About Us

who are we?

We are the world's pre-eminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company.

Our Vision

To be the distributor of choice for our customers and suppliers through a diverse team of empowered industry leaders, while giving back to the communities we serve.

Our Mission

To exceed all expectations of our trading partners with outstanding sales, service and results, through innovative strategies, unmatched relationships, cutting-edge technology and the industry's best trained and most talented team.

Our Culture

Building on our multigenerational heritage, team members think and act like owners while treating each other with respect, camaraderie and transparency. Integrity, intellect and ingenuity guide our decisions and our relationships with suppliers, customers and each other.

Our Values

F	Fulfill the potential of our suppliers and customers
A	Aspire to excellence
M	Mission and Vision driven
I	Integrity and inclusiveness are our hallmarks
L	Leadership in everything we do
Y	You are critical to our success

Our Commitment to Diversity

Part of the Southern Glazer’s mission is to build a wholly inclusive and diverse culture that ensures everyone in the Southern Glazer’s community is respected, engaged and motivated to grow professionally and personally. That’s why our Leadership Team is dedicated to fulfilling that mission today, tomorrow, and into the future. In doing so, we hope to realize our vision of attracting and retaining a diverse talent pool of employees to support company growth as we remain the industry leader.

Wayne Chaplin, CEO

Watch Our Diversity Video Learn More About Our Diversity Initiatives

1909

Louis Glazer moves to Dallas, Texas with his wife Bessie and opens the Jumbo Bottling Company. They distribute flavored soda water from the back of horse-drawn wagons.

1933

With the repeal of Prohibition, three of Louis Glazer’s sons Max, Fritz, and Nolan start Glazer’s Wholesale Distributors. The company is appointed Schlitz Beer distributor for Dallas, population 265,000.

1943

Glazer’s opens in Shreveport and New Orleans, Louisiana.

1944

Glazer’s opens in Arkansas.

1946

Harvey Chaplin, one of the original founders of Southern Wine & Spirits, begins his career in the spirits industry working for Schenley Industries in Manhattan, a leading distilled spirits marketer and the American importer of Dewar's White Label Scotch.

1966

Glazer’s opens in Arizona.

1968

Bennett Glazer joins Glazer’s, Inc.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is established in Miami.

1969

After just one year in business, Southern Wine & Spirits has a presence on both coasts with its expansion into California.

1972

Southern gains statewide distribution for the first time in Florida.

1976

Southern opens up operations in Nevada.

1984

Southern Wine & Spirits becomes the first distributor to gain a statewide network in California.

Wayne Chaplin, Harvey’s son, joins Southern.

1992-2001

Southern experiences a period of rapid expansion, adding: Arizona 1992, South Carolina 1993, Pennsylvania 1995, Hawaii 1996, Kentucky 1998, New Mexico 2000, and Colorado 2001.

1992

Southern ascends to become the largest U.S. wine and spirits wholesaler.

1994

Harvey Chaplin becomes Chairman and CEO of Southern.

1997-2001

Glazer’s adds five states in five years: Missouri 1997, Indiana 1998, Iowa and Ohio 1999, and Kansas 2001.

2002-2004

Southern adds the key states of Illinois 2002 and New York 2004. Glazer’s adds Oklahoma 2003.

2005-2010

Glazer’s adds Mississippi.

Southern begins a five-year period of rapid growth, expanding its footprint to total 30 states: Maine, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia 2005, Alabama 2006, Ohio 2007, Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming 2008, and Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. 2010. Southern also obtains operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas.

2011

Southern enters Iowa and Michigan.

2011-2013

Glazer’s extends its footprint to Tennessee 2011, Alabama and the U.S. Virgin Islands 2012, and Canada 2013.

2013-2015

Southern deploys leading supply chain technologies, expanding Florida’s Lakeland facility to 1 MM sq. ft. They also establish the first regional distribution center in the wine and spirits industry in Tracy, California as well as a high-tech ASRS-enabled facility in Union City, California.

2014

Wayne Chaplin is named President and Chief Executive Officer of Southern.

2016

Southern Wine & Spirits and Glazer’s win national distribution rights to Bacardi in 44 U.S. markets, the District of Columbia and Canada, becoming the first nationally aligned supplier-wholesaler in the industry’s history.

Southern enters Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits is formed— creating the only comprehensive North American beverage distribution footprint. We now employ more than 20,000 team members, distribute more than 150 million cases of wine and spirits annually across 44 U.S. markets, the District of Columbia, Canada, and the Caribbean.

2017

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits establishes its Youth Alcohol Awareness & Education Foundation, Inc., devoted to the prevention of underage drinking. The Foundation provides funding for programs that support underage drinking prevention in partnership with educational institutions and community-based organizations.

2018

The owners of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits establish Great North Distributors, Inc., Canada’s first national sales broker for legalized adult-use cannabis. This same year, the Company also launches VolunCheers Online, an internal online platform that enables its employees to connect with each other online to easily organize volunteering and fundraising activities, benefitting local and national charitable organizations.

