Michael Rieck Joins Blackheath Beverage Group As Vice President Of Sales/Partner

09/06/2012 – Stamford, Conn. (PRNewswire) – Today Blackheath Beverage Group (BBG) announced the appointment of Michael Rieck to head national sales as Vice President of Sales/Partner.  Michael will manage BBG’s national sales teams and oversee the hiring and design of BBG's rapidly expanding sales infrastructure.

Michael brings with him a vast wealth of industry experience having served in extensive roles within both the wholesale and supplier tiers.  Most recently he served as National Sales Director for DeLeon Tequila and before that worked for Bacardi USA as Director of Field Marketing.  Michael also held executive positions with Empire Merchants of New York and Charmer Industries of NY, serving as Director of Marketing and Vice President of On-Premise Sales, respectively.   He also held various positions within Schieffelin & Somerset Co. including Regional Director. 

Michael joins Jay Harkins, CEO, along with Stephanie Kubacki, VP of Marketing, and Michael Farbenblum, COO as a Partner in Blackheath Beverage Group.  "We are thrilled to have Michael running and building our sales department and his addition to the team is invaluable", said Harkins. "Michael's experience and knowledge further reinforces are motto and philosophy of hiring the highest level of talent in the industry."

Blackheath Beverage Group (BBG) provides alcohol suppliers and brand owners a first-of-its-kind sales and marketing platform designed to reduce costs and provide more aggressive national representation.  An alternative to direct and full-service importer models, BBG strategically aligns and partners with brands that become part of exclusive portfolios.  Suppliers share significant resources between a concentrated number of brands including a national sales infrastructure that manages all sales and distribution, compliance and logistics, and full service through-the-line marketing.  In addition, unlike the full service importer model, BBG does not apply a traditional intermediary margin which allows brand owners to maintain higher gross profits and utilize those resources elsewhere throughout the brand building process.