Executive Leadership
Lou conrad
President
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.
John T. Dunn
Managing Director
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.
Sales LEADERSHIP
paul doran
Vice President - Control States
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.
carter perks
Vice President - Open States
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 careerin 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 Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and currently resides in his home state of Florida.