Staff
Jeff Grindrod
As Managing Partner Jeff focuses his time on strategy issues including business and marketing plans as well as managing approx. $1,500,000 in trade communications for the company's spirit, beer and wine clients. He is also responsible for the company's market research initiatives and has been an annual speaker at the on-premise industry's foremost event – The Cheers Conference, since 2006, as well as many other industry functions. Jeff works on BAT's portfolio of spirit brands including Pisco Portón and heads up the beer practice working with Heineken USA.
As Managing Partner Jeff focuses his time on strategy issues including business and marketing plans as well as managing approx. $1,500,000 in trade communications for the company's spirit, beer and wine clients. He is also responsible for the company's market research initiatives and has been an annual speaker at the on-premise industry's foremost event – The Cheers Conference, since 2006, as well as many other industry functions. Jeff works on BAT's portfolio of spirit brands including Pisco Portón and heads up the beer practice working with Heineken USA.
Jeff began his career in marketing at Procter & Gamble and Nestlé, and moved to Heublein/Diageo in 1992 where he served as Director of Marketing and Sales Manager in National Accounts working on the company's full portfolio of spirit and wine brands including Smirnoff Vodka, Jose Cuervo Tequilas, Wild Turkey Bourbon Whiskey, Beaulieu Vineyards and Mouton Cadet wines.
Jeff moved to brand management on Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey and then Smirnoff Vodka. After Diageo, Jeff started NOVA Marketing, a full service marketing and communications agency and worked with many beverage alcohol companies including Warsteiner USA, Heineken, Diageo, Allied Domecq, Banfi, Sutter Home and Pernod Ricard as well as a range of restaurant chains including Brinker, Darden, Applebee's and BWW.
Prior to forming BAT, Jeff worked with Warsteiner USA where he managed marketing planning and execution, and Allied Domecq's trade marketing and corporate communications.
Jeff is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Steve Raye
Steve Raye is a principal at Brand Action Team and has been widely recognized as a leader in developing innovative social media marketing programs in the beverage alcohol business.
Steve began his career in the industry with Heublein, predecessor to Diageo, managing brands including Smirnoff and Finlandia. In partnership with Jeff Grindrod, Steve founded BAT in 2005 and has been the driving force behind the company's digital marketing programs with an emphasis on blog outreach, e-commerce and social networks.
Steve Raye is a principal at Brand Action Team and has been widely recognized as a leader in developing innovative social media marketing programs in the beverage alcohol business.
Steve began his career in the industry with Heublein, predecessor to Diageo, managing brands including Smirnoff and Finlandia. In partnership with Jeff Grindrod, Steve founded BAT in 2005 and has been the driving force behind the company's digital marketing programs with an emphasis on blog outreach, e-commerce and social networks. Steve is a frequent speaker on the subject with recent presentations to Wines of Chile, Nixon Peabody Legal Seminars, and Vino 2010 for the Italian Trade Commission. In conjunction with USDC partners Next Level and MHW, Steve coordinated a full-day seminar on wine importing and marketing for a visiting delegation of wineries from Eastern Europe for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce.
Prior to starting BAT, Steve managed SEO (search engine optimization) for clients including German Agricultural Marketing Board, McCormick Seasonings and Twining Tea, and consulted on web site analytics projects for Crown Royal Whiskey, Ciroc, Bailey's and TheBar.com. He also worked on e-commerce projects for Drinks.com and eVineyard.com.
At BAT, Steve focuses on wine and spirits clients including the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Wines from Santorini, Canei, and Vinkara, a wine brand from Turkey that BAT is helping to develop for the U.S. market. On the spirits side Steve works on De Kuyper and Pisco Portón.
Steve is a graduate of Cornell University where he majored in Communication Arts. In addition to presentations at industry conferences, Steve is a guest lecturer at American International College and University of Connecticut and publishes the popular industry BATblog at http://thebrandactionteam.blogspot.com.
Stephanie Jerzy
Stephanie is the Public Relations Manager for Brand Action Team focusing on social media initiatives in the spirits business.
A graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Stephanie worked diligently throughout her undergraduate career as a sports reporter at Tucson's largest daily newspaper and as a Public Relations Assistant for a creative advertising and marketing agency. Steph boasts a family history in the hospitality and restaurant industries.
Stephanie is the Public Relations Manager for Brand Action Team focusing on social media initiatives in the spirits business.
A graduate of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Stephanie worked diligently throughout her undergraduate career as a sports reporter at Tucson's largest daily newspaper and as a Public Relations Assistant for a creative advertising and marketing agency. Steph boasts a family history in the hospitality and restaurant industries. We were pleased to learn that her great-grandfather was a wine shop owner in New York City and was the original US importer of Canei, an Italian sparkling wine that BAT is helping to rebuild here.
At BAT, Stephanie has quickly established herself as a credible member of the online spirits and cocktail community. She is responsible for blogger outreach and is also the author of two industry blogs that have gained wide recognition as valuable resources. She is monitoring and participating daily in a plethora of social media outlets and implements innovative SMM programs through a variety of cutting edge online tools. Stephanie is continually expanding her knowledge of spirits, wine, and beer and marketing communications in the alcohol industry through educational programs and seminars. She is a graduate of Pernod-Ricard USA/Beverage Alcohol Resource Bar Smarts Advanced program and is also earning her chops having taken on the mantle of resident BAT office bartender.
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Constance Chamberlain
Reporting from New York City, Constance is the Public Relations Manager for BAT's wine accounts, responsible for blogger outreach, social media marketing and other public relations efforts within the wine and beverage alcohol community.
Constance is an active participant in many wine trade and consumer events held throughout the country and is always looking for new and innovative ways to showcase her clients while bringing the wine community together.
