Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) concluded the 2025 NextGen Leaders Summit and Council for Leadership Development (CLD) Conference, held July 14–16 at The Logan Hotel in Philadelphia. This year’s event brought together over 90 rising leaders, next-generation executives and industry experts for three days of high-impact programming focused on the evolution of the industry, relationship-building and insight tailored to the future of wine and spirits wholesaling.
The dual-track format gave participants the flexibility to attend either the NextGen Leaders Summit, focused on family succession and executive preparedness, or the broader CLD Conference, which delivered content designed for emerging leaders across the full spectrum of the distribution tier. Many attendees opted to experience both tracks, according to WSWA, making the most of this year’s expanded programming.
NextGen Leaders Summit Lineup
Headlining this year’s summit was NBA legend and Viola and Tempter’s partner Allen Iverson, who joined entrepreneur, former NBA player, and Tempter’s partner Al Harrington, on stage to share an unfiltered conversation about their careers, leadership, authentic celebrity brand-building, innovation in THC beverages and the launch of the Iverson Line of Tempter’s THC drinks, according to WSWA.
Other featured speakers included:
- WSWA president and CEO Francis Creighton and WSWA chairwoman Dina Opici
- Saxbys founder Nick Bayer
- Hilton executive director for industry relations & intermediary group sales Kimberly Napolitano
- Co-founder and COO of BP Gruppo and CEO of Federal Donuts & Chicken Jeff Benjamin
- Beverage director of CookNSolo Restaurants Steven McAllister
- COO of Roger Wilco Liquor Store and Mike Fisch CFO of Gary’s Wine & Marketplace Ed Arking
- SipSource analyst Dale Stratton
Breakout sessions and panels covered issues like:
- Developing the Next Generation of Mission-Driven Leaders
- Being EVOLVE-ABLE: Cultivating Resilience, Adaptability, and Success in an Unpredictable World
- Hemp, cannabis, and the future of regulated alternatives to beverage alcohol
- Artificial intelligence in distribution operations, what is coming and how best to utilize tools available
- Redefining the on-premise experience and the evolving off-premise markets
“Our goal is to give the next generation of wholesale leadership real-world insights, peer connections, and access to the industry’s top voices so they are prepared to lead,” said WSWA’s Creighton in a news release. “This year’s event delivered on that promise and more—providing attendees with the tools, strategies, and relationships needed to lead with confidence in a rapidly evolving industry.”
The Evolution of the Wine & Spirits Industry
The event also featured structured networking and evening receptions, according to WSWA.
“The theme of this year’s conference was ‘evolution,’ an important topic as we face an inflection point in our industry,” said this year’s host and vice president, portfolio development at Allied Beverage Group Sara Harmelin in the release. “I was inspired by the conversations, connections and collaborative spirit of my peers that permeated last week and am confident that this next generation of leaders will carry the bev-alc business forward. Hot issues and categories may change, but the passion our wholesalers have for the industry and for its future remains as strong as ever. We are open to new and that’s exciting – and what our industry needs right now.”
