ACIA 107th ANNUAL CONVENTION
SPEAKER SESSIONS
Monday, October 14, 2024
The Carneros Ballroom
8 AM | Breakfast and Welcome
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AM SESSIONS
8:30 AM | European Union Deforestation Regulation Policy Update
Dallin Brooks, Executive Director
National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA)
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9:15 AM | Logistics
David Meresak, International Business Development Manager
Laufer Group International​
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Marc Van Gorp, National Export Business Development Manager
Laufer Group International​
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10 AM | Maturation Research at James Beam Institute for KY Spirits
Brad J. Berron, Research Director
James B. Beam Institute
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10:45 AM | Sustainability Industry Panel
Anna Brittain, Executive Director
Napa Green
Will Drayton, Director Technical Viticulture, Sustainability & Research
Treasury Wine Estates
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Laure Comme, Sales Director, USA
H&A Barrel Management
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Facilitator:
Kyle Day, Senior Manager, Global Sustainability, Field & Forest
Suntory Global Spirits
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11:30 AM | Spirits State of the Industry
Brian "BK" Krueger, VP, Business Development & Portfolio Strategy
Bump Williams Consulting
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12:15 PM | Lunch
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PM SESSIONS
1 PM | Keynote
Congressman Bruce Westerman
4th District, Arkansas
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1:45 PM | Wine State of the Industry
Adam Beak, Managing Director and Head, Wine and Spirits
BMO Commercial Bank
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2:30 PM | Breakout Sessions
Barrel & Keg​ | Stave & Heading​
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3 PM | Board Meeting (Board Members Only)
Trinitas Boardroom
OUR SPEAKERS
ADAM BEAK
Managing Director and Head, Wine and Spirits
Adam is one of the most accomplished commercial bankers in the U.S. wine industry today. He leads a team of experienced wine and spirits bankers and has managed financing for some of the most noteworthy M&A deals in the industry. Based in Napa, California, Adam has built a national team of relationship bankers who cover domestic and international companies across the industry, from vineyards/wineries and spirits producers to packagers and distributors. A veteran of California’s wine industry, he is part-owner of Four Bears Winery LLC in Napa and served as COO/CFO for Heron Wines. Adam holds a master’s degree and undergraduate degree in marketing from California State University, Sacramento. He is also a graduate of the UC Davis Wine Executive Program and the Pacific Coast Banking School.
BRAD BERRON
Research Director
Dr. Berron coordinates the research activities within UK's James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. He is an associate professor of chemical engineering, and he collaborates across campus on several teams in the analysis of distillery processes. His current projects include EC remediation, chill/nonchill filtration, in line proofing, grain flows, and stillage processing. In addition, Dr. Berron enjoys teaching courses on distillery operations, chemical separations technology, and the analysis of chemical, heat, and momentum transfer.
ANNA BRITTAIN
Executive Director
Anna has worked locally, nationally and internationally on environmental management and policy, and has spent over 12 years facilitating and growing sustainability in the wine industry. She has helped lead the growth of the Napa Green program since 2015. She led the launch of the action-oriented RISE Climate & Wine Symposium, with 65+ expert speakers, 40+ sustainability sponsors, and 750+ guests. In 2023, Anna was named by the Wine Enthusiast as a Future 40 Tastemaker, and Wine Business Monthly as a Wine Industry Leader. Anna has a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management from the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara and a BA in Political Science and Environmental Studies from Williams College.
DALLIN BROOKS
Executive Director
Dallin leads the NHLA in its goals to provide education, networking, and lumber services to the hardwood industry, focusing on research, collaboration and promotion to advance hardwood lumber markets. Prior to joining the NHLA, Dallin worked at the Western Wood Preservers Institute where he promoted and advocated for the use of preserved wood and fire-retardant treated wood. Dallin has a BSc in Wood Products Processing and a MSc in Forest and Society from the University of British Columbia. Dallin’s other true passion is sitting on a lake and fishing in the summer or moose calling in the fall.
LAURE COMME
Sales Director, USA
Laure Comme is a seasoned professional in the wine and spirits industry, originally hailing from Bordeaux, France. After moving to Napa Valley a decade ago, she joined H&A eight years ago, where she has built a career in barrel management and leasing. With dual master’s degrees in International Business and Management, she has spent the last three years leading the US sales team and was promoted to Sales Director. In this role, she oversees not only the wine division but also collaborates with distillery partners in the spirits division of the company. Laure is passionate about fostering relationships in the wine and spirit industries and driving innovative solutions that benefit clients and partners alike.
