New beverage venture formed

Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc. and The Odom Corp. have formed a new wine and spirits joint venture to wholesale operations in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska.

According to the Southern-Odom agreement, the new company will also incorporate the Southern Wine Spirits West's existing six-state control states operation in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The new venture will encompass a strategic partnership for the distribution of wine throughout Washington and Northern Idaho; wine and spirits within Alaska; and the immediate establishment of a fully operational wine distributorship in Oregon.

In a related transaction, the partnership has agreed to purchase certain wine and the spirits distribution rights from distributors in Alaska, Washington and Idaho.

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In three related senior management moves, the Southern-Odom partnership announced that Michael McLaughlin has been appointed vice president, general manager of the group's Pacific Northwest six-state brokerage operations as well as Alaska's Spirits Division. McLaughlin previously served as Southern Wine Spirit West's vice president of the control states division in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, Adam Hilpert has been named executive vice president, general manager, to oversee the wine wholesaling division in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. Hilpert formerly served as vice president, sales, at the Odom Corp. James Allen, formerly executive vice president, general manager, wines of Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, has been named executive vice president, managing director, fine wine, of the Southern-Odom Pacific Northwest Group.

Southern Wine & Spirits of America is based in Miami. Odom is based in Seattle.