Brand marketing expert to speak at Whitman March 20

Brand marketing expert to speak at Whitman March 20March 19, 2007Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

The Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University will host a lecture by Lou Applebaum, vice president of business development for Constellation Brands Inc. on Tuesday, March 20, at 5 p.m. The lecture, “Brand Portfolio Management: The Role of Mergers and Acquisitions in Strategic Market Selection,” will take place in Room 402 of the Whitman School building and is free and open to the public. A reception will immediately follow. Parking is in the University Avenue Garage.

At Constellation Brands, Applebaum is responsible for evaluating commercial opportunities of both product line and geographic expansion through acquisitions, joint ventures and partnerships. He also leads global sales and marketing councils across the different Constellation companies to promote best-practice sharing. Previously, he worked at Bausch & Lomb as senior marketing manager for contact lenses. He also held a global marketing position at the Tiffen Co., a camera optics and accessories specialist. He began his professional career with Canandaigua Wine Co. (a Constellation Brands company) as a research analyst.

Over his career, Applebaum has led six significant product launches (two of which were considered the most successful in company history), led the development of two television commercials, negotiated five license agreements, and participated in dozens of acquisition evaluations and recommendations. He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A. from the William E. Simon School at the University of Rochester.

Constellation Brands Inc. is an international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol brands with a broad portfolio across the wine, spirits and imported beer categories. Constellation Brands is a publicly traded Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 index.