Managing Director

Distributor Members: DeCrescente Distributing, McCraith Beverages, AL George, and Wright Beverage Distributing

Purpose:

The New York Wine & Spirits League brings together four leading beverage distributors (the “Members”) to create a powerful, unified route-to-market across upstate New York, from Albany to Buffalo.

Each Member brings established customer relationships, experienced sales teams, local market knowledge, logistics capabilities, and strong execution. Together, the Members offer suppliers the scale and reach of a larger distribution network while maintaining the local market expertise and relationships of independent distributors.

The League’s objective is simple: become the preferred distribution partner for wine and spirits suppliers looking to build their brands across upstate New York.

Job Summary:

The Managing Director serves as the independent executive leader of the New York Wine & Spirits League, representing the collective interests of all four Members. Reporting directly to the Board of Managers, consisting of one Manager appointed by each distributor Member, the Managing Director is responsible for transforming the collective strengths of the League’s Members into one powerful and coordinated statewide platform.

By aligning sales organizations, customer relationships, market expertise, logistics infrastructure, data, and local execution, the Managing Director creates a coordinated route-to-market solution for wine and spirits suppliers while preserving the local strengths that make each Member successful. The Managing Director will lead supplier development, portfolio growth, Member alignment, and financial performance while ensuring suppliers experience the League as one coordinated organization rather than four separate distributors.

The ultimate objective of this role is to establish the League as a differentiated “Total Beverage House” and the preferred alternative for suppliers seeking a scalable, high-performing distribution solution across upstate New York.

Executive Functions:

Supplier Leadership, Prospecting & Management

• Identify and recruit wine and spirits suppliers that strategically fit the League's portfolio.
• Assist Members and League legal counsel in negotiations with key supplier partners.
• Continually evaluate the portfolio for growth opportunities, gaps, and SKU productivity.
• Stay current on emerging market trends to identify new products and supplier prospects that strengthen the League’s market position.
• Develop and implement commercial terms.

Unified Market Strategy

• Coordinate the four-Member distributors into a unified route-to-market strategy across upstate New York.
• Align Members around common supplier strategies, priorities, pricing, programs, and execution expectations.
• Develop annual business plans with clear sales, distribution, and profitability objectives.
• Ensure suppliers experience the League as one coordinated organization rather than four separate distributors.

Economic Value Creation

• Drive incremental gross profit through portfolio expansion, including targeted supplier prospecting and the addition of new brands.
• Deliver measurable cost savings in the context of supplier management (freight, procurement, and related areas).
• Establish clear tracking and streamlined reporting to measure results and confirm value realization.

Market Execution

• Leverage the combined account coverage, sales capabilities, logistics infrastructure, and customer relationships of the League’s four Members.
• Establish consistent execution standards and measurements across the upstate markets.
• Identify opportunities to improve distribution, velocity, programming, and account penetration.
• Use the League's combined beverage capabilities to create differentiated solutions for retailers and suppliers.

Analytics & Capability Building

• Build shared data, reporting, and analytics that track sales, distribution, SKU productivity, supplier performance, forecasts, and program execution.
• Develop monthly dashboard reporting and updates.
• Use market and performance data to identify opportunities and drive strategic decisions.

Governance

• Provide regular, comprehensive, and transparent reporting to the Board.
• Maintain neutrality and represent the Member’s collective interests. Lead and coordinate Board committees and working groups.
• Understand NYSLA and other applicable laws and regulations to ensure compliance.
• Work with the League’s legal counsel to stay abreast of applicable laws and regulations, proposed changes to the legal landscape, etc.

Authority & Scope

• Operate within a clearly defined scope established by the Board to include engagement with suppliers, vendors and partners to execute League initiatives.