Glazer’s Distributors, one of the country’s largest beverage distributors, announced the promotion of Mike McLaughlin to executive vice president sales, effective April 1, 2013. McLaughlin will move to Glazer’s corporate office, where he will have responsibility for Glazer’s performance with its strategic wine and spirits vendor partners across all lines, except Diageo and Moet Hennessy. McLaughlin will oversee Glazer’s corporate supplier vice president group, along with Glazer’s corporate accounts and fine wine teams. McLaughlin is succeeding Shawn Thurman, who is assuming the president’s role at Alliance Beverage in Arizona, Glazer’s joint venture with The Charmer Sunbelt Group.

Mike McLaughlin has been with Glazer’s as senior vice president Texas since May 2011. McLaughlin came to Glazer’s from Southern Wine and Spirits, where he was vice president and general manager of the Pacific Northwest states and Alaska. McLaughlin has over 20 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry, which includes management roles with Alaska Distributors, Skyy Spirits and Frank-Lin Distillers.

Glazer’s president and CEO Sheldon “Shelly” Stein said, “We are pleased to promote Mike McLaughlin onto our executive leadership team to manage our important vendor and customer relationships. Mike has done an outstanding job since joining the Glazer’s team, and he has strengthened our performance and relationships with many of our top vendors. Shawn Thurman has been an integral part of our success. We will miss having Shawn on our executive team, but understand his desire to be closer to his family in Phoenix, and wish him great success in leading our Arizona business.”

Glazer’s executive vice president and COO Rob Swartz commented, “Mike McLaughlin has been a great addition to our team, and he has done an outstanding job in driving a high performance culture within our Texas team over the past two years. We are pleased to be bringing in Mike onto our executive team.”

About Glazer’s

Glazer’s, one of the country’s largest privately help companies, currently operates in 14 states and the Caribbean, and is one of the nation’s largest distributors of wine, spirits and malt beverage products. The company has operations in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and the US Virgin Islands. The third-generation family business was founded in Dallas in 1933. For more information, please visit www.glazer’s.com.