Pelican Brands; Taliera Holdings - J. Smoke Wallin

"Smoke", as he is known to his thousands of friends in the wine and spirits industry, is founder of Taliera Holdings, a company formed to acquire and license brands and run businesses in the beverage alcohol space. The company has alliances with several private equity groups and investors. The team has extensive experience in the Beer, Spirits, Wine and overall beverage industries throughout the US and the world. Smoke is on the road a lot, but Indianapolis is home base.

From Taliera's website: "The Taliera team has extensive strategic and operational experience through both consulting engagements and in active management across the industry. If you have a brand, a portfolio of non-strategic brands, or company in the beverage space that needs funding, distribution expertise, U.S. representation, or new strategies for doing business, please send a note to our "contact us" email. We will be happy to review business opportunities with you. "

Smoke is also Chairman of Pelican Brands, formed in 2009 to nurture and build brands in the global beverage alcohol space. Pelican Brands’ team and partners have extensive experience in the global beverage and consumer packaged goods industries. Pelican is the U.S. brand manager for Singha Beer. Website: http://www.pelican-brands.com/

He is director of the Wine Industry Technology Symposium ("WITS"), where he works closely with co-chair Lesley Berglund HBS '91.

Smoke is also chairman of Wine 2.0™, which is creating a family of web based and live experience based businesses providing value added services for the wine industry and wine consumers with specific focus on the next generation wine consumer.

J. Smoke Wallin is an accomplished leader and successful entrepreneur in the beverage & technology industries. He has spent the last 20 years leading or advising many of the largest brand owners and distributors on their “go-to-market” strategies, market execution plans and capital raising/investments. His clients or business partners have included: Anheuser-Busch, Credit Suisse, Diageo, Heineken, Pernod Ricard, Allied Domecq, Seagram, & Coca-Cola Enterprises, as well as 100s of winery clients from North America to New Zealand. In 1988, National Wine & Spirits (NWS) was a $150 million single state wine and spirits distributor. As head of the corporate group, and later as the CFO, EVP & Director from 1993-2004, Wallin led the strategic thinking and execution at NWS, which created a $1 billion plus multi-state wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverage distributor. He also served, as Chairman, President & Director of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) 1996-2004. He was President & CEO, Liquor Lab, LLC.

Smoke is thrilled about the opportunity he had to spend a semester at Harvard's Extension School, Undergraduate Program in Liberal Arts.

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