Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/306378
may 2014 / the tasting panel / 63 But you could've also caught Asher in a sleek suit as he met with the top brass of Young's Market Company in Arizona, which had gathered in the lobby of Scottsdale's Hotel Valley Ho to take in all of Asher's hard work as an advisory board member for AZCW. It is this intersection between the t-shirt –wearing teacher and suit-wearing distributor that makes Asher such a unique part of the Arizona suc- cess story: "Jason has been integral to the success of Arizona Cocktail Week," says David Bart, Executive Vice President General Manager for Young's Market Company Arizona. "And he's been even more important in helping grow our craft spirit business in Arizona." Asher Brings the A-Game It's praise you hear over and over again for Asher, who, as the Beverage Program Development Specialist for Young's Craft Spirit portfolio, is helping bring Arizona to the top, one account at a time. "Jason Asher and his crew have been incredibly helpful in everything from opening restaurants, to line-up, pre-shift and ongoing education of our team," says Brent Karlicek, Beverage Director for the Upwards Projects restaurant group. "We're so proud of what they've been doing," he continues with a smile. "Young's Market has been a very powerful player in helping to raise the bar." "It makes a big difference to have Jason here," agrees Peter Kasperski, owner of Cowboy Ciao, a restaurant that celebrated its 18th anniversary in 2014. "We used to be ten years behind the coasts, if not more," says Kasperski. "Now, we're six months behind—if that—and a lot of that is the product, education and program development coming out of Young's." While the praise from customers may be abounding, it's certainly not just lip service: Young's unique education platform demonstrates a commitment from the distributor to help accounts maximize bar programs. "It doesn't do us any good to have a product just go into an account and sit there, so we try to be as active as possible at the account level," says Young's Craft Spirit Specialist Robert Camacho. "We really strive to give staff the best knowledge to be successful—and not just with our spirits." Asher gives a little insight into his process, explaining, "We assess the account, we meet the account and we get very personal with the account. Sometimes it's as deep as diving into the paperwork and back of house stuff, developing a roadmap to get them from point A to point B." But Asher knows that "point B" is not the same for every account: "Whether it's a chain or an independent or a national account, Young's truly cares about their customers, so we listen. We create programs that fit the needs of our clients—profit- able programs! It's not about the products that we need to place—it's about finding what our customers want and need, and giving them the tools they need to succeed." A Well-Crafted Portfolio With Asher at the helm steering customers toward innovative and profitable programs, and the distributor making a concerted effort to feature boutique and craft spirits, Young's is making a difference in a big way: "We completed 110 programs last year," says Asher. "That gives you an idea of how many bartenders we touched—it's Jason Asher is Director of Beverage Program Development for Young's Market Company in Arizona. TP0514_034-71.indd 63 4/24/14 11:03 PM