Meet Our Team
Mark Newman
CEO
In his over 40 years in the wine industry, he has owned the largest per unit wine & spirits retail chain in Arizona, held key California wine & spirit positions as well as senior level executive positions in the wine distributing business. He received his education at the University of Southern California in Business (Marketing & Finance) and is a member of several wine industry trade groups. Mark was inducted into the prestigious Commanderie de Bontemps du Medoc et Graves recognizing his years of dedication to the wine industry, and is Maitre-Conseil of Gastronomy, an honor bestowed by the French Minister of Agriculture, a member of the Society of Wine Educators. Mark has judged the Los Angeles International Wine Competition for 27 consecutive years, and he also judges the California State Fair, the San Diego International Wine Competition, and the San Diego Toast of the Coast Competition.
Rob Koch
COO
Rob Koch is an experienced President/General Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Operations, Logistics, and Consumer services industries. He has been a results-oriented business owner and operator for 8+ years with Red Bull North America working in supply chain, operations, logistics, strategic business development, software development, customer relationship management, and financial and supply chain analysis. Rob is a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program through Babson College, has acted as an alumni advisor for Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and graduated with a BSc. In Business Administration from from University of South Carolina upstate in 2006.
Jerald Crowser
CFO
With over 30 years of experience in corporate finance, accounting, and public company reporting. He has a proven track record of scaling financial infrastructures for high-growth consumer brands, including a period of revenue expansion from $10 million to $100 million. His expertise includes managing complex capital structures and corporate transactions. He is currently responsible for the Company’s internal financial controls and the financial oversight of its strategic initiatives.
Gary Herick
Vice President of Business Development
Gary was Formally a licensed Series 7 stockbroker from 1985 to 2011 and Registered Investment Advisor for eight years. Began Venture Funding early-stage companies with three private startups taken to the public markets in the last 10 years.
