Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
september 2014 / the tasting panel / 67 HOT SHOT E ach month we team up with the beverage industry recruiting and staffing experts at BevForce and chat with one of their Movers & Shakers to get a behind- the-scenes insight on the job search process, the beverage industry's most innovative companies and the executives who drive them. This month, we chatted with Andrew Stockbridge, who was recently named Director National Accounts at Pasternak Wine Imports. He had been Strategic Accounts Manager with Rémy Cointreau. How would you define Pasternak's culture and what attracted you to it? I saw the foundations of what is quickly becoming a winning company culture, built upon our core principles of representing premium properties with pedigree and provenance. Principles that are complemented by how we represent these amazing brands with a true spirit of partnership, infusing our passion for these wines with a determination to compete, win and exhibit our commitment to performance every day. The best part for me is that I will have the ability to have a direct impact on how our company culture is reflected in the marketplace. What are your plans to further develop the business over the next year? Pasternak is aggressively growing, with a clear goal of tripling our core business over the next five years. Organic growth is a key component in the plan, and National Accounts' development is critical to achieving that growth. Currently, there is an incredible upside across the nation, particularly in the West, where we are beginning to see the seeds of distribution grow with key partners like Safeway. Of course distribution is just the first step, and our partners rely on us to craft unique and relevant activation plans to pull those brands out the door. Pasternak has a marketing team that punches well above their weight class, giving us the ability to create customized selling and communication platforms for our customers that work. What was the best career advice you've ever been given and who gave it to you? I was once asked by a manager: "Who are your custom- ers?" I quickly responded with the names of some of my key retail partners. After a brief tongue lashing, it was explained to me that everyone I come in contact with is my customer— from consumers to wholesaler partners, retail partners and, perhaps most importantly, my internal partners within my own organization. I have never forgotten that coaching moment and it has served me well. What advice would you give to jobseekers looking for their next role? A substantial salary increase can be an enticing reason to take a chance on a new organization. That said, most people spend close to what they make or slightly more, so know that in short order that raise will lose its luster. If that is all you jumped for, you will find yourself regretting it. Move on for the right reasons. Move to be challenged because you recognize that you have become too comfortable. Move on because you want to create something bigger than yourself. Move on to an organization full of people that not only can help you grow, but will learn from you as well. What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned from mentors in the industry? Great question! Two gems come to mind. One is pretty self-explanatory: "Prepare to win or prepare to lose to someone else that is." The second is slightly vaguer, but still made sense. I was once told by a veteran leader to go "Action Jackson on 'em." Not the most specific coaching, but we both knew what he meant. Don't hold back and play to win. If you didn't work in the beverage industry, what would you be doing? I was a lifeguard at a 55+ retirement community for some time, and I feel like I really shined there. If not that, then I would probably be writing. If you weren't drinking a glass of wine, you would be sipping on . . . A glass of the Baron's Champagne, and short of that, likely a single malt from the Orkney Islands. DIRECTOR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS, PASTERNAK WINE IMPORTS Andrew Stockbridge Andrew Stockbridge enjoys a glass of Valdo Prosecco from Pasternak Wine Imports on the patio at Postino Restaurant in Lafayette, CA. PHOTO: STEPHENIE BUCKLER