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Our Leadership
David and Robert Trone, owners of Total Wine & More, lead a knowledgeable team focused on executing Total Wine & More’s goal of providing an excellent selection of wines from around the world at the lowest price possible.
Ownership Team
David and Robert have been involved in the alcohol beverage business since 1985 and the wine business since 1991 when they opened two wine retail stores in Delaware. Over the years, the brothers added not only a greater selection of fine wine but also expanded into many other states. Today, Total Wine & More is the largest independent wine retailer in the country. David and Robert have traveled throughout the world working with producers to bring Total Wine & More the best selection at the lowest prices. David graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree from Furman University and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Robert and his brother David currently own and operate America's largest independent fine wine retailer. While David oversees store operations and expansion, Robert focuses on internal business such as purchasing, advertising and accounting. Although their work is very different, their goals are very much the same: providing consumers with the highest quality wines at the lowest cost, providing consumers with the best selection of wine possible from all regions of the world at all price points and providing consumers with expert wine staff who can assist them. Robert earned his bachelor's degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his juris doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Executive Team
Mark Powell | Executive Vice President of Store Operations
Mark joined Total Wine & More in March 2010 and has over 30 years of retail operations and distribution experience. Previously, Mark was Senior Vice President of Operations, Asset Management and Loss Prevention for Bloomingdale’s. At one point, he was the Vice President of Operations for the chain's flagship 59th Street location in New York City. Mark began his career with Bloomingdale's and moved progressively forward in the stores and distribution centers, working his way up the operations career ladder. At Total Wine & More, Mark has full responsibility for the retail stores, store support and loss prevention practices of the company. Mark obtained his bachelor’s degree from Queens College in New York.
Scott Litten | Chief Financial Officer
Scott joined Total Wine & More in early 2008 and assumed the duties of Chief Financial Officer in 2009. He has over 30 years of experience as a C.P.A. and as a senior financial executive in retail companies, including positions with Neiman-Marcus, Zales, Family Dollar, Hechinger, and Hills Department Stores, where his roles included leadership of accounting, treasury, taxes, insurance, audit, loss prevention, information technology, distribution, and merchandise planning and allocation. Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Purdue University and holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from Arizona State University. Scott is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Bob Schoening | Chief Information Officer
Bob joined the Total Wine & More team in July of 2009. He comes to Total Wine with over 30 years of executive experience in the retail industry, specializing in the supermarket field. His background includes holding the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer positions at Pathmark Stores, Inc., a supermarket and pharmacy company based in New York City. Prior to Pathmark, Bob was the Senior Vice President at Ahold Information Services in Greenville, South Carolina, and Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Giant Food, Inc., in Landover, Maryland. Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in economics as well as a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Washington University.
Stephen Battalia | Senior Vice President of Human Resources
Stephen joined Total Wine & More in October, 2012, coming from Nestle. He most recently served as the Vice President of Human Resources for Nestle UK and Ireland. In this role he introduced a comprehensive leadership training program, directly contributing to the organization’s over-achievement on sales and profit numbers. Previously, Stephen worked for Nestle in Switzerland, where he ran the HR function for Asia, Oceania and Africa zones. Earlier roles included VP of HR, Nestle USA and VP of HR for Foodservice Division of Nestle USA. His responsibilities at Total Wine will have him working cross-functionally to build a team, brand, and culture that reinforce our Guiding Principles of Innovation, Integrity, Teamwork and Respect. As a member of the Sr. Leadership Team, he will work collaboratively to craft a strategic plan for Human Resources and a progressive company vision. Stephen has a B.A. from The George Washington University and advanced certifications from the London Business School, IMD Switzerland and Harvard University.
Jay Clarke | Senior Vice President of Supply Chain
Jay joined Total Wine & More in January of 2012. He comes to us from Coty, a $4 billion company where he served as the Vice-President of Extended Supply Chain. Jay brings with him over 30 years of executive experience in the retail and consumer package goods industries. Previously, he held supply chain leadership positions with several large retail chains such as Toys-R-Us, OfficeMax, Edison Brothers Stores and Fay’s Drugs. At Total Wine & More, Jay’s responsibilities will include the Supply Chain Solutions, Market Management and Supply Chain departments. Jay received a B.A. in Economics and Business Management from the State University of New York and a Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse University.
