Leadership
Mark Pirrung
CEO
Hometown: Bainbridge, GA
Mark attended the University of Virginia and Washington University then began his career in marketing in St. Louis. He worked for Gardner Advertising and for Anheuser-Busch where he was Brand manager for the Budweiser brand. Mark has been in the beverage distribution industry since 1982 and he is driven to build organizations that deliver best-in-class customer experience. On his own time Mark loves spending time with his family and giving back to his community. He has served on the Boards of various nonprofits such as the Boy Scouts, Pace Academy, University of Virginia and AMIkids.
Mike Vacek
President
Hometown: Albany, NY
Mike began his career in the beverage industry during his senior year at Vanderbilt University. Over the next 20 years, he honed his skills while working in various roles across independently owned beverage distributors, Anheuser-Busch, and Craft Standard. He strives to cultivate a corporate culture that emphasizes trust and promotes a team-first mentality. In his spare time, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife, Ann Wyatt, and their dog, Lady.
Scott Ballou
Vice President of Operations
Hometown: Searcy, AR
Scott moved to Atlanta in 1999 where he started working for Atlanta Beverage as a route assistant. He moved to Columbus in 2001 to work for B&B Beverage where he was until Atlanta Beverage acquired B&B in 2021. In total Scott has been in the business for 24 years, moving up through the ranks and learning each part of the business. Specifically, he has been on the operation side since 2008. In his spare time, Scott enjoys being with his wife and kids. They love being at home and working in the yard. His kids are both avid baseball and softball players. If and when there is any time left, he enjoys playing golf. One of his favorite quotes that he lives by is “ Strive not to be a Success, but rather be of Value” – Albert Einstein.
Jamal El
Human Resources Director
Home town: Philadelphia, PA
Jamal moved to Atlanta in 2015 and has worked in Human Resources for over 30 years. He is a military veteran having served in the Army for 22 years. A die hard Philly sports fan (though he has also adopted the Georgia Bulldogs), Jamal spends his free time enjoying quality time with his wife and family, attending sporting events, golfing, playing chess and listening to live music. His favorite quote: Seek out growth “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” – Muhammad Ali