Gary Crowell has been in the spirits industry since 2008. With a deep background in business development and operations, he conceived the business concept that became Deep Eddy Vodka, a successful spirits brand based in Austin Texas. He pitched the idea to Chad Auler, and the two of them approached Clayton Christopher; the three of them founded Deep Eddy. With a national footprint, and a portfolio of flavored and straight vodkas, the company recently sold to Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. In addition to Deep Eddy, he founded Vinaire, another Austin Texas based startup which was focused on the wine storage market, offering storage and management solutions for collectors and casual consumers of wine. Vinaire promoted the wine lifestyle. Mr. Crowell performed as the lead role and was responsible for business plan development, funding placement, sourcing and management of material contracts, sales and sales forecasting, and contract delivery. Clients included high net worth individuals as well as a variety of custom and production builders. In 2014, he and 3 partners founded Austin Spirits, Inc., which has just released its first product, 9 Banded Austin Whiskey. Initially launching in Austin, the brand will soon be statewide with regional distribution slated to begin in Q4 2016. The 5-year business plan lays out a path to super regional distribution, with a planned exit at approximately 100k cases a year in 2021. Blended and bottled here in Austin, 9 Banded Austin Whiskey has a smooth flavor profile with a laid back finish, perfect for cocktails or drinking on the rocks. Mr. Crowell has a proven ability to increase product margin through increases in productivity and reduction in cost of materials. He has solid relationships with customers and industry leaders in the Spirits industry.