Dallas, Texas: Palomar Beverage Company is pleased to announce Brian Koziol, MS has been appointed Vice President – Strategic Development for Palomar Beverage Company and Vice President – Sales for Progress Wine Group.
“As Palomar Beverage Company continues to grow and mature, we are increasingly focused on how we can best serve our managed Distributor Partners, and both market strategy and education are at the forefront of our initiatives,” stated Ryan Schwartz, President of Palomar Beverage Company. “Brian Koziol brings with him a wealth of knowledge, industry experience, and relationships that will assist our businesses in staying at the forefront of knowledge and customer service in each market we operate. Initially, Brian will focus most of his energies on our youngest business, Progress Wine Group in Florida, where he will be the Vice President of Sales. Florida is a market where we believe we are well positioned to continue to provide growth opportunities for our supplier partners,” added Schwartz.
“The world of fine wine and craft spirits is rapidly evolving in today’s environment. I am excited to be joining Palomar Beverage Company as they are looking to seize the opportunity in building their distribution platform in order to bring a path forward for world class wineries and spirit producers by providing exceptional client service,” Koziol said. “This is a great opportunity to get back in the distribution business through working with our talented sales, portfolio and service teams by building upon our amazing portfolio and talent in each market, starting with Florida.”
Koziol is a renowned hospitality expert and one of 269 people in the world to pass the most prestigious sommelier examination and earn the title Master Sommelier in 2007. His career journey consists of a diverse background in all styles of restaurant and bar concepts through work experiences at Walt Disney World Resort and The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C.. While working at Disney’s Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant in 2003, he was named Wine & Spirits Magazine Best New Sommeliers and elevated the wine program to a Wine Spectator Best of Award Excellence. He was the driving force in the creation of the beverage program for the Esquire The Best Bars in America 2020: Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Oga’s Cantina at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Under Brian’s stewardship, the Walt Disney World Resort beverage program in 2020 received the VIBE Vista Award for Best Overall – Hotels, Casinos & Cruise Lines and Best Spirits Program.
During his experience working in alcohol distribution, Brian has represented some of the world’s best wineries and distilleries including tenures working for The Winebow Group as Director of Sales in Florida and Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits as a District Manager in Orlando. Brian rounded out his career by working at Treasury Wine Estates as Director of National Accounts, On Premise and Constellation Brands as a Fine Wine Manager. In 2009, Brian became an Honorary Professor of Wine Education at the University of South Carolina.
About Palomar Beverage Company:
Palomar Beverage Company is comprised of a team of proven industry leaders with decades of combined experience to create a new business model, which includes providing strategic insights, overall business leadership, operational capabilities and capital support to market-specific distributors around the United States. The most critical areas of support consist of Accounting, Brand Management, Compliance, Direct Importation, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Operations, Sales Management, Strategic Development, and Supplier Relations. Palomar Beverage Company currently manages Maverick Wine Company (Minnesota), Progress Wine Group (Florida), Quench Fine Wines (Arizona), and Victory Wine Group (Texas).
