2020 Years of Service Awards
Today we are proud to recognize a group of 108 employees who have been part of the Heaven Hill family for five to 55 years. While we’re unable to gather in person to celebrate these team members and these important milestones, we want to express our heart-felt gratitude to these dedicated individuals. Please join us in congratulating the following employees:
55 YEARS
John Roby: Bardstown Bottling Label Machine Operator
John joined the Heaven Hill family in 1965 working in the old bottling house, loading trucks by hand. From there he transferred to the barrel warehouse where he worked until 1968, when he was deployed to serve in the Vietnam War until 1969. After returning from Vietnam, John began working in the new bottling house as a full case supplier followed by an empty case supplier. In his time with Heaven Hill, John has served as a Laborer, Head Cases Supplier, Empty Cases Supplier, Mechanic, and Strip Stamp Machine Operator. For the past 21 years, John has worked as a Label Machine Operator.
“John has great work ethic and is very committed to performing his job with a focus on efficiency and quality,” said Bottling Line Supervisor Rob Brown. “He has a very positive attitude and can almost always be found with a smile on his face.”
Outside of work, John has been a volunteer fire fighter for 33 years and enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons and five grandchildren.
We recognize John for his concern for the business and dedication to the company. “He still works countless hours of overtime and is the type of person that always tries to leave things better than he found them,” Rob says. “He is meticulous in performing the daily tasks involved with his job. We’re lucky to have John as part of the Heaven Hill family.”
50 YEARS
Max Shapira: President, Heaven Hill Brands
Growing up in the shadow of his family’s Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, Max L. Shapira left to earn his undergraduate degree at Washington and Lee University in 1965 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1967. Max joined his family’s company in 1970 as Director of Corporate Planning, after spending five years at Morgan Guaranty Trust (now J.P. Morgan) in New York. He became president in 1996 following the death of his uncle, George Shapira, the last surviving member of the five founding Shapira brothers.
Under Max’s leadership, Heaven Hill Brands has undergone steady expansion—through internal product development, brand acquisition and international growth—that has taken the company beyond its traditional roots as a Bourbon distiller. Heaven Hill Brands now ranks among the leading distilled spirits suppliers in the United States and is the largest independent, family-owned and operated company in the industry.
Join us in congratulating Max on 50 years with Heaven Hill. His leadership and dedication throughout the years has empowered us to develop a broadly diversified portfolio, reaching consumers of all kinds and growing Heaven Hill Brands into the spirits giant it is today.
40 YEARS
Vickie Evans: Customer Service Assistant
John Hamilton: Bardstown Bottling – K/Line Material Handler Supplier
Ronald Hatfield: Bardstown Bottling – Processing Working Foreperson
James Carrico: Bardstown Bottling – Janitor
John Murphy: Bardstown Bottling – Palletizer/Depalletizer Oper/Utility
Mark Hazelwood: Bardstown Bottling – Palletizer Operator
Lisa Dugan: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Line Helper
Doretta Lydian: Bardstown Bottling – Case Sealer/Case Packer Operator
William Hood: Bardstown Bottling – Shipping Janitor/Utility Operator
Doug Osborne: Bardstown Bottling – Head Case Sealer
30 YEARS
Brenda Gayle Lassiter-Oliver – Black Velvet Distillery
Joseph Bowling: Barrel Warehouse – BT Whse Working Foreman/Forelady
Steve Boone: Bernheim Senior Distillery Supervisor
Tawnie Gootee: Quality Assurance Bottling Specialist
Vanessa Whitson: Bardstown Bottling – Filler Operator
Judith Osborne: Bardstown Bottling – Depalletizer/Utility Operator
Timothy LaTondress: Bernheim Distillery – Distillery Maintenance
Barbara McDonald: Bardstown Bottling – Label Machine Operator
Elizabeth Mason: Bardstown Bottling – Label Machine Operator
Michael Mattingly: Bardstown Bottling – Maintenance Technician
25 YEARS
William Comley: Bardstown Bottling – Backup Janitor
Troy Adams: Bardstown Bottling – Dump and Reducing Operator
Linda Smith: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Line Helper
Brian Werner: Bardstown Bottling – Assistant Label Supplier
20 YEARS
Jeremy Rogers: Bardstown Bottling – Dump Room Laborer
