Michelle Korsmo hit the ground running today as the new President and CEO of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), outlining for staff in a series of in-depth meetings a multi-pronged Q4 action agenda for the association.
In the days ahead, Korsmo will conduct a national listening tour, speaking with member companies and association executive committee members as well as industry leaders. Her meetings will cover four broad priority areas: engaging with members, surveying and understanding the association and industry issue landscape, conducting a deep-dive on government affairs and regulatory matters, and expanding association leadership on projects such as SipSource Report, among other issues. Korsmo's review will scan all association departments and areas of association operations: government affairs; communications and membership; meetings and conventions; and finance and accounting.
"This is a truly exciting time to work in our industry, and I am eager to connect with wholesalers and their employees as well as retailer and supplier partners across the country," Korsmo said.
"Whether it is understanding new business and marketplace technologies like blockchain, or changing consumer behavior with the role of Drizly and other app-based purchasing and engagement platforms, the one certainty about tomorrow is that the marketplace and consumer needs we meet will continue to evolve from what we see today," she added.
"WSWA leaders have outlined a bold strategic plan for us to implement in the months and years ahead, and I am excited to work alongside the staff and membership as we implement it, sharing the story of family-owned American wholesalers, advocating for the three-tier system, and continuing to serve the needs of the industry by promoting diversity, inclusion and new opportunities," she concluded.
Korsmo begins at WSWA on the eve of the bustling October-November-December ("OND") season, wholesalers' busiest selling season, while the association holds one of its two annual governance meetings, launches marketing for the widely-attended 76th Annual Convention & Exposition which runs next spring, and wraps-up its final legislative and policy push in Congress and state capitals before sessions end for the year.
WSWA is the national trade association representing the wholesale tier of the wine and spirits industry, dedicated to advancing the interests and independence of wholesalers, distributors and brokers of wine and spirits. Founded in 1943, WSWA has more than 370 member companies in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and its members distribute more than 80 percent of all wine and spirits sold at wholesale in the U.S. Visit www.wswa.org to learn more.