NICOLE ELIZABETH
Proprietor, Bev Alc Compliance Premier Wine Compliance
Age: 33 First industry job: Benziger Family Winery, Hospitality Associate Favorite drink: Depends on the weather, usually a dry red wine
Growing up in Sonoma County, Nicole Elizabeth was surrounded by the beverage alcohol world— vineyards in every direction and world-renowned breweries close enough to feel part of daily life, so developing an interest felt inevitable.
Once Elizabeth took an introductory wine class, she was hooked. She was amazed by the culture, the craft and the people and never looked back. Now, as the proprietor, bev alc compliance at Premier Wine Compliance, Elizabeth says starting her own company challenged her in ways she never expected, but she loves every second of it.
“ My role is paperwork-heavy, but taking that off my clients’ plates and freeing up their time to focus on building their businesses is incredibly rewarding,” she says.
Elizabeth also mentions that she continues to learn and grow professionally as she stays in this industry, which has always been a driving force for her.
“ Starting my own company opened the door to so many new opportunities to expand my skills and knowledge and set goals that simply wouldn’ t have applied otherwise,” she says.“ I’ ve made a conscious, passionate choice to keep learning about the beverage alcohol industry across different regions of the country, staying adaptable.”
Elizabeth credits the position she is in today to everyone who has helped her and worked with her along the way.
“ I will be forever grateful to Drea Helfer of DH Wine Compliance for giving me my first foray into the wine industry and compliance, and for being a nurturing, empowered woman in business,” she says.“ During Covid, I was challenged in new ways and given the opportunity to work with upper management directly in a healthy, positive way, which taught me so much about resilience and adaptability. Those experiences and mentors have shaped not just my career, but the way I lead and support others today.”
Elizabeth’ s advice to young professionals in the industry? Believe in yourself.
“ Follow your passion, trust your intuition and invest in building a strong team— you’ ll be amazed at what you can achieve,” she says.
SCOTT STIERWALT
Brand director, Cocktail Kingdom
Age: 37 First industry job: Making pizzas at a local place called Little Tony ' s Favorite drink: A 20th Century cocktail
After years of bartending and working on the Cocktail Kingdom sales team, Scott Stierwalt in 2022 transitioned to brand director at the barware supplier.“ His knack for combining humor, cocktail nerd culture and historical relevance has opened doors for a younger generation of bartenders, while his focus on education with a playful spin allows Cocktail Kingdom loyalists to see why we do what we do,” says Annie Blake, the company’ s executive vice president of sales.
“ Scott ' s focus on history, his extensive cocktail knowledge and his creative marketing of our new Hard Strong glassware line allows bars to continue to innovate and be cutting edge in the highly competitive hospitality space,”
Blake says. He also is happy to go through the company’ s extensive cocktail library and pull the history on any drink to help his fellow industry folks out.
A natural leader, Stierwalt seamlessly works with his marketing team, the sales and art departments and CEO.“ As much of our team works remotely, his excellent interdepartmental communication prevents silos and ensures products get the maximum exposure while remaining true to Cocktail Kingdom’ s brand aesthetic and messaging,” says Blake.
As a member of the sales team, Stierwalt developed dozens of POS products for on premise trade marketing including many custom projects.“ He creates terrific digital content, both serious and whimsical,” says Blake.
Even as he stepped into the corporate side of the hospitality industry, Stierwalt has kept his ear and his Cocktail Kingdom platform available and empathetic to the viewpoint of the front line bartender, she notes. In an industry that tends to highlight the veterans, he makes the younger generations of bartenders a priority, and typically gears his sales and marketing initiatives toward them.
An accomplished bartender, Stierwalt never left the community that he came from. In fact, he was scheduled to open a new bar called Southside Cocktail Club in his hometown of Huntsville, AL, by the end of 2025.
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