Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits (DFWS) announced the upcoming retirement of Kelly Soendker, Executive Vice President, Sales, effective Dec. 31. Over her 16-year career with the company, Soendker “has been a driving force behind its commercial growth,” the company said, first as Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts, and most recently as EVP, Sales. During her tenure, DFWS surpassed $1 billion in annual sales and became one of the fastest-growing major wine and spirits suppliers in the industry. She helped grow Josh Cellars to well over 6 million cases annually in the U.S. With that, Wade Grote will be promoted to EVP, Sales, effective Jan. 1, 2026, succeeding Soendker. Grote brings extensive experience in sales leadership, distributor partnership development and strategic planning. He currently serves as SVP of National Sales, following his tenure leading the Distributor Planning and Performance team at DFWS.