Barbara Bryant: Bardstown Bottling – Case Sealer/Case Packer Operator
Karen Barnett: Bardstown Bottling – Capsule Machine Utility Operator
Kevin Cvetko: Black Velvet Distillery
Patrick Adams: Bardstown Bottling – Capsule Machine Utility Operator
Julian Hurst: Bardstown Bottling- Dump Room Laborer
Brandi Daniels: Bardstown Bottling – Fork Lift/Utility Operator
Timothy Yates: Bardstown Bottling – Depalletizer/Utility Operator
Charles Ball: Bernheim Barrel Warehouse – Bernheim Inspector
Joseph Cissell: Bardstown Bottling – Dump and Reducing Operator
David Weathers: Bardstown Bottling – WLD Working Foreperson
Tonya Downs: Bardstown Bottling – Filler Operator
Shirley Hall: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Line Helper
Reid Hafer: Group Product Director
Pat Gootee: Bardstown Barrel Warehouse Supervisor
Chester Comley: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Laborer
Robert Lewis: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Laborer
William Durbin: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Line Helper
Thomas Metcalf: Bardstown Barrel Warehouse Supervisor
15 YEARS
John Sullivan: Texas Area Sales Manager
Victoria Clark: Customer Service Supervisor
Chasity Riley: International Sales and Marketing Manager
David Medley: Bardstown Bottling – Bulk Glass Line Operator
Shawn Harmon: Bardstown Bottling – Label Machine Operator
William Brown: Barrel Warehouse – Warehouse Laborer
Stuart Hill: Bardstown Bottling – Backup Assistant Label Supplier
Eric Boblitt: Bardstown Bottling – Processing Operator
Adam Ganoe: Bardstown Production/Master Scheduler
10 YEARS
Aaron Oldenburger: Black Velvet Distillery
Joseph Bryan: Barrel Warehouse – BT Whse Utility Operator
Tyler Tramuta: South Central Division Manager
Marlon Linton: Bardstown Bottling – Backup Tank Change Operator
Thomas Rogers: Bardstown Bottling – Oiler/Greaser Utility Operator
Gail Hall: Senior Accountant
Garth Dunn: Black Velvet Distillery
Abbey Nowlin: Deep Eddy Vodka Regional Sales Manager – Southeast TX & LA
Aaron Donnelly: Bardstown Bottling – Industrial Mechanic Apprentice
Robert Rubinstein: National Sales Operations Manager
Joseph Harned: Bardstown Bottling – Bulk Glass Line Operator
Russell Spalding: Bardstown Bottling – Scrambler/Utility Operator
Kevin Andrew: Senior Manager, Inventory and Customer Service
Mark Curtsinger: IT Business Applications Manager
Yvonne Hardin: Bourbon Heritage Center Bourbon Host
Donna Milby: Maintenance Coordinator/Stockroom Supervisor
5 YEARS
Christopher Romero: Bernheim Distillery Supervisor
Kenneth Sanders: Bardstown Maintenance Project Engineer
Carol Nalley: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Utility
Kelsey Lumbreras: Deep Eddy Vodka Executive Administrator
Lauren Cherry: Communications Manager
Dabney Clore: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Event Coordinator
Derek Bryan: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Utility
Douglas Fulkerson: Barrel Warehouse – Production Specialist Whse
James Gognat: Barrel Warehouse – Production Specialist Whse
Phillip Grangier: Bardstown Bottling – Bulk Glass Line Operator
Daniel Newton: Bardstown Bottling – Fork Lift/Utility Operator
Michael Burba: Barrel Warehouse – BT Whse Working Foreman/Forelady
Ann Marple: Bourbon Heritage Center Operations Manager
Brook Drury: Corporate Events Manager
Charles Nugent: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Bourbon Host
Bryan Wood: East Division Sales Manager
George Harrison: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Bourbon Host
John Fisher: Senior IT Programmer & Analyst
Will Jay: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Distillery Technician
Jeremy White: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Bourbon Host
Lynda Blake: Bourbon Heritage Center Tourism and Retail Supervisor
Gregory Ward: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience Bourbon Host
Molly Vincent: Brand Manager
Pebbles Duran: Deep Eddy Operations Production Team Lead
Mack Stallard: Bernheim Distillery – Distillery Operator
Alexander Kline: Bernheim Barrel Warehouse Supervisor
Thomas Kappenman: Deep Eddy Vodka West Division Sales Manager
Evan Newton: Bardstown Bottling – Bottling Utility
Joseph Newton: Bardstown Bottling – Processing Operator
Sarah Hampton: Senior Graphic Designer
Amy Bowman: Control State Customer Service Inventory
Tammy Vittitow: Import/Export Customer Service Coordinator
Chris Humphreys: Multimedia Producer
Abby Williams: Assistant Brand Manager
Liz Townsend: Mid Atlantic Regional Sales Manager
Patrick Stiff: Budgeting and Forecasting Manager