2019

The Company launched Proof™, its industry-leading B2B eCommerce experience for its customers at shop.sgproof.com

2020

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits announces several actions to promote racial equality, from philanthropic grants and community education programming, to internal workplace initiatives and programs to support Black- and minority-owned wine and spirits businesses. These initiatives are in addition to a $1 million agreement with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) – the pre-eminent national organization dedicated to promoting educational excellence among students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) – that initiated earlier the same year.

Our Leadership

Our leadership stems from the two founding families: The Chaplins, one of the original founding families of Southern Wine & Spirits; and The Glazers, who founded Glazer's, Inc. When the two companies combined, a powerful mix of company-grown leaders, talent from the beverage alcohol industry, and experts from leading companies outside the industry were brought together. Today, our top management is changing the future of the beverage industry while still keeping a tight focus on both our customers and suppliers.

Harvey Chaplin

Chairman

Harvey Chaplin serves as Chairman of Southern Glazer’s. He joined Southern in 1969, along with other founding executives. He served in numerous senior executive roles running day-to-day operations of Southern from 1969 to 1993. In 1994, Chaplin became the Chairman and CEO of Southern. Prior to joining Southern, Chaplin worked at Schenley Industries. At Schenley, he worked his way up over 16 years from the mailroom to become assistant director of sales. From 1961 to 1968, he ran wholesale operations in Buffalo, Rochester and Albany.

Bennett Glazer

Executive Vice Chairman

Bennett Glazer serves as Executive Vice Chairman of Southern Glazer’s. He was the President and CEO of Glazer’s, Inc., which is the parent company of all of the Glazer’s subsidiaries. Prior to assuming this role, Bennett served as Vice President at the Glazer’s Corporate Office from 1981 to 1996. He began his career as a salesman in the Glazer’s Houston office in 1968 and has held various positions throughout his tenure with Glazer’s. He received his B. A. degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Wayne Chaplin

Chief Executive Officer

Wayne Chaplin serves as CEO of Southern Glazer’s. Previously, he was named President and CEO of Southern in May 2014. Chaplin joined Southern in 1984, following a period practicing law at a Miami-based firm. At Southern, Chaplin worked as a sales supervisor, company comptroller and operations manager. In 1987, Chaplin was appointed to VP of Operations and in 1989 he was named First Vice President and COO, overseeing all divisions of company’s distribution operations. By 1992, he was appointed to the Southern’s Executive Management Committee and became an officer and director. He was appointed President and COO in 1994 prior to becoming President and CEO in 2014. Chaplin received his J.D. and Bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude from the University of Miami.

Sheldon “Shelly" Stein

President

Sheldon “Shelly” Stein serves as President of Southern Glazer’s. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Glazer’s. Before beginning his tenure with Glazer’s in 2010, Stein had been a Vice Chairman of Global Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch since March 2008. In this role, he served as Glazer’s lead advisor and had worked closely with the Glazer Family and executive team as well as its suppliers on many strategic fronts. Before joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Stein was a Senior Managing Director at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. for over 20 years. Prior to Bear Stearns, Stein served as a partner in the Dallas law firm of Hughes & Luce. He serves on the Board of Directors of Tailored Brands, Inc., ALON USA Partners, LP as well as Ace Cash Express. Stein received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his Bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude from Brandeis University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Steven R. Becker

Executive Vice President, Treasurer & Compliance

Steven Becker serves as EVP, Treasurer and Compliance of Southern Glazer’s. Becker joined Southern in 1985. In 1978, he joined Knickerbocker Liquors Corporation as a Sales Manager of the New York distributor’s wine division. He was subsequently named Assistant General Sales Manager and later appointed Assistant to the President. Becker joined Southern as Vice President of Finance in 1985. In 1993, he was appointed First Vice President and Treasurer of Southern. Becker received his B.S. in finance from Syracuse University and his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. He earned his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mel Dick

President, Wine Division & Senior Vice President

Mel Dick serves as SVP and President, Wine Division of Southern Glazer’s. He joined Southern in 1969. He began his career in the wine business in 1958 at Gallo Wine Distributors, and eventually E. and J. Gallo Winery where he worked for 11 years. Dick joined Southern as General Sales Manager-Wine in 1969. By 1972, he became Vice President-Wine and in 1976 he was appointed President of the Wine Division for Southern. In 1984, he became an owner of the company. He acquired the additional title of Senior Vice President of Southern in 1991. In 2001, Dick received the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor, for his outstanding contribution to the French wine and champagne, spirits and water industry and was elevated to Officier de la Legion D’Honneur in October 2010.

