Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits has promoted company veteran Wade Grote to executive vice president of national sales, effective January 1. Grote currently serves as senior vice president of national sales, a role he took on following a tenure leading Deutsch’s distributor planning and performance.

“Wade’s deep knowledge of our business and proven track record with distributor partners make him the ideal choice to lead the sales organization into our next chapter of growth,” said Deutsch Family president Mike Dee.

In his new post, Grote will succeed Kelly Soendker, who spent 16 years with Deutsch and is retiring at the end of the year. Soendker is credited with helping Deutsch surpass $1 billion in annual sales and boosting the Josh Cellars brand to well over 6 million cases in the U.S. market.

Company CEO Peter Deutsch said Soendker’s “unparalleled ability to lead and motivate teams, combined with her strategic vision and executional excellence have elevated our company, brands, and expanded our reach with distributors and consumers alike.”—Daniel Marsteller