Republic National Distributing Company announced the appointment of two new leaders, signifying increased focus and support to suppliers and customers from New York to Florida.
The announcement includes the promotion of Randy Hecklinski to Southeast Region President and Melissa Linehan, who is joining RNDC as Northeast Region President. The Southeast Region under Hecklinski will include Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The Northeast Region under Linehan will include New York, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
“We’re excited to expand leadership in this region. Our strength has always been our execution. As we further develop our business in New York and across the eastern states, we see an opportunity to drive stronger execution by positioning our leaders closer to the market,” said Bob Hendrickson, RNDC Chief Operations Officer. “This ensures more dedicated senior leadership concentrating on our suppliers’ brands and our customers’ businesses in these states.”
Hecklinski has held leadership roles since 2019 when he joined RNDC. He is a currently the State Executive Vice President of RNDC Georgia and a member of RNDC’s Senior Executive Leadership Forum (SELF), a leadership development program dedicated to accelerating the growth of senior leaders.
Prior to coming to RNDC, Hecklinski held several progressive sales, marketing and commercial leadership roles at multiple suppliers including Trinchero Family Estates, Constellation Brands, Pernod Ricard and Allied Domecq Spirits. He began his career at the E&J Gallo Winery.
Linehan was most recently Vice President, Sales at Trinchero Family Estates and prior to this, she was with Pernod Ricard for more than 10 years. Throughout her career, Linehan also held sales roles at Brown Forman, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Terlato Wine Group, and E&J Gallo Winery.
Linehan brings an expertise in building brands and leading high-performing organizations which accelerate execution and increase strategic agility.
