Coors' Gene Richter Joins General Cigar as VP of Sales

Monday, April 07 2008

Richmond, VA — General Cigar has announced that Gene Richter, former vice president of on-premise sales for the Coors Brewing Company, has joined the General as vice president of sales, effective April 7, 2008.

In this position, Gene will report directly to Dan Carr, General Cigar's senior vice president of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic sales plans, executing customer initiatives and enhancing field sales for General Cigar's premium cigar brands, including but not limited to Macanudo®, Cohiba®, Partagas®, Punch® and La Gloria Cubana® cigars. 

"Gene brings a strong track record of accomplishments across multiple customer channels and packaged goods segments from some of the world's best-selling beverage brands, " said Carr. "Throughout his career, Gene has excelled in all essential areas, including field sales, national accounts, customer marketing, logistics, and organizational development.  Gene's vast experience and energetic leadership will be invaluable as we continue to build General Cigar's superior selling capabilities and further capitalize on the immense growth opportunities in the changing retail environment."

General Cigar's regional sales managers and special events teams will report directly to Gene.

During his tenure at Coors, Gene was responsible for spearheading the company's national sales strategy, which encompassed more than 62 million cases annually.

Gene graduated from the University of Wyoming with a BS in Business Administration. After a stint in the United States Air Force, he began his sales career at Gallo Wines. At Groupe Danone, he held the position of vice president of national accounts, where he was responsible for generating more than 25% of the company's revenues for the leading bottled water producer. There, he concentrated on selling powerhouse water brands including Evian® and Volvic®.  Prior to joining Coors, he worked at Allied Domecq, where he spent five years as vice president with three different roles of increased responsibility, ultimately undertaking full general management of one of the company's top-selling spirit divisions. Â£ 

® Macanudo, Cohiba, Partagas, Punch, La Gloria Cubana, Excalibur, Hoyo de Monterrey and Club Macanudo are registered trademarks of General Cigar Co. Inc.
® Evian and Volvic are registered trademarks of Groupe Danone Inc.