John Jordan | Senior Vice President & Chief Customer Officer
John joined Total Wine & More in 2010 with a wealth of experience helping organizations provide superior front-line customer care. He brings proven management and success in the fields of Customer Relationship Management, Direct Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Business Process Outsourcing. Starting in 1983, as founder, CEO and President of Telephone Access, Inc. (TelAc) , John executed many groundbreaking direct marketing and customer support campaigns for clients including MCI, Sprint, American Express, JCB, GM, Allstate and MetLife. John later founded International Market Access, Ltd., where he built and launched four customer care facilities in four countries, and most recently, John has been a senior consultant and advisor to Morrow & Co. John received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Maryland.
Steve Olsen | Senior Vice President, General Merchandise Manager
Steve joined Total Wine & More in April, 2013. He comes to us from Orchard Supply Hardware, a regional home improvement retailer in California, where he started as Senior Vice President/GMM, Merchandising and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Information Technology and Chief Strategy Officer. From 2004 to May 2010, Steve served as Vice President of Merchandising at Office Depot, Inc., a global supplier of office products and services. There he was responsible for strategy, financial planning, product selection, promotional planning and vendor relationships for the Supplies Division across retail, catalog, online and contract channels. Steve’s background also includes more than eight years at Accenture, where he specialized in the retail industry, working on a number of strategic assignments, including global management consulting and strategic initiatives. Steve has been a featured speaker at numerous industry leadership conferences and holds a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in History and Business Management from Brown University in Providence, RI.
Roger Wright | Senior Vice President of Store Development
Roger joined Total Wine & More in January 2010, bringing with him over 30 years of experience in the retail development industry. Most recently, Roger was the Managing Director of Retail Development at Faison, a private retail development company. Prior to Faison, Roger was in charge of real estate and development activities for Giant Food of Landover, Maryland, Genuardi's Family Markets and Hechinger Stores. At Total Wine & More, Roger's role is to oversee all store development activities. Roger earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Tufts University and master’s degree in urban planning from New York University.
Phillip Armstrong | Vice President of Real Estate
Prior to joining the Total Wine & More team in March of 2007, Phillip served as the Vice President of Real Estate for BJ's Wholesale Club. He has also worked for Thompson Associates, a research and consulting firm specializing in retail real estate research and strategy, spent five years as Vice President of Development for Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation, and worked for Price Waterhouse in their retail consulting group. Phillip holds a bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College and a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati.
Jeff Bartlett | Vice President of Marketing & Advertising
Jeff is the Vice President of Marketing at Total Wine & More. Jeff joined the team in the fall of 2005. Jeff brings a unique breadth of experience encompassing all areas of advertising and marketing. He is responsible for developing the company's brand and growth strategy. Jeff came to Total Wine & More with more than 15 years of marketing experience, having worked with companies such as Crown Books, Hechinger Stores, Woodward & Lothrop and, most recently, The Home Depot. Jeff is a graduate from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Edward Cooper | Vice President of Public Affairs & Community Relations
Ed joined Total Wine in 2011, bringing with him over twenty-five years of experience in corporate public affairs. He is responsible for the company’s communications and public relations, government affairs and community relations functions. Previously, Ed served as president of Highland Stone Associates providing integrated public affairs consulting services to Fortune 500 companies. Earlier, he served as vice president of The Hawthorn Group, directed the public outreach efforts of the National Association of Home Builders and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and served as a top professional staff member in the U.S. Senate. Ed holds a B.A. from Hobart College and an M.A. from Case Western Reserve University. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and serves on the boards of several local and national non-profits.
Melissa Devore | Vice President of Wine Buying and Pricing
Melissa joined the Total Wine & More team in 2006 after obtaining her MBA in Marketing and International Business at The George Washington University. Prior to joining Total Wine & More, she worked for Verizon Communications and Accenture. During her MBA education, Melissa pursued her interest in the wine industry, studying with a winery in Chile and working with a wine importer in the U.S. Melissa’s role at Total Wine & More includes overseeing both the domestic wine buying team and the pricing team. These teams are responsible for delivering our great domestic wine assortment to our customers, driving sales of the domestic portfolio, establishing product retails, assessing competitive landscape, and driving margin. Melissa obtained her bachelor's degree from Rice University.
