The Promotion
Hensley Beverage Company, one of the largest distributors in the Anheuser-Busch wholesale network, has elevated Omar Perez to President, effective August 1, 2026. Perez, who most recently served as Chief Operating Officer, will report directly to CEO Andy McCain and assumes the role as the Phoenix-based company enters what leadership describes as a deliberate generational transition.
Thirteen Years in the System
Perez's ascent through Hensley's ranks is a textbook case of operator-track succession. He joined the distributor in 2013 as Corporate Controller, bringing finance credentials that include a Business Administration degree from the University of Puerto Rico and a CPA designation earned in 2002. He was elevated to Chief Financial Officer in 2017 — giving him full visibility into depletion reporting, supplier settlements, and working-capital dynamics — before moving into the COO seat in 2024, where he took on direct oversight of sales execution, marketing, and day-to-day distribution operations. That crossover from the finance side to commercial operations is increasingly common among top-tier wholesale executives as distributors face tighter margin environments and more complex supplier programming.
Chairman Bob Delgado and CEO Andy McCain framed the appointment squarely around continuity. "We are confident in Omar's ability to successfully navigate this expanded role as our next generation of leadership continues to develop and evolve," the two said in a joint statement. "Hensley has a 70-plus-year history of uninterrupted success driven by strong leadership, and we are committed to continuing that proud legacy for years to come."
Distributor Scale & Market Position
Founded in 1955 by Jim Hensley, the company has operated for 71 years as a cornerstone of the Anheuser-Busch distribution system in Arizona. At that scale — serving a major Sun Belt metro where on-premise volume and off-premise chain velocity both run high — the president role carries significant weight across supplier negotiations, route-to-market planning, and wholesaler-level programming with AB InBev's national accounts team. Arizona's population growth has kept depletions trending favorably for large-format beer distributors, even as craft and beyond-beer categories continue to capture incremental shelf space and cold-chain capacity.
The leadership change also arrives as the three-tier system continues to face legislative and competitive pressure in multiple states, putting a premium on distributors who can demonstrate operational sophistication to both supplier partners and retail customers. Perez's dual background in financial controls and operations positions Hensley to engage those conversations from a data-driven footing — whether the topic is SKU rationalization across a sprawling AB InBev portfolio or negotiating co-distribution arrangements for emerging import and specialty brands.
No changes to Hensley's territory footprint, supplier agreements, or headcount were announced in connection with the promotion.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