KYLE DAY
SENIOR MANAGER, GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY, FOREST & FIELD
In his nine years with Suntory Global Spirits, Kyle has worked in barrels, grains, ingredients, procurement, and now sustainability. He has served on numerous boards, and is currently acting as ACIA’s Vice President of the Barrel & Keg Division and is a board member for the White Oak Initiative. A Kentucky Colonel and Eagle Scout, Kyle is a graduate of the University of Kentucky with a BS in Natural Resource Conservation & Management, and a MS in Agricultural Economics. Kyle lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife Kayce and their two daughters, Emerson and Hadley.
WILL DRAYTON
Director Technical Viticulture, Sustainability & Research
Will joined Treasury in 2008 as a Viticulture Intern at Etude Winery and has held many positions within the viticulture and winemaking groups. In his current role, Will oversees the technical and scientific aspects of grape growing for their California operations, as well as their Sensory Science and Research Winemaking teams. He also is part of the committee that guides sustainability efforts across the organization’s global footprint of wineries and vineyards. Will holds a Masters degree from UC Davis in Horticulture and Agronomy and undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge.
BRIAN "BK" KRUEGER
VP, Business Development &
Portfolio Strategy
BK brings a wealth of experience, business insights and strong relationships across the brewing and distributor community to BWC. His wide range of 20+ years in the Beverage Alcohol arena covers leading teams and implementing projects in all aspects of supplier sales and sales support, including training, organization development, territory expansion, export management, budgeting, deliverable strategy, sales programming, and field quality assurance. BK’s experiences help BWC partner with clients to reinvent their sales team and approach.
DAVID MERESAK
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
David Meresak has been helping international companies navigate complex supply challenges since 2005 after he graduated from the University of Missouri- Columbia with a degree in Russian Area Studies with an minor emphasis in business administration. He has been a business development manager at Laufer Group since 2013 and enjoys helping global organizations offering new ways of thinking and new solutions to drive out costs in their international distribution networks. His professional life has taken him around the globe traveling to 10 countries and counting. His focus is in forest product exports/imports and has a passion for the global barrel trade and the spirits it produces. David and Laufer Group are proud supporting members of ACIA for almost 10 years now and he is currently volunteers as Golf Chair for the association helping organize the day for all that participate.
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MARC VAN GORP
NATIONAL EXPORT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Marc is the National Export Business Development Manager at Laufer Group. He partners with companies to grow their export program. Marc started his career at Laufer in 2007 as the Export Manger of the Kansas City Station. He grew Kansas City exports from a 1 person department to an expert team of 25 that exports over 20,000 containers a year. After 10 years as the Export Manager he transitioned to a corporate development role as the National Export Business Development Manger. Marc started his career as an Export / Import Specialist for a large food packaging equipment and supplies company. He then managed the Export Department at a top 10 global forwarder for 7 years prior to joining Laufer. Marc is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Mo. He has degrees in International Business and Marketing.
CONGRESSMAN
BRUCE WESTERMAN
4th District, Arkansas
Representative Westerman is a native of Hot Springs, Arkansas. A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Westerman was a four-year walk-on for the Razorback football team. He later attended Yale University, where he received his Master of Forestry degree.
Before serving in Congress, Westerman worked for 22 years at Mid-South Engineering in his hometown, where he was involved in planning and engineering a wide range of industrial facilities that converted timber into forest, paper, and energy products. He got his political start as a school board member and was later elected to two terms in the Arkansas General Assembly, where he was the state’s first Republican House Majority Leader since reconstruction.
As the only licensed forester in Congress and an avid outdoorsman, Westerman fittingly serves as the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, having been on this committee his entire congressional tenure. Some of his keynote priorities from the 118th Congress includes the Fix Our Forests Act, a bipartisan bill that would grant forest managers much-needed resources and tools to address the urgent wildfire crisis plaguing the West, and the White Oak Resilience Act, which would create pilot programs for white oak regeneration and allow private funding to be utilized for white oak management and reforestation.