Meet Our Team
We’re Experts In The Field
We leverage our global expertise and local insights to partner with our clients to transform their beverage innovation processes, advise on category insights and help to turn your ambitious goals into reality.
Our team includes experienced professionals with backgrounds in global innovation, winemaking, brewing, distilling, food science and chemistry. Our process is driven by our people, bringing their diverse experience to BevZero for the opportunity to apply their talent to complex problem solving and innovating on your behalf.
Team of Experts
Management
Board
Jeff Stearns
Jeff currently holds the position of Vice President and Group Sales Executive Freight Segment at Wabtech Corporation following numerous sales leadership positions within other segments at Wabtech. Prior to his employment with Wabtech, Jeff held a Regional Sales position with Rockwell. Jeff holds a BA degree in Marketing from Iowa State University and has completed the Executive Leadership Program at the University of Illinois and the Strategic Planning Program at Michigan State University. His experience includes the AAR Associate Members Board of Directors; Rail Supply Institute (RSI) Board of Directors; and Charmain of the RSI Board of Directors. Jeff and his wife Sofya currently reside in Pittsburgh.
Steven Siglin
Steven Siglin, a founding shareholder, is a graduate of Georgetown Law School and has divided his 40-year career between 20 years of private practice and in-house legal counsel to several major corporations, including Century 21 and Pridemark Corp. He was ConeTech’s legal counsel from 1991 to 2006, when he became Executive VP and General Counsel of Cotti Foods Corp., one of the country’s largest franchise operators.
Scott Burr
Scott Represents the fourth generation of grape growers and winemakers. Scott helped his family tend to the vineyards and winery throughout his childhood and earned a B.S. in Enology and Food Science from Fresno State University. Scott played a key role in the initial success of Conetech, and the use of its technology in wine. Scott currently resides in Kona Hawaii where he farms and grows 100% Kona Coffee.
Debbie Novograd
Debbie Novograd is a problem solver and forward thinker. Her ability to not only look at larger existing problems, both internally and externally, but identify future opportunities in the marketplace to meet consumer trends and needs is what propelled her over the last 25 years through leadership roles in marketing and business development for food and beverage behemoths like Starbucks and Aramark. As Director of Marketing for Starbucks International, Debbie utilized brand innovation to define Starbucks in each new market, marrying consumer needs with company deliverables. At Aramark, Debbie moved into operational management and business development solidifying new partnerships and retaining national accounts. Both of these roles would prove to perfectly position her for what was to come. Under her leadership, BevZero now stands at the forefront of beverage innovation in the dealcoholization and infused beverage space helping global beverage brands of all sizes develop new products, as well as improve existing ones by guiding them through a step-by-step process that allows them to produce the highest quality products. As Debbie leads BevZero into the next decade of beverage innovation, she will continue to use her foresight, her team’s expertise and the company’s cutting-edge technology to not only develop next-gen beverage products, but to change the overall perception of social beverages and consumers’ relationships with non-alcoholic and lower-alcoholic drinks.
Jerome Eckert-Nathan
A French lawyer by trade, Jerome Eckert-Nathan’s extensive career has spanned the globe, industries and a number of successful exits. Throughout his 30 + year career, Jerome’s entrepreneurial spirit has guided him through various finance and operations positions for successful high growth companies such as Tekelec (acquired by Oracle) and Centellax (acquired by Mircosemi), as well as stints as an investment banker, commercial real estate developer and consultant to foreign investors. All of this vast international experience is exactly what led BevZero founder Tony Dann to recruit Jerome to help steer the 25 year old company through its next phase of innovation and global expansion of both advisory services and equipment sales. Utilizing his team’s expertise, Jerome will focus on further penetration throughout Europe and The Americas, increased equipment offerings through new exclusive distribution deals and innovative partnerships that bring beverage into the next frontier.
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