the team

Mr. Mark Young was the President of Premier Beverage Distributing untill February 2006, a leading specialty beer wholesale company in Upstate NY. Mr. Young founded Premier Beverage Distributing in 1998 with a mission to provide the finest craft beers and premium beverages to Upstate NY and bring additional value to every venue it served. Premier now consists of three divisions servicing nearly every major market in Upstate NY with over 20 employees. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Young was a Senior Associate with Coopers & Lybrand, an international "Big Six" public accounting firm. Mr. Young completed his BS Accounting, Suma Cum Laude from University at Albany in 1995.

Mr. Dooney joined USBN in July 2009 to lead the company’s Business Development initiatives. Mr. Dooney brings with him extensive experience within the B2B and Beverage industries throughout a career that spans over 25 years. Most recently, he was VP of Sales – Consumer Brands at IntegraColor Ltd. He was engaged in meeting the in-store point-of-sale requirements for branded companies in this role. Mr. Dooney spent the previous 20 years with Cadbury Beverages, leading sales teams across the US and Canada. At Cadbury Beverages, Mr. Dooney led the sales capability efforts within their carbonated soft drink business and represented the organization on the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Direct Store Delivery committee. Also at Cadbury, he previously led the Food Service Business Unit across North America for the Mott’s Division. Mr. Dooney completed his MBA at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey and his BA at Western New England College in Massachusetts.

Mr. Tom Foley’s experience in the beer business spans over 30 years, all of which he spent with the industry leader, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. During his tenure as Sales Director with the National Retail Sales Group in St. Louis, he led the selling effort with several on premise channels including: Airlines, Airport Foodservice, Selected Casual Dining Concepts, and Concessions. Tom managed the Concessions Channel for 8 years, bringing value to the Concessions customers, and nurturing relationships within the segment. He was active in the industry as a member of IAAM (International Association of Auditorium Managers), NAC (National Association of Concessionaires), SMA (Stadium Managers Association). He also worked on the wholesale end of the business as Region Draught Manager, GM of a Division Office, and Marketing Services Manager at one A-B’s company owned branches. Tom graduated with a BA from William Patterson University in New Jersey.

Mr. Solomon began his career in Merrill Lynch’s Private Client Group in New York City where he was part of a team managing high-net worth portfolios and institutional portfolios. From there, Josh transitioned the team’s customer base to UBS Wealth Management where his focus became managing corporate retirement plans, institutional accounts and key client relationships. In 2001, leveraging his sales experience on Wall Street, he took on a sales management role with Newtek Business Services which offers merchant processing and SBA lending to small and medium sized businesses. Josh currently sits on the board of the Armory Square Association and on the Rosamond Gifford Zoo Development Committee. Josh received his B.A. in Business Management from Skidmore College in May of 1998.

TJ began his career as a manager with General Transportation Services in the Albany division. One of his many responsibilities included working directly with the customer service department at Sears to ensure 100% customer satisfaction. Under his direction, the division was rated the number one home delivery terminal for Sears in the nation based on customer satisfaction. Following his success at GTS, TJ was offered a position with Salt City Enterprises as Manager of Retail Operations. After one year within the Retail Division, TJ was promoted to a new position of Account Manager within the distribution operations of the same organization. His major duties included managing distribution territories throughout upstate NY, managing the current customer base within his regions, and acquiring new product placements focused on restaurant draft accounts. TJ received his BA in Marketing from ST. Bonaventure University in Olean, NY in 1997.

Sundar joined USBN as Manager, Business Systems after successfully completing the Syracuse University CASE internship program with USBN. Prior to the CASE internship, Sundar was hired as an intern at Snap-on Tools Singapore Pvt. Ltd. while still attending Syracuse University. One of his many accomplishments during the internship was creating an e-Commerce Marketing Plan which was implemented in the ASEAN region. He earned his Master’s Degree in Information Management (Specialization in Project Management and Electronic Commerce) from Syracuse University in May 2007. Sundar received his Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology with Distinction from Anna University in Chennai, India.

Nischay started his professional career with Infosys Technologies Limited (India) in 2005 where he first worked with Quality Assurance team and later with development team in a .Net environment. In August 2007 he joined Syracuse University for the Masters Degree program in Computer Engineering. In November 2008, he joined US Beverage Net Inc. as software development intern, and joined the company on a full-time basis upon successfully completing the internship. Currently Nischay is responsible for the software architectural designs, concepts and implementations of all .Net based products of USBN. He earned is MS in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University in December 08.

Mr. Kalra began his professional career in 1998 when he was a senior Fabric Merchandiser for Parsram Trading Company in Mumbai, India. Mr. Kalra received marketing and management expertise in this position as he managed a team of buyers across several cities in addition to developing and implementing the company’s business development program. After achieving his Bachelor’s degree, Mr. Kalra became Franchise Founder and Director for an IT education company, St. Angelo’s Computers Ltd. based in Mumbai, India. Market research and development of marketing programs was an integral part of this position. In 2003, Mr. Kalra worked as a Project Manager at the Department of Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises at Syracuse University and was employed in that program for a two-year period. Mr. Kalra received an MBA from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University in May 2005.

