Lauren Ward began her career in the spirits and wine industry directly out of college, managing a prominent promotional agency covering thousands of tastings and events across the mid-Atlantic region. From there she joined what is now 375 Park Avenue Spirits, a division of the Sazerac Company, where over the ensuing years she rose through the organization to become the company’s Vice President of National Accounts & Control States. During her tenure there she held a number of leadership roles and built top sales teams within the mid-Atlantic open states' region, control states, and national on- and off-premise accounts. Lauren also created and managed the company’s single barrel program aligning with brand owners on annual offerings, designing packaging, selling to high-profile customers across the U.S., and working with the logistics and compliance teams to bring them to market.