Beer Marketer's Insights - Pabst Restructuring Under New Leadership Too; Lookin' to Leave San Antonio HQ; Aiming for Growth in 2026 After Another Transition Yr

'Tis the season for restructurings under new leadership. Just as Molson Coors began to announce some specifics amid expected ~400-person cutback under ceo Rahul Goyal, Pabst's new ceo Greig DeBow and recently promoted cso Pat O'Dea shared plans to "refine" the sales org, amid other changes, with distribs late last week. Co's merging the Southwest and Northwest biz unit into a single "West Region" to be led by region veep Jim Brady, including AK, WA, ID, OR, MT, WY, UT, AZ and CA, while Colorado and New Mexico move under South Central region, still led by Keith Cunningham. Similarly, Northeast and Southeast biz units are merging into a single "East Region" led by Greg Thomas. Former northeast region veep Ryan Sheehan "will remain with Pabst" in a "customer leadership role." Tony Stefanek was promoted to senior veep of natl accounts. Cost Cutting Mode; San Antonio HQ Up for Sublease Thru 2033 Net result is layoffs across the org, not just sales, on top of several changes to leadership in the last yr. Co also put its entire 25K-sq-ft HQ in San Antonio on the sublease market, according to LoopNet listing thru San Antonio Biz Journal and KSAT local news in early Nov. The lease lasts thru 2033 and Pabst is in the process of finding a new tenant to take it over. No word on where Pabst plans to move offices at presstime but series of cost-cutting moves has co operating leaner heading into 2026. Co moved hq to San Antonio in 2020, originally expecting to house "nearly 90 employees" and hire more folks down the line as it closed Milwaukee outfits and repurposed its LA office (see Nov 11, 2020 issue)."Evolution" on the Road to "Growth" Changes are viewed as part of Pabst's "evolution" under Greig DeBow's leadership. "Pabst is entering a new chapter focused on driving collaboration and innovation, building the right culture, and positioning the company for future growth," he shared in released statement to INSIGHTS. "We are confident these changes will result in greater efficiency and improved service," he told distribs of the sales org structure. "We're excited about the road ahead and look forward to working together to make 2026 a year of growth & shared success."Growth would be a welcome shift in 2026 as it's been elusive for Pabst in the last couple yrs. Coming off of growth in 2023 amid tailwinds from Bud Light's fallout, Pabst shipments volume slipped 5.6% in 2024 and remains down 9% this year in tracked off-premise channels including flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon volume off nearly 12%. Co's been disproportionately impacted by contract production transitions in the last 3 yrs, moving from Molson Coors to City Brewing and then shifting most of its volume to Anheuser Busch starting early this yr. Transition to AB proved more challenging than anticipated, several sources have shared, impacting Pabst Light rollout and availability for other key brands and packs thruout the year. Suggests Pabst could have a roadmap to easier comps next yr if supply chain issues are sorted out. But other than Rainier and incremental growth from Pabst Light, not much is trending in the right direction for Pabst right now.

Pabst Restructuring Under New Leadership Too; Lookin' to Leave San Antonio HQ; Aiming for Growth in 2026 After Another Transition Yr

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