Thomas Greenlee

Executive Vice President, Finance

Thomas Greenlee serves as EVP, Finance of Southern Glazer’s. Previously, he served as CFO of Glazer’s. Greenlee joined Glazer’s in May 2011. He was previously a Director in the investment banking group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (“BofA Merrill”) since March 2008. While at BofA Merrill, he developed and managed key client relationships and identified and secured new M&A and capital market mandates for various companies located in the Southwestern US. Prior to joining BofA Merrill, Greenlee was a Vice President in the investment banking group at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in Dallas and New York since August 2000. From 1995 to 1998, he worked at Price Waterhouse in Dallas, TX and San Jose, CA. Greenlee received his B.B.A. with Honors from Millsaps College and his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Alan Greenspan

Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Alan Greenspan serves as EVP and General Counsel of Southern Glazer’s. Previously he served as EVP and General Counsel of Glazer’s. Greenspan was formerly a partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker L.L.P., where he had practiced for over 20 years. He has served as outside counsel on various matters for Glazer’s since 1999, and has advised the company on diverse legal issues ranging from acquisitions, to intellectual property, to litigation. He earned a B.A. with Honors from Amherst College and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School where he was Order of the Coif and an Associate Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.

Lee F. Hager

Executive Vice President, Secretary & Administration

Lee Hager serves as EVP, Secretary and Administration of Southern Glazer’s. Hager joined Southern in 1978 as Assistant Controller to the company’s Southern California division. Prior to joining the company, he worked in a national public accounting firm in Florida. From 1981 to 1985, Hager was the State Controller of California. From 1986 to 1994, he was National Vice President of Finance. He has served as EVP, Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer of Southern since 1994. Hager received his B.S. in accounting from the State University of New York in Buffalo.

Brad Vassar

Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Brad Vassar serves as Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer. His prior role was Executive Vice President and COO, a position he was promoted to in May 2014. Prior to joining Southern in 1991, he worked as a salesman at Berberian Brothers in Northern California. He joined Southern as a District Manager for the Central Valley in California and later became Branch Manager for Sacramento Valley. In December 1997, he was appointed General Manager of Southern California. In December 2004, he was appointed General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of America. Vassar is a graduate of the University of the Pacific.

John Wittig

Chief Commercial Officer

John Wittig serves as Chief Commercial Officer, where he leads the Company’s geographic regions to drive internal Commercial capabilities and route-to-market excellence. Prior to this role, Wittig held the position of Chief Transformation Officer, leading the Company’s Transformation team since mid-2018. Wittig has a long history of leadership with the Company, including serving as Southern Glazer’s President of East Region, and Executive Vice President, General Manager of Florida.

Gene Sullivan

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer

Gene Sullivan serves as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, where he is accountable for driving a more focused level of supplier and national account sales execution. Before his current role, he served in numerous leadership positions including President of East Region, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Florida, and Executive Vice President, General Manager of Southern Glazer's Coastal Wine & Spirits sales division. Sullivan began his career with the Company in 1990 as a sales representative in the Orlando market.

David Chaplin

Chief Growth Officer

David Chaplin serves as Chief Growth Officer role, leading the New Ventures Team that has been part of Southern Glazer’s Transformation team. Prior to this role, Chaplin served as Vice President, Business Development on the Transformation team—working integrally with John Wittig. He originally joined Southern Wine & Spirits in 2015 as a Commercial Strategy Manager, where he was responsible for managing corporate supplier strategy for the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Patron portfolios. He then moved into the role of Vice President, Supplier and Business Development.

Terry Arnold

Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer

Terry Arnold serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. In this role, Arnold is responsible for providing leadership in developing and executing the Company's human resources strategy in support of the overall business plan and strategic direction of the company. He brings more than 20 years of experience in human resources, including at General Electric, with deep leadership experience driving operations, business processes, supply-chain optimization, sales management and information technology initiatives for global, industry-leading companies.

Bobby Burg

Senior Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer

Bobby Burg serves as Senior Vice President Operations and Chief Supply Chain Officer. In his current responsibilities, Burg oversees corporate areas of Purchasing, Logistics, Facilities, Warehouse Technology, Labor, and Fleet Management. Burg joined Southern in 1993 when the company acquired the Burg’s family-owned wholesale liquor and wine distributorship in South Carolina. During this tenure with the Company, he has held various roles of increasing responsibility in operations, information technology, and supply chain functions.

Ann Dozier

Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Ann Dozier serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. During her tenure with the Company, Ann has focused on transforming Information Technology to meet the changing needs of the business by creating a balanced focus on operational effectiveness and digital strategies while also supporting the growth of the company through mergers, acquisitions, and supplier partnerships. Prior experience over her 30-year career includes a breadth of global roles spanning commercial, supply chain, eCommerce, and IT at The Coca-Cola Company, Inc., Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., Dean Foods, and Colgate Palmolive. She started her career in high tech with EDS and IBM.

Lee Brian Schrager

Senior Vice President, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility

Lee Brian Schrager serves as Senior Vice President, Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility. He joined the Company in 2000 and is one of the nation’s preeminent event planners and media relations experts. Schrager is widely recognized for his creation of both the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals, for both of which Southern Glazer’s serves as the exclusive wine and spirits provider. Prior to joining Southern Glazer’s, Schrager spent 17 years with InterContinental Hotels across the country where he began as a room service manager and worked his way up to Vice President of Food & Beverage.

Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits

1600 N.W. 163rd Street

Miami, FL 33169

Phone:(305) 625-4171

14911 Quorum Drive, Ste. 150

Dallas, TX 75254

Phone:(972) 392-8200