October 7, 2026 (Saint Paul, MN) — Johnson Brothers, a leading wine, beer, and spirits distributor, has appointed Taylor Blades to the role of Vice President, Supplier Performance, with a focus on strengthening performance and execution and supporting growth across the company’s core supplier partnerships.
Blades will work with Johnson Brothers’ commercial teams to develop coordinated plans that align supplier priorities with sales execution across markets.
“Taylor understands how to drive supplier strategy into action and partner with our commercial sales teams in the market,” said Kyle Berding, Executive Vice President, Supplier Performance & Control. “Her leadership experience, commitment to execution, and firsthand knowledge of supplier and distributor operations bring a valuable perspective to our team and our supplier partnerships.”
Blades brings more than 18 years of beverage alcohol industry experience, including national leadership roles at Diageo spanning commercial strategy, activation, and distributor collaboration. She led Diageo’s activation organization, translating national brand priorities into sales and marketing programs.
Most recently, Blades served as Diageo’s Performance Director for South Carolina, overseeing spirits portfolio strategy and distributor performance. She began her career at the corporate office of Total Wine & More.
About Johnson Brothers
Johnson Brothers is a third-generation, family-owned wine, beer, and spirits distributor founded in 1953 by Lynn Johnson in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Guided by its founding values of work ethic, teamwork, excellence, innovation, passion, and integrity, the company partners with top-tier suppliers to deliver a world-class portfolio and exceptional service to customers across 25 states. The company was recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies for three consecutive years (2023–2025). Learn more at johnsonbrothers.com | LinkedIn | Instagram.