Mr. Solomon is currently the President of PJ Equities, LLP. From 1964 to 1989, he served as President of Paul-Jeffrey Company, Inc., a nationally recognized company specializing in the distribution of consumer products. He was founder in 1993 of Exponential Business Development Company, a seed capital firm in Upstate NY dedicated to providing controlled funding and management support to the region’s manufacturing and software start-ups and spin-offs. Mr. Solomon was a founding member of the Warehouse Education and Research Council and held positions of both Chairman of the Board and President of the Council. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Warehouse Association for three years. In addition, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Coherent Research, Inc., a software development company in Syracuse , NY . Mr. Solomon currently serves as trustee of Onondaga Community College and Millbrook School , and is a director of Alliance Bank, N.A. He formerly served as a board member of CISC Corp., United Negro College Fund, Syracuse Housing Partnership, Salvation Army, and Community General Hospital Foundation. He is a founding member of Syracuse 20/20, a group of diverse community leaders working together to identify priorities facing the City of Syracuse and further to develop recommendations and initiatives. Mr. Solomon is a graduate of Millbrook School and Syracuse University.

Mr. Tom Young is currently a Board Member on various Community and Civic Organizations. From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Young was Senior Vice President of Telergy, Inc., a Syracuse , N.Y. based telecommunications provider. Before joining Telergy, Mr. Young was the Chairman of the New York Power Authority where he oversaw an organizational restructuring resulting in spending reductions totaling $70 million. During his two terms as Mayor of Syracuse from 1986 to 1993, the city earned national recognition from two presidential administrations for outstanding achievements in urban revitalization and housing and neighborhood renewal. From 1975 to 1985, he was Executive Director of the New York State Fair.

Lance K. McKee, CPA/ABV, CVA, CDA is a founding partner of Dannible & McKee, LLP and has extensive experience in finance, attestation and review services for public and private businesses. Mr. McKee is also on the Board of Directors of various financial organizations and is qualified as an Expert Witness on business valuation and finance issues Lance currently specializes in acquisitions and mergers, business valuations and ownership transition for business owners. He is an active member of the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AMAA), a nationwide association of firms that provides specialized transaction services and support. He is also active in National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA), a national organization of business valuation experts. Mr. McKee received his undergraduate degree from Ithaca College and an MBA from Syracuse University. Mr. McKee is a member of a number of professional and academic organizations.

David “Bump” Williams is one of beverage alcohol industry’s most respected data and trend authorities. With more than 25 years of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and beverage alcohol experience, Mr. Williams is currently President of BUMP Williams Consulting Company. Prior to this, Mr. Williams served as executive vice president and general manager of the Beer, Wine and Spirits and Wall Street practices division of Information Resources Inc. (IRI), the world's leading provider of enterprise market information solutions and services. Mr. Williams rejoined IRI after serving as senior vice president, national accounts and retail strategies for Fort Collins, Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Company. He initially joined IRI as client service vice president, managing the Anheuser-Busch business as well as other small beverage customers. Before IRI, Williams was with the ACNielsen Company and headed its business development and client service group for the East Coast region. Mr. Williams began his career with the Procter & Gamble Distributing Company. He earned a master's degree from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree from North Adams State College. He is a regularly cited source by many of Wall Street’s top analyst firms and industry trade publications.

Mr. Sessler brings entrepreneurial savvy to USBN’s advisory board. Following his positions at IBM and Merrill Lynch, Mr. Sessler was involved in running and selling several small businesses. In 1994, he started Hamilton Products, Corp. and built it into an industry leader in specialty wiring products for the aerospace, medical, and telecommunications industries. Hamilton Products was sold in early 2008. Mr. Sessler currently serves as trustee of Nazareth College in Rochester. He was formerly on the Board of Directors of Beacon Federal Bank, Community Memorial Hospital of Hamilton, the Syracuse Small Business Council, and the Syracuse University Football Lettermen’s Club. Mr. Sessler graduated from Syracuse University.

Mr. Athanas owns and operates Anthony Pier 4 Family of Restaurants, including Anthony’s Pier 4, Anthony's Pier 4 Cafe and Hawthorne by the Sea Tavern in Swampscott, and Anthony's Cummaquid Inn. The restaurants were founded by Mr. Athanas’s father, Anthony Athanas Sr., Boston’s iconic restaurateur and a self-made multi-millionaire. Anthony's Pier 4 retains its title of one of the most popular restaurants in the country. Through the years, the restaurant has hosted heads of government, United States presidents, religious leaders, notable artists and writers, athletes, and a virtual who's who from the entertainment world. Mr. Athanas grew up in the family's restaurant business and has been involved in its operations from a young age. With his brothers Michael, Robert and Paul, Mr. Athanas continues the tradition that their father began almost 70 years ago as they guide their restaurants into the 21st century and beyond.