Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Tony Phillips’ career with Coca-Cola has now come full circle.
After starting as a truck driver 22 years ago, Phillips was recently named the general manager of the Presque Isle Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Phillips, 45, replaces Alton Hartt who accepted the position of general manager of the South Portland Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
Prior to coming to Presque Isle, Phillips was a sales manager in the South Portland division and had been living in Newfield.
A native of Norway, Phillips started driving truck in Somersworth, N.H.
“They had a branch there, which is no longer in operation,” said Phillips. “The branch was very similar to this one as far as size and scope. After two and-a-half years, they merged the branch and I had the opportunity to go to South Portland.
“I was a sales representative for about two years, and then became the area manager for the South Portland Coca-Cola Bottling Co. After that, I became a segment manager,” he said. “In our company, we have three different segments – the supermarket division which is all the big box stores, the home market division which is chain convenience stores like R.H. Foster and Irving, as well as mom and pop stores, and then the cold drink division which is pretty much everything else … restaurants, hotels, schools and colleges. Up until coming here, I was the cold drink sales manager.”
Phillips’ first day on the job in the Star City was Jan. 5.
“As general manager, I’m responsible for overseeing the sales for all the divisions, the service department, as well as the warehousing and loading facility,” he said, noting that bottles are not filled in Presque Isle. “There’s only one facility in our company located in Londonderry, N.H. that does all the production for our entire 14 branches. What we do here is load. We get loads daily that come in to replenish our stock from Londonderry. Our sales team goes out locally and sells the accounts, the orders come back here, and our pickers will take from the pallets and build the orders and load the trucks that leave here to deliver locally.
“Interestingly, I’m going from the largest facility in northern New England (South Portland) to the smallest one, but I’m enjoying it because the communication is a lot easier here with a smaller facility,” said Phillips. “In reality, the segment that I ran in cold drink was more volume than we do for the total branch up here.”
Phillips and his wife, Susan, have two children – Stephanni, 17, and Kaleigh, who will be 3 in June.
“Stephanni is a senior at Massabesic High School in Waterboro, which is also where I graduated from high school,” said Phillips. “My wife is staying down there with her until she graduates. At that point, we’ll be locating up here permanently. I’m currently renting right now. My wife comes up midweek with the baby, so I’m not away from the baby all week long. I also go down there on the weekends. We’re logging a lot of miles, but it’s worth it.”
Ironically, the Phillips were recently talking about retiring in Aroostook County.
“I’ve always enjoyed coming to the area,” he said. “I’ve always fished up here and made trips with some fishing buddies. Our life has always been pretty hectic. I own a convenience store and that keeps us busy. About three months prior to me getting this job, my wife and I had talked about how nice it would be to retire here and enjoy a slower pace. This opportunity came along and we decided to come here now.”
Phillips said things have been going very well since he arrived.
“There are some great people up here. The work ethic that everybody has is unbelievable. There’s something different about County people. It’s a different way of life, and you don’t see that in the southern part of the state,” he said. “It’s been a welcomed change.”
A member of the Masons, Phillips said he’s looking forward to getting involved in the Presque Isle lodge, as well as doing some local fishing.
“It’s going to be great … I don’t have to travel to fish anymore,” he said. “It’s great to be up in Aroostook County.
“While there’s a certain amount of paperwork in my job,” said Phillips, “I’m trying to get out and meet the accounts and work the streets. That’s what it’s all about … meeting people.”
Staff photo/Scott Mitchell Johnson
TONY PHILLIPS, originally from Norway, Maine, is the new general manager of the Presque Isle Coca-Cola Bottling Co. He replaces Alton Hartt who accepted the position of general manager of the South Portland facility. Phillips started his career with Coca-Cola 22 years ago as a truck driver in Somersworth, N.H. He has worked his way up the corporate ladder and is excited about being in Aroostook County.
