b'American Beverage Announces Election of New Chair, Officers and Members to Board of Directors American Beverage Board of Directors voted to elect Bill OBrien, chief executive officer, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling as its chair in October. Bill succeeds Matthew Dent, president and chief executive officer, Buffalo Rock Company, who was elected Chair in 2020. We know Members join CCBA in congratulating Bill. His experience and depthof knowledge across the beverage industry will be invaluable.To read the full press release, scan code:UNITED Announces Ernie Merrittas Vice President, Central RegionThe Coca-Cola UNITED Board of Directors unanimously elected Ernie Merritt to assume the role of Vice President, Central Region, effective January 1, 2024. Ernie will succeed Bo Taylor who will be focusing entirely on leading Operational Transformation and Route to Market activities, a key objective of UNITEDs strategic plan. Ernie has been with the Coca-Cola UNITED family since 2014 and was named Southern Pine Division Director in September 2020. Prior to that, he served as Key Account Director for the Central Region, leading UNITEDs regional and local retail customer management process and our National Retail Sales Key Account Development teams. These roles allowed Ernie ongoing collaboration with all four divisions across the Central Region, a thorough knowledge of how the Region staff supports the division teams, and the development of strong customer relationships.In his three decades with Coca-Cola, Ernie has acquired a deep knowledge of customer management, retail and on-premise sales operations, and revenue growth management. Ernie has also embedded himself in the communities he operates in and has developed long lasting relationships with Coca-Cola UNITEDs key partners. His proven leadership, his passion for people and his broad understanding of all aspects of our business will be the foundation of his success as he leads Coca-Cola UNITEDs Central Region. Ernie is a graduate of Columbus State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He serves on the boards of the Petroleum & Convenience Marketers of Alabama (PCMA), the Cameillia Bowl Executive Committee, and the Alabama Beverage Association.We know our members join CCBA in congratulating Ernie on his well-earned promotion Coca-Cola UNITEDs Gianetta Jones Honored withBirmingham Business Journals C-Suite AwardCongratulations to Gianetta Jones, Coca-Cola UNITED Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, who was among the honorees at the Birmingham Business Journals 2023 C-Suite Awards ceremony held in June. The awards recognize excellence among chief-level leaders in metro Birmingham. Honorees were chosen from a field of nominations based on contributions to his or her company, the companys track record of performance, the leaders role in his or her industry, and impact in the community, among other factors.13'