SEATTLE -- Jones Soda Co. has hired Lars P. Nilsen to the new position of executive vice president of sales. Nilsen will be responsible for all sales for the company and will be based out of the Seattle headquarters.
Nilsen has extensive experience with all aspects of consumer products sales and 12 years of experience in the beverage industry. He joins Jones Soda from Northwest Horticulture where he served in the roles of COO and president/CEO, tripling sales over four years.
Prior to joining NWH, Nilsen served for 8 years in [image-nocss] multiple senior positions with The Coca-Cola Co. in Scandinavia, most recently as director of on-premise for the Nordic Region, where he was responsible for directing corporate strategy across the five Nordic countries with sales of $300 million. As vice president of sales at Coca-Cola Bottlers of Denmark from 1996 to 1999, Nilsen established and built an on-premise sales division with annual sales of $110 million, growing market share from 50% to 70%. As president of Coca-Cola Cold Drink in Oslo, Norway, from 1993 to 1996, Nilsen was responsible for building a $50 million on-premise company with a staff of 145.
Nilsen began his career in the beverage industry at Nutri-Fruit Inc., Bellevue, Wash., where he worked from 1989 to 1993 as director of sales and marketing.
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