Executive Leadership
Carlos J. Carreras
Chief Executive Officer
Carlos began his career in the Gallo Sales Division of Premier Beverage company in South Florida in 1993. Since then, he has held various roles and positions in The Paddington Corporation, Brown-Forman Beverages and William Grant & Sons. Before joining Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing, Carlos was the VP Sales/National Sales Manager at White Rock Distilleries from 2006-2012 and he held the same position at Western Spirits Company from 2012-2015. He was very active in the development, rollout planning, distributor management and volume growth of brands which included Pinnacle Vodka, Three Olives Vodka, and Bird Dog Bourbon. His experience in brand building, brand volume growth and national distributor relationships is an integral part of the development of all Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing Brands.
John T. Dunn
Chief Operating Officer
John has over 26 years of experience in the hospitality industry, the most recent 16 years with various wine & spirits distributors. Prior to Blue Ridge, he was the Director of On-Premise Wine overseeing the state of Georgia for Georgia Crown Distributing. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, and a graduate of West Virginia University in Morgantown, John has called Atlanta, GA home for the last 20 years. John is a tenacious individual who contributes to all aspects of our business in sales, marketing, operations and supplier development.
Lou conrad
Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Lou joins Blue Ridge from Rémy Cointreau, where he was the Chief Commercial Officer for the US and Canada. A native of New Orleans, Loustarted his career in the Beverage Alcohol industry at the Anheuser-Busch Wholesaler in 1995. Lou transitioned to Magnolia Marketing, now RNDC Louisiana, in 1999, before joining Remy Cointreau in January of 2006. Lou resides in Flower Mound, Texas, with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Blake, Meredith, and Caroline.
Sales LEADERSHIP
paul doran
Control State Division Vice President
Paul began his career in the beverage industry in 2004 working as a Retail Account Manager in Pennsylvania for Capital Wine & Spirits (Charmer Sunbelt Group). After a short time, his immediate success afforded him multiple opportunities within Diageo North America, where he worked for nearly 5 years. He was later recruited to a Regional Sales Manager role at White Rock Distilleries. Paul was responsible for developing brands such as Pinnacle Vodka and Calico Jack Rums, which became marketplace leaders during his tenure. After the sale of White Rock Distilleries, Paul accepted a regional role at Western Spirits Beverage Company and was promoted to Control States Sales Director after 18 months. Paul oversaw 9 markets and worked closely with a broker, distributor network on building brands, most notably Bird Dog Flavored Whiskies. Paul lives in the Philadelphia area where he patiently awaits a Super Bowl victory by his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. He has never eaten a cheesesteak from Geno’s.
T.J. NICHOLS
Central Division Vice President
A graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management, TJ has spent the entirety of his career in the world of wine & spirits - creating, introducing and growing new brands. Before joining Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing in May 2019, TJ was the Central Division Director for Zamora Company USA and before that, Director of Sales for Mesa Vineyards, Texas’ largest winery. Prior to working for Mesa, he spent many years with Western Spirits, living in both Dallas and Chicago, debuting new brands including Kru Vodka, Bird Dog Bourbon, Lexington and Calumet Farms, among others. He was the Southwest Regional Manager with White Rock Distilleries, contributing to the growth of Pinnacle Vodka to becoming a 2.8 million case brand. TJ currently resides in McKinney, TX with his wife, Hillary and their two young daughters.
carter perks
Eastern Division Vice President
Carter represents four generations of hospitality expertise. He spent his adolescent years working in hotels and restaurants. Carter’s extensive knowledge of on premise operations along with his results oriented retail sales execution strategies make him an asset to brands looking to gain traction in the marketplace. Carter began his his career in the wine & spirits industry with National Distributing Company (NDC) Georgia in 1999. During his 16-year career at NDC, he achieved several positions, including Vice President of On Premise Georgia. Carter was instrumental in developing launch and market strategies for brands in Georgia across many leading suppliers and independent-craft portfolios. Carter has a passion for brand building and has achieved the Specialist of Spirits (CSS) along with WSET certifications. Carter is a graduate of Florida International University School of Hospitality Management and currently resides in his home state of Florida.
SEAN DOUGHERTY
Western Division Vice President
Sean earned his Bachelor’s degree from the nationally ranked Hilton Hospitality College at the University of Houston. After graduating, he managed some of the top restaurants in Houston in the fine dining category. During this time, Sean maintained a passion for wine and spirits, which led him to join Republic National Distributing Company December of 2014 as an on-premise sales representative. He was then promoted to be the Prestige Portfolio Manager, with an on-premise focus in the wine and spirits luxury segment of Pernod Ricard’s portfolio. Sean was then interested in expanding his supplier and retail knowledge and joined Rebecca Creek Distillery as the Southeast Texas and Louisiana market manager. We’re glad to have Sean onboard with Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing as of April 2019. Sean resides in Houston, TX with his wife and son.