Results included 33% menu share across key accounts and a 25% annual increase in depletions across 200+ on-premise accounts.

Menu share · depletions · supplier KPI

17New PODs

17 new points of distribution and 86 cases

As Sales & Activation Lead for the Westin St. Francis Marriott CRN event in Q2 2025, I coordinated eight supplier partners across wine, beer and spirits. The team secured banquet-menu placements and $12K+ in incremental revenue, with Cadre selected as the property's featured wedding wine.

Activation → distribution · multi-supplier

Both sides

Both sides of the three-tier system

I have run the on-premise channel from the supplier side and the distributor side, across wine, spirits and beer.

Supplier

Diageo North America · 2015 – 2021

Designing supplier programs, budgets and overlay resources. Two programs launched in Washington; fifteen Market Development Specialists and a program universe of 700+ key accounts in Northern California.

Distributor

Breakthru Beverage · 2021 – 2026 · Southern Glazer's · 2012 – 2013

Executing at scale as a distributor sales leader: a 17-person organization, 200+ supplier partners and $19M in annual team revenue. Earlier, on-premise sales for the Moët Hennessy and Diageo portfolios through Washington's privatization.

Agency

MKTG for Diageo · 2013 – 2015

Built and operated Diageo's Washington activation program across on-premise, off-premise, non-premise and chain accounts: 50+ promotional professionals recruited and trained, 200+ events in the first year.

Leadership

How I lead

I have launched teams and inherited teams that needed structure. In Washington I stood up a five-person Market Development Specialist team for a newly launched market capability: roles, budgets, programs and execution standards for the local market. At Diageo in Northern California I led fifteen specialists and dedicated brand resources. At Breakthru I moved to leader-of-leaders: three Field Sales Managers, fourteen representatives, and the work of coaching managers rather than sellers.

What I have found holds across all three: field teams execute what is measurable, sequenced and pre-approved. At Diageo I designed turnkey sales programs with distributor leadership that gave reps pre-approved case, feature and activation offers, accelerating sell-in while keeping commercial discipline intact. It works because it removes the negotiation from the doorway.

I look beyond the first order. Account fit, staff knowledge and brand support are what turn a placement into repeat business, and I want the right brands in accounts where they have a reason to sell and reorder.

Northern California sales team in a Napa vineyard — Northern California team, Napa, October 2022

Breakthru Beverage Northern California leadership team — Breakthru Northern California leadership, January 2026

Account visit behind a San Francisco back bar — Account visit, San Francisco, June 2023

Experience

Supplier and distributor leadership

At Diageo, I led specialist teams and built programs with distributor partners to grow distribution, menu share and account performance. At Breakthru, I led a regional sales organization working across 200+ supplier partners. That experience helps me turn brand priorities into plans that work in the field.

20212026

Distributor

Breakthru Beverage · Sales Manager

Northern California · Nov 2021 – Jul 2026

My title was Sales Manager. The role carried three Field Sales Managers, fourteen representatives across San Francisco, the East Bay, Napa and the North Coast, and accountability for revenue, case volume, distribution, menu placements and new-account development against annual goals. I translated supplier priorities into field plans and held the organization to them.
20172021

Supplier

Diageo North America · On-Premise Market Manager

SF Bay Area · Jun 2017 – Nov 2021

Led 15 Market Development Specialists and dedicated brand resources against a program universe of 700+ key on-premise accounts. Managed brand team budgets alongside local team and T&E budgets.
20152017

Supplier

Diageo North America · On-Premise Manager

Washington · Sep 2015 – Jun 2017

Launched two supplier sales and marketing programs. Led a five-person Market Development Specialist team.
20132015

Agency

MKTG · Event Manager

Diageo agency · Washington · Sep 2013 – Sep 2015

Built and operated Diageo's Washington activation program across on-premise, off-premise, non-premise and chain accounts. Recruited, hired and trained 50+ promotional professionals; 200+ events in the first year.
20122013

Distributor

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits · Sales Consultant

Pacific Division · Washington · May 2012 – Sep 2013

On-premise sales for the Moët Hennessy and Diageo portfolios through Washington's transition from a state-controlled to a privatized spirits market.
20072010

Earlier

AB InBev · Field Marketing Coordinator 2008 – 2010 · Draftfcb 2007 – 2008

Chicago

Education & credentials

In progress · Expected Q1 2027

Master's in Organizational Leadership

Gonzaga University

WSET Level 2 WineWine & Spirit Education Trust · 2024

B.A. Criminal JusticeSaint Martin's College · 2002

Systems & data

Platforms

VIP · Karma · iDig · Salesforce · Power BI · SAP Hana DSS · Webi · MS Office Suite

Syndicated data

Nielsen · Technomic

Commercial planning

annual business planning · forecasting · budgeting · goal-setting by rep and by account · post-promotional analysis

At Breakthru I carried a book of 200+ supplier partners across all three categories. These are the names that anchored it.

Wine

Silver Oak · Ridge Vineyards · Treasury Wine Estates · Wilson Daniels · Banfi · E&J Gallo · Folio Fine Wine Partners · Copper Cane · Concha y Toro · Dreyfus Ashby · Dry Creek Vineyard · Martin Ray · Santa Margherita USA

Spirits

Proximo Spirits · Pernod Ricard USA · E&J Gallo · Stoli Group USA · Disaronno International · Luxco · Chatham Imports · Chopin Imports

Beer

Almanac · Anderson Valley · East Brother · Coronado Brewing · BrewDog · a German import portfolio including official Oktoberfest sponsors

Supplier side — Diageo

Bulleit · Johnnie Walker · Don Julio · Tanqueray · Ketel One · Crown Royal · Captain Morgan · Smirnoff

Southern Glazer's Pacific Division

Moët Hennessy · Diageo · Washington, through the state's transition from control to privatization

Names represent portfolios carried, not endorsements.

San Francisco, the East Bay, Napa and the North Coast, including Mendocino, Lake, Del Norte and Humboldt Counties; earlier, Washington State; C&K Markets in Oregon.

San Francisco & East Bay

Independent on-premise, hotel and restaurant groups, and a downtown market still operating below pre-2020 weekday traffic. Built and defended distribution through a period of significant account attrition.

Napa & the North Coast

Wine-country on-premise and the four-county expansion into Mendocino, Lake, Del Norte and Humboldt: direct distribution established across 200+ accounts after Breakthru replaced a sub-distributor.

Washington State

Two Diageo programs launched; 33% menu share across key accounts against Diageo's 25% benchmark; a 25% annual increase in depletions across 200+ on-premise accounts. Earlier, on-premise selling through the state's transition from control to privatization.

Channel

Independent on-premise

The core of the business in every market I have run.

Regional groups and multi-unit

Future Bars, a San Francisco cocktail-bar group, alongside casinos, hotels and restaurant groups across the Bay Area.

Chain

Joint business planning with C&K Markets, a 13-unit independent chain in Oregon.

Premium and image accounts

Westin St. Francis, Archer Hotel, and hotel and restaurant-group work across San Francisco and Napa.

Alexis Thomas in a Breakthru Beverage warehouse — Warehouse, Breakthru Beverage, December 2025

Napa vineyards in autumn — Napa, October 2022

Northern California team on a supplier visit at Dry Creek Vineyard — Supplier visit, Dry Creek Vineyard, June 2024

Northern California team at dinner in San Francisco — Northern California team, San Francisco