BRITTANY KOTOWSKI
Ohio On Premise Regional Account Manager Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits
Age: 31 First industry job: Relationship Banker with Huntington National Bank Favorite drink: A nice rum drink, or a smoked beer
The beverage alcohol industry is a fun-filled, lively environment with a never-ending variety of tasty drinks to enjoy. Finding a passion for this environment, as well as savoring her own mixed concoctions, Brittany Kotowski was drawn to the industry.
Starting out as a relationship banker at Huntington National Bank, Kotowski is now the Ohio on-premise regional account manager for Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits. And while she always wanted to work full-time on the sales / marketing side of the industry, as a young professional, it was difficult to get into that position.
“ I overcame this by doing additional networking outside of my college degree industry, which was Psychology and Medicine, as well as attending various events, browsing various forums and asking questions to those already in the industry on how they became established so I could learn from them,” Kotowski says.
“ This taught me early on how to develop my elevator speech, to not be fearful of the unknown or shy when approaching strangers,” Kotowski continues.“ I learned how to sell myself before selling a product, and it’ s no secret this industry is strongly relationship-based.”
A key mentor in helping Kotowski get her feet wet in her career was her Ohio director, Cory Williamson.
“ Cory is more than a manager. He truly is a leader,” she says.“ He taught me to think outside the box, to never doubt myself and encouraged me to continue reaching for the stars. Without his guidance and support, I wouldn’ t be where I am in the industry.”
Kotowski’ s advice for young professionals in the industry? Always continue to learn, grow and improve.
“ Be like a sponge and soak up everything you can,” she says.“ Always keep an open mind, and don’ t be afraid to get to know your customers or make mistakes by trying something new ─you never know what greatness you will stumble upon.”
JOHN CRAFT
National Field Marketing Manager Patco Brands
Age: 33 First industry job: Working at Kraft Heinz Favorite drink: An ice-cold cranberry Long Drink with a Fernet sidecar after work
John Craft has always loved the fast pace of the beverage alcohol industry. Even starting off as a food runner for a catering company in high school, the room for growth and the chance to learn new skills while taking on new responsibilities seemed limitless ─ and it still excites Craft to this day.
“ The real‘ fun factor’ that drew me in comes from how naturally my personality aligns with the social nature of the business, the opportunities for creativity and innovation, and the passion I have for the wide variety of unique products in the market,” he says.
And while Craft has done quite a lot to help boost the beverage alcohol industry, the one thing he’ s most proud of is being the first founding employee at The Long Drink Company. Here, he helped scale the brand from a startup with four founders into a Nielsen Top 10 nationally ranked spirit-based RTD beverage.
“ Every day was a grind— meeting store owners and bar managers, running tastings and demos every night, and hand-delivering POS constantly,” Craft says.“ Looking back, I’ m proud of the magnitude of what we built! Scaling a company is incredibly difficult, and you have to treat it as a lifestyle, not a job. That experience shaped my career and still makes me proud today!”
Now, as the national field marketing director at Patco Brands, Craft utilizes the skills he developed from The Long Drink Company, overseeing large-scale experiential strategies and executions across the U. S.
“ I created 15 + person internal field marketing and sales teams, driving a 25 % lift in PODS across key markets,” he says.“ Under my leadership, Patco executes 500 + experiential events annually, reaching over 750,000 consumers, buyers and decision-makers. My cross-functional launch strategies have directly contributed to 100,000 + new case sales per year, demonstrating my expertise at the intersection of marketing, sales and brand innovation.” To remain successful, Craft sets goals for himself.“ I believe that 90 % of success comes from simply showing up— paired with managing expectations and maintaining a positive attitude,” he says.“ I set 2-, 5- and 10-year goals as guide rails, but my true measure of success is creating a positive impact for my coworkers while staying true to who I am.”
8 2026 BEVERAGE INFORMATION GROUP 40 UNDER 40