Reporting from New York City, Constance is the Public Relations Manager for BAT's wine accounts, responsible for blogger outreach, social media marketing and other public relations efforts within the wine and beverage alcohol community.
Constance is an active participant in many wine trade and consumer events held throughout the country and is always looking for new and innovative ways to showcase her clients while bringing the wine community together.
Constance was first drawn to wine through her interest in all things cultural which explains why you can often find her exploring first-hand the terroir of vineyards around the world including those in Australia, Austria and Greece. Constance also participated in the American Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA and plans to attend many social media related events throughout the coming years.
Constance joined the company in the fall of 2009 after working as the Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator for a boutique wine distributor in New York City and acting as a freelance tasting consultant for multiple wine, beer and spirits brands for several years. At BAT, she manages PR for the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Wines from Santorini and Santa Carolina Winery.
Constance earned her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of Connecticut and is currently working on a Master's in the Science of Management with a focus on Public Relations and her Masters of Business Administration through the University of Maryland. Additionally, she has earned her Intermediate and Advanced Certificates from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and is currently working toward her Diploma.
Anthony King
Anthony is our digital technology guru responsible for BAT's initiatives in online advertising. He's developed particular expertise planning, buying and optimizing campaigns with Pay Per Click (PPC) programs including Google AdWords, Yahoo Search, and Facebook Advertising.
And while he's doing a great job in online media, his heart lies in sales, and he's pioneered development of innovative programs working with ecommerce retailers of spirits and wines enabling us to dramatically increase direct-to-consumer sales on behalf of our clients. Additionally he manages the Facebook consumer engagement campaigns for several clients including Canei, Hotel California Tequila and Akvinta Vodka. Anthony carries a degree in Political Science from Central Connecticut State University - we reccomend you avoid political conversation around him at all costs.
Jean Erickson
Jean manages BAT's wine clients with a focus on supplier, importer and distributor relations.
She began her career in the Marketing department at Heublein where she worked on the Smirnoff portfolio, Black Velvet Whisky, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Fontana de Papa Italian wine and Bouchard Père et Fils wines from Burgundy. This experience well-equipped her to open her own retail establishment- Buckingham Wine and Spirits in Glastonbury, Connecticut in 1986.
Jean manages BAT's wine clients with a focus on supplier, importer and distributor relations.
She began her career in the Marketing department at Heublein where she worked on the Smirnoff portfolio, Black Velvet Whisky, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Fontana de Papa Italian wine and Bouchard Père et Fils wines from Burgundy. This experience well-equipped her to open her own retail establishment- Buckingham Wine and Spirits in Glastonbury, Connecticut in 1986.
After almost 10 years on the retail side of the business, Ms. Erickson sold her store and returned to the supplier side with UDV America, taking a position in the National Accounts division, developing marketing/promotional programs for chain accounts. Eventually moving into the sales side of the business, she utilized her marketing and retail knowledge to drive sales in Connecticut and Rhode Island for the spirits portfolio.
Jean joined Caravelle Wine Selections as Marketing Manager, working with fine dining restaurants and top retailers throughout the U.S. to educate their waitstaff and employees on the wines from Baron Philippe de Rothchild, Lanson Champagne and Burgess wines of Napa, California.
A graduate of the University of Connecticut with a BS in Marketing, she also studied international business at George Washington University, Georgetown University and Oxford University in the UK.
Meg Casey
Meg brings two decades of wine and spirits marketing expertise to work for BAT's clients. At Heublein Meg gained experience in market research, brand management and promotions for brands including Inglenook, Lancer's, Black Velvet, TGI Fridays, Yukon Jack and Jose Cuervo Tequilas.
Meg manages accounts directly and also functions as our market research guru. She has particular expertise in online research methodologies that allows us to deliver quantitative results in a fraction of the time compared to traditional tools. Meg grew up in upstate NY and graduated from Syracuse University.
Liz Benyon
Liz came to BAT from Schieffelin & Somerset where she managing portfolios and brands including Moët & Chandon, Ruffino, and Casa Lapostolle. She traces her roots back to Heublein as well where she worked on Lancer's, Torresella and Croft Port. An excellent writer, Liz authors many of the newsletters that BAT produces, handles trade PR and also manages client relations for our wine and spirit clients. Liz got her bachelor's degree at Villanova and earned her MBA from UConn.
Laura Fasy
Laura is a Marketing Associate for the Brand Action Team, where she has quickly developed close relationships with trade publications in the beer, wine and spirits fields.
Laura is a Marketing Associate for the Brand Action Team, where she has quickly developed close relationships with trade publications in the beer, wine and spirits fields.
Laura’s background is primarily in Public Relations. With a degree in Communication and English from the University of Connecticut, Laura’s passion for PR, marketing and sales evolved as a member of UConn’s sales, marketing and management organization Pi Sigma Epsilon. For three years, Laura gained knowledge and experience with the organization at both regional and national sales conferences and competitions. Her senior year, Laura excelled as the organization’s Vice President of Public Relations, leading her team in the Pi Sigma Epsilon National PR Competition in Milwaukee, WI in 2010.
Before joining Brand Action Team, Laura also gained public relations and marketing experience as a PR intern for the Philadelphia 76ers, the city she proudly hails from. There she wrote press releases, mediated interviews between the press and team affiliates, and proved to be a valuable assistant during the 2009 NBA draft, 76ers Book Break Challenge and 76ers Summer Hoops Tour. She received praise for her event recaps posted on the 76ers homepage as well. Laura joined Brand Action Team in September 2010 and has proved herself a stable asset to the marketing and sales team. She is an adept learner of the ins and outs of media planning, trade PR and communication, and social media marketing for BAT, adding an innovative stamp to the business.