Steve Faith | Vice President of Customer Experience
Steve joined the Total Wine & More team in 2000. Prior to joining Total Wine & More, Steven spent 17 years in the wine industry. Steven has served on advisory councils to many wineries and has traveled extensively to all the great wine regions of the world. He has played a pivotal role in continual wine education of team members and customers.
Mike Hanlon | Vice President of Accounting
Mike joined Total Wine & More in 2008 and was named Vice President of Accounting in 2010. He has over 25 years of experience in accounting and finance, starting with several years at the international accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick. Mike then held financial management roles in the retail and consumer products field, including Duron, Murry's, Alpharma, Cleo and Hair Cuttery, along the way expanding his experience in treasury, taxes, risk and loss prevention and information technology. Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his Master’s of Business Administration in Finance at the University of Maryland. He is a C.P.A.
Alfio Moriconi | Vice President of European Imports & Sales
With over 40 years of experience in the wine business, first as a retailer and then as an importer, Alfio has been instrumental in helping Total Wine & More search out and build relationships with the small, family-owned producers throughout Europe, with much of his focus on France and Italy. Alfio was also very much involved in educating consumers on wines throughout the United States. He co-founded and directed the largest wine club in America, Les Amis du Vin (The Friends of Wine), hosted his own television show, and taught courses at George Washington University. Alfio's focus at Total Wine & More is to work with our current suppliers to seek out new high-quality producers from Italy, France, Spain and elsewhere.
Mike Mulderig | Vice President of Wine Buying
Joining Total Wine & More in 1996, Mike has helped the organization attain its leadership position as the nation's most successful independent wine retailer. Mike works diligently with the entire buying team to bring many of the wine world's most renowned names to Total Wine & More. Mike is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, with a degree in economics and finance.
Rob O'Connell | Vice President of Store Support
Rob joined the Total Wine & More team in 2008, bringing extensive leadership experience in both field operations and corporate store support positions. Rob graduated from Providence College and has more than 16 years of retail experience with Toys R Us and Linens N Things. Over the years he has had various roles in store communications, loss prevention, regional operations, and store operations. Rob's role at Total Wine & More includes improving store operations through the use of technology, best practices and streamlined communication.
Paul Piho | Vice President of New Markets
Paul has worked with David and Robert Trone since earning his Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University in 1985. Starting with the first stores in Delaware, Paul has been intimately involved with the planning and opening of all the Total Wine & More stores. Looking forward, Paul is excited about expanding our unique wine retailing concept to wine consumers in new markets.
John A. Velke III | Vice President of Loss Prevention
John is a 30+ year veteran of retail loss prevention. He served as a Vice President of Loss Prevention and Safety at Lord & Taylor, Fred Meyer and at Saks, Inc., before joining Total Wine & More. His loss prevention credentials include a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, appointment by the Governor of Oregon to The Board of Public Standards and Training and service on the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Advisory Council. He has guest lectured at several colleges and universities, written many magazine articles and is the author of a historical nonfiction book about private security.
Sandra Clemens | Area Vice President of Operations
Sandra joined the Total Wine & More in October 2008 as an Area Vice President of Operations. Previously, she spent several years as the Division President for U.S. Foodservices and as a Director of Center Operations for Toys R Us. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and has her Green Belt Six Sigma certification from Villanova.
Jim Weiland | Area Vice President of Operations
Jim joined Total Wine & More in January 2008 as an Area Vice President of Operations. Jim comes to us from Office Depot and has been in leadership positions in retail for over 20 years. At Office Depot, Jim was a Regional Vice President responsible for over 125 locations in eight states and five Canadian provinces. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of South Dakota.
Lloyd Wrisley | Area Vice President of Operations
Lloyd joined the company in January 2008 as an Area Vice President of Operations. Lloyd brings over 20 years of retail experience, mostly in the supermarket industry, where he was the Regional Director of Operations for Food Lion. At Food Lion, Lloyd oversaw 160 locations in six states. Lloyd earned his bachelor’s degree from Strayer University in Richmond, Virginia.
