Charlotte

Nelson is a 28-year veteran of the Beer & Wine industry. In 1992, Nelson started his career with Western Distributing in Colorado. He then moved to the supplier side of the industry and began working for Kendall Jackson Winery. While at Kendall Jackson, Nelson was responsible for the markets in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. In 2001, Nelson moved to Raleigh and joined the Empire team as the General Manager. Before his career in the Beer & Wine industry, Nelson attended Colorado State University majoring in accounting and criminal justice. Nelson and his wife Colleen have been married for 27 years and have three children. Nelson continues to volunteer and support The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, American Diabetes Association and the National Sepsis Alliance. Nelson’s interests include golf, fly fishing, shooting, hunting and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jimmy was born and raised in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. He transferred to GA in 1994 with Publix Supermarkets and quickly made his way into management. In 2000 he left Publix and joined the Empire team in Atlanta and has held numerous positions including Sales Rep, Key Account Manager, District Manager, Chain Director and Sales Manager for the Retail Wine Division. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Food Industry Association in ’18 - ‘19. In January of 2021, Jimmy was promoted to GM of our Charlotte branch in North Carolina where he oversees all operations and sales for this thriving market. The Greensboro/Winston-Salem branch was added to Charlotte in the summer of 2023. Jimmy and his wife Adriana have a blended family with 2 kids, daughter Camila and son Cole. When not working Jimmy enjoys traveling, exercise, watching sports, golf, music and barbecuing.