Birmingham-based Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. on Tuesday announced that Lucas B. Gambino has been named as the company’s general counsel and vice president.
Gambino, who started at the company last Monday, comes to Coca-Cola UNITED from Maynard Cooper & Gale in Birmingham, where he practiced law in the banking and corporate arena for more than 18 years. Prior to that, he worked in the Mobile office of the Sirote & Permutt law firm.
John Sherman, president and CEO of Coca-Cola UNITED, celebrated the hire.
“We welcome Lucas to the Coca-Cola UNITED family and look forward to his wealth of experience and knowledge as we continue to grow our business and serve our customers across the southeast,” Sherman said in a press release.
Gambino is a 1995 accounting graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and a 1999 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law.
A native of Baldwin County, Gambino’s family has owned and operated several restaurants there and in Mobile for more than 30 years, including the renowned Gambino’s in Fairhope.
Gambino currently serves on the board of the Alabama chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ). He has previously been recognized by Chambers USA in their “America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Banking & Finance.”
Gambino and his wife, Sawsan, reside in Vestavia Hills with their three children – Laith, Dima and Jude.
Coca-Cola UNITED, founded in 1902 and headquartered in the Magic City, is the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the United State.
The company is engaged in the production, marketing and distribution of a diverse portfolio of leading sparkling (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero Sugar, Dr. Pepper, Sprite and Fanta) and still (smartwater, Dasani, POWERADE, Gold Peak, Monster and Minute Maid) non-alcoholic brands under exclusive franchise agreements principally with The Coca-Cola Company and Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
Coca-Cola UNITED has approximately 10,000 associates located in more than 60 facilities across six southeastern states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. The franchises operated by the company include Chattanooga, the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler, and Atlanta, headquarters of the worldwide Coca-Cola System.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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