After a yearlong search, Stone Brewing Company has finally identified its next chief executive.
The San Diego-based craft brewery today named Dominic Engels, who most recently served as the president of POM Wonderful, as its next CEO.
“We interviewed a lot of talented people who were interested in this role,” Wagner said. “I was personally impressed with Dominic’s accomplishments and we connected right off the bat. He has a great skill set for the role and he is by far the best ‘cultural fit’ of anyone we talked to.”
As promised, brewery co-founder Greg Koch will transition into a new role as “executive chairman.” Fellow Stone founder Steve Wagner will remain as president, the company said via a release.
Engels held numerous positions at The Wonderful Company during the last 11 years, previously serving as the company’s managing director in Europe as well as the vice president of Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds in the U.S.
Engels’ career also included stints with Spalding Sporting Goods and The Gap, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Dominic’s experience guiding companies through periods of growth, on a global scale, have us really excited about the future of Stone,” Koch added via the release.
He will officially take over as Stone CEO on September 6, the company said, and he’ll have his hands full once he does. The company is currently working through a number of creative expansion projects, including new breweries in Richmond, VA and Berlin, Germany; a hotel in Escondido, Calif., and a taproom in Napa, Calif.