State Manager - California

COMPANY OVERVIEW
The path to making stunning whiskey is to start with the whiskey consumer in mind. From there, a whiskey maker must work backwards to ensure methods to create beautiful liquid. It’s not merely about building a distillery and hoping for excellence four years later. As such, the Milam & Greene team distills in both Kentucky on giant column stills and in Texas on small 1,000 and 300-gallon pot stills. Warehousing and aging take place across four states in different casks for a variety of flavors. Finishing, blending, batching, proofing, and bottling are all done at our distillery in Blanco, Texas. The end-result? The most thorough array of casks made and collected by any craft distiller. These casks become the ingredients from which our award-winning American whiskey range is batched to create perfection. At Milam & Greene, we believe in education, transparency and using the best ingredients and people to create great whiskey.

POSITION SUMMARY
We are expanding! Milam and Greene Whiskey seeks an experienced, entrepreneurial-minded dynamo to build our whiskey business in both on and off premise in the California market. This person will cultivate new relationships and maintain loyal customers in key on & off premise accounts across the state, as well as with the distributor and consumers. They should be able to navigate the distributor landscape to increase distribution and help drive sales. This position requires a solid understanding of the local spirit’s market. Must have strong communication & presentation skills, be highly organized, have problem-solving capabilities, and must be good at time and budget management. Prior distributor or industry experience is required and experience working with SGWS is preferred. Entrepreneurial mindset is required. Our ideal candidate must live in the Los Angeles or San Diego metro area and will travel as needed. We would like them to be the type of person who loves life, enjoys good whiskey, and genuinely likes to work with people. Must be self-motivated and enjoy being out in market building a brand.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Develop new and existing accounts and maintain an organized list of key accounts in the on and off premise.
2. REQUIRED to be in market on average 4 days per week visiting key accounts, working with distributor or independently calling on accounts.
3. Work with on-premise customers to develop our brands through sales placements, features, menus, promotional events, and staff education.
4. Build/establish relationships with off-premise accounts through consistency and reliability, with the goal of gaining incremental sales and building brand awareness.
5. Determine new accounts for product placement and prioritize time spent visiting accounts.
6. Conduct product sampling/demonstrations to educate personnel and consumers.
7. Coordinate and execute events and promotions to increase brand awareness and stimulate sales.
8. Build strong relationships and maintain good communication with distributor partners.
9. Work closely with distributor teams to coordinate sales, presentations, promotional efforts and identify opportunities.
10. Lead Distributor GSM’s as needed to present brand education and programs.
11. Understand competitive landscape and monitor market trends.
12. Maintain records of sales achievements and monthly goals.
13. Manage a monthly budget.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Must have liquor sales experience; background in distributor and/or supplier experience is required.
2. Knowledge of spirits industry including the On & Off-premise, multi-unit accounts, and the three-tier distribution system.
3. Exceptional communication and time management skills; liaise confidently with internal team and distributor representatives.
4. Budget management.
5. Strong presentation skills.
6. Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace.