Market Watch Honors America’s Top Retailers At The Leaders Awards Dinner

The stars of the wine and spirits industry gathered at the Pierre Hotel in New York City last Thursday for the Market Watch annual Leaders Awards dinner, honoring the Retailer of the Year and a new class of Market Watch Leaders.

The Retailer of the Year honor went to John and Lindy Rydman, and their daughter Lisa Rydman-Lindsey, owners of Houston-based Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods. The Texas retail titan was founded by Carroll “Spec” Jackson, who spent $7,000 to open his first store in 1962. Today Spec’s presence across the Lone Star State spans 220 stores, with revenues of more than $2 billion. The family continues to build on this legacy, and Spec’s is now the first repeat winner of the Retailer of the Year award in the magazine’s history.

Six prominent retailers from around the country were named Market Watch Leaders at the event. Here’s a complete list of the class of 2025:

• Clair McKinley of Belmont Beverage and Chalet Party Shoppes in Fort Wayne, Indiana. McKinley, daughter of longtime Market Watch Leader Tom Druley, now leads the business her father started in 1971. McKinley manages a team of 400 employees between the two distinct but united businesses that make up a 34-store retail powerhouse in Indiana. Under her guidance, Belmont continues to thrive.
• Dustin Mitzel of Happy Harry’s Bottle Shops in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Mitzel began working part-time at this 5-unit retail chain when he was a college student. Today, 30 years later, he’s CEO of the company and has led the business through much growth and expansion. Mitzel is focused on the core objectives of the business model: service, selection, savings, shopping convenience, and philanthropy.
• Bruce Abbott, president of Liquor Stores North USA, or Brown Jug, in Anchorage, Alaska. Abbott has worked in all aspects of the beverage alcohol industry. He was recruited to run the new flagship location of Brown Jug in 2013 and has since climbed the company ladder to the very top. Abbott manages a team of 220 people across 24 stores ranging from 1,400 to 25,000 square feet.
• Sunil Khurana of West Chester Wine Warehouse in White Plains, New York. Khurana’s father opened his first beverage alcohol retail store in 2003 and after a career in law, Khurana joined the business part-time. When his father retired 13 years ago, Khurana took over the business and has led the company ever since. He manages a small group of long-time employees, and under his guidance the store has become a destination in the White Plains area.
• Andy Kumar of Colonial Wines & Spirits in Little Rock, Arkansas. Kumar entered the wine and spirits retail business through his family’s ownership of gas stations. In 2001, he independently purchased a gas station that sold beer and wine, and in 2017 he added a liquor store to his portfolio. The store has a 36-person staff and publishes a monthly magazine that showcases its wide assortment of wine and spirits.
• Richard Crawford of Green Valley Grocery in Las Vegas, Nevada. Crawford opened his first store in the Las Vegas area back in 1978, back when Sin City was not the tourism mecca it is now. Crawford has since expanded the business to a collection of 84 stores across Nevada. He is dedicated to providing both the residents and visitors of Las Vegas clean, reliable, and well-stocked stores.

Two Leaders alumni were also honored, for Best Marketing and Community Service. John Halper of Top Ten Liquors in Minneapolis, Minnesota was awarded the Best Marketing award, while Lock Reddic of Green’s Discount Beverage in Columbia, South Carolina took home the Community Service award.

Stephen Rust, president of U.S. Spirits for Diageo North America, was named Industry Executive of the Year for 2025. After getting his start in the on-premise, Rust moved to the supplier side and has worked at Diageo and its many forerunner companies for 36 years. He’s known for leading many highly successful route-to-market initiatives that have benefited the Diageo supply chain.

Among the brand award winners, Surfside (Stateside Brands) was named Spirits Brand of the Year, while Bonanza (Wagner Family of Wine) was Wine Brand of the Year. The Best New Spirits Product award went to Crown Royal Blackberry (Diageo), while Josh Cellars Seaswept (Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits) won the Best New Wine Product honor.—Madeline Ender

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