NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2023 – Wilson Daniels is pleased to announce the promotion of Kevin Murphy to the role of Executive Vice President of Wholesale and Operations, effective October 1st. Having served as the Vice President and then Senior Vice President of Operations for eight and a half years, in his new role Murphy will continue his leadership of the Operations team while also directing our bi-coastal Wholesale division serving the Tri-State area, Oregon, and Washington. He will continue to report to Rocco Lombardo, President of Wilson Daniels.
“From his first days overseeing Operations at Wilson Daniels in June 2015, Kevin has always maintained a strong engagement with both our National and Wholesale teams, which is why I’m very excited to see him formally step into this new role,” said Rocco Lombardo, President of Wilson Daniels. “He has been steadfast in his commitment to furthering all areas of our business, a cornerstone in supporting our entire organization, and a calming influence while our company has experienced impressive growth. With a bi-coastal Wholesale operation, it has become necessary for us to have a leader to coordinate a consistent, aggressive approach to portfolio and personnel recruitment, as well as enhancing our sales strategies and execution between the five states.”
Prior to joining Wilson Daniels, Murphy managed Wholesale and National Operations at Frederick Wildman & Sons for eight years, ultimately being promoted to Vice President in 2014.
Then in 2015, upon being named Vice President of Operations at Wilson Daniels, Murphy worked closely with Benjamin Kirschner, Senior Vice President of Wholesale, to launch the New York and New Jersey Wholesale businesses, establishing the sales and operational infrastructure, logistical capabilities, and systems to build the organization from the ground up. In 2018, the East Coast operations expanded into Connecticut to complete the coverage of the Tri-State area.
When the Wholesale business ventured to the Pacific Northwest with the acquisition of Galaxy Wine Company (2018), Kevin was instrumental in managing the acquisition and heading up the transition team, and post-acquisition, he has continued to work closely with both the Oregon and Washington teams. With Wholesale licenses now encompassing five states, revenues in 2023 are projected to exceed $110 million.
“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve built across the Operations and Wholesale teams over the past eight years.” said Murphy. “We have enhanced our operational capabilities to support our National organization in maintaining a competitive edge in forecasting, business intelligence, and long-term strategizing while remaining nimble to adapt to our dynamic growth. We have also solidified the necessary infrastructure to allow for the continued advancement of our Wholesale businesses, including system enhancements and the acquisition of a 30,000 square foot, temperature-controlled warehouse for our Oregon business and an addition 20,000 square feet in Washington. I am honored to lead this amazing team of professionals for whom I have such high esteem, and to represent such a collection of highly regarded winery partners.”
Murphy will assume his new role from his base in New York, NY.
About Wilson Daniels
Founded in 1978, Wilson Daniels is a fully integrated, family-owned marketing and sales company representing a highly selective portfolio of the world’s most distinctive wines. Wilson Daniels continues to pursue and elevate the standards of excellence set by founders Win Wilson and Jack Daniels through developing long-term, strategic partnerships with luxury producers that possess profound respect for terroir and are benchmarks in their region. To learn more about Wilson Daniels, visit www.wilsondaniels.com.
