Jim Collins is a partner and co-founder of Pros.Beer Jim has over three decades of experience as an executive with Beer, Wine and Spirits companies.
During the 1990s, Jim was the CFO of Pete’s Brewing Company (Pete’s Wicked Ale®), one of America’s largest and fastest growing specialty brewers, named by INC. Magazine as one of America's 100 Fastest Growing Companies in 1992, 1993 and 1994. As CFO, Jim led the team effort to take Pete's public on NASDAQ in 1995 and had responsibility for managing the production and procurement functions, accounting, treasury, SEC reporting, investor relations, information systems, budgeting and forecasting, and risk management. Jim also was integral in developing and implementing the Company's business strategy to support the Company's hyper growth, which achieved a compounded annual growth rate in excess of 120% increasing annual shipments to 500,000 barrels.
After Pete’s, Jim as a CFO, took Commtouch Software public on NASDAQ in 1999 and later became its COO managing a worldwide sales force.
Jim and his family relocated to the Napa Valley in 2001 where they founded, owned, and subsequently sold a vineyard, and two wine bottling companies. He has also been the CFO of several wineries including the one million case brand JaM Cellars, the maker of Butter Chardonnay® one of the fastest growing chardonnays in America.
Jim earned a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of the Pacific with a concentration in accounting. From 1996 to 2003, he has been periodic guest lecturer in the University of Pacific’s Eberhardt School of Business MBA program, on the topics of Family Business Management and Entrepreneurial Operations and Finance. In addition, Jim served as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence from 2014 to 2018 and taught graduate students in accounting for those five years.
Jim has been a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California for forty years and is a member of the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also is Accredited in Business Valuation and is a Chartered Management Accountant by the AICPA.
Jim and his wife, Dorothea live in Napa, California and have three grown children.
Greg Merideth is a partner and co-founder of Pros.Beer. He over thirty-five years’ experience working with beer and beverage clients on strategies, programs, and training to help them achieve their goals. Greg’s areas of expertise include, identifying sales and distribution channels, developing key account strategies, launch process, sales management, sales training, and sales tools.
For almost ten years, Greg was the Senior Vice President Sales for the Lagunitas Brewing Company where he was responsible for building and managing the company’s field sales team of two hundred representatives, as well as holding the responsibility for the USA and International Distribution model (Europe/Canada) of 1,000,000-barrel brand until it was sold to Heineken. He has worked in sales leadership positions for several beverage distributorships throughout the USA and prior to that was in field sales / national accounts for the Coors Brewing Company.
Greg earned his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and received a Master of Arts Certification in Pastoral Studies / Theology from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. He is a Board-Certified Chaplain, volunteering in Hospice Care in both Idaho and California. Greg enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife of 34 years and their two grown children, gardening, fly fishing and cooking. Greg is also a motivational speaker and is Cicerone Certified.