Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois Appoints Michael Housey to Vice President, General Sales Manager-Wine

CHICAGO, Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Will Conniff, Executive Vice President, General Manager of Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern)—the nation's leading wine and spirits distributor with operations in 35 markets— today announced the promotion of Michael Housey to Vice President, General Sales Manager-Wine, Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois (SWS-IL). Housey previously served as Southern's Vice President, General Manager-Michigan, at its North American Spirits & Wine Brokerage (NASWB) division. This appointment is effective immediately, with Housey reporting directly to Terry Brick, Senior Vice President, General Manager-Illinois.

Housey began his career in the industry as a college student with the Stroh Brewery Company in the mid 1980's. After working at Stroh's, he joined E. & J. Gallo Winery as the On-Premise District Manager with its largest wholesaler in Minnesota before joining Diageo for the next 13 years in various leadership roles. In 2007, Housey joined National Wine & Spirits in Michigan where he was responsible for the Diageo and Moet Hennessy USA spirit business until he joined Southern in 2011. During his first years at Southern, he led and grew the Michigan team and has been a member of the initial class of 14 for the Southern Corporate Emerging Leaders Program—a selective development program for top talent from across the company.

In his new role, Mike will oversee, direct and manage all activities related to the Illinois on- and off-premise wine sales business operations.

Noting Housey's record of professional accomplishment, Terry Brick said, "We are excited to have Mike join our SWS-IL team. Mike has extensive experience working in both open and control states, and will utilize his vast consumer packaged goods background in his new position here in Illinois to help us continue to grow our business across the state."

In congratulating Housey on his promotion, Will Conniff commented, "We are excited to see Mike promoted into a key role and are confident he will be a great addition to an already strong Illinois leadership team."

Housey received a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Michigan in Dearborn, Michigan.

About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation's largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. The multi-state distributor currently operates in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 14,000 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly.

For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.

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SOURCE Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

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