Meet
the Team
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Chief Executive Officer
ππΌπ brings over 20 years of executive management, private equity investment, and operational leadership experience across multiple functions to the business, providing critical cross-functional leadership. Lou has been CFO of three PE-backed middle-market companies, leading two highly-successful exits. Past experience includes roles with Ernst & Young, Henry Crown & Company, Provisur Technologies, Moore Landscapes, NGC (Blackhawk Network), and Titan Security. Lou holds a BS in Finance and Accounting, with High Honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA, with Distinction, from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
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Founder & Chief Innovation Officer
ππΌπ² has devoted his career to leading innovation teams and solving complex client problems related to beverage formulation and manufacturing. Joe spent 13 years in a variety of leadership roles at Quaker Oats, culminating in his role as Senior Manager of Product Development. Joe then spent 8 years as VP of R&D at Imbibe, a 3rd-party beverage and flavor development company, where he led several thousand developments. Joe founded The Beverage Incubators in January 2021 to return to his passion of working hands-on with clients to develop their beverage products. Joe has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
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Vice President of Business Development & Client Success
Going on a decade in the beverage industry, ππΌπ² has spent his career in a variety of product development, project management, and business development roles. His unique cross-functional experience allows him to simultaneously view any scenario through the technical, practical, and business lenses. At The Beverage Incubators, he propels project momentum and builds long-lasting relationships.
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Beverage Scientist
Heather joined The Beverage Incubators in 2024. Since completing her degree in Biology at Northeastern Illinois University, she gained 10+ years of experience in the beverage and wine industry. She has experience in flavor compounding, beverage development, and quality control. She most recently graduated from the American Wine School and was awarded WSET certification with distinction.
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Sr. Beverage Scientist
Zoe joined The Beverage Incubators in 2025, having worked in beverage-industry labs for the better part of a decade. She honed her formulation expertise at nutrition giants Balchem and Roquette where she helped charter the course for innovation across a breadth of RTD types. A Florida native, she graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering and minor in Food Science from The University of Florida in 2020.
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Beverage Scientist
A fully qualified Registered Dietician, Jill comes to The Beverage Incubators with an unmatched passion for nutritive science, having earned her Masters of Science in Nutrition in 2023 and parktaking in a prestigious internship at the Loyola University Parkinson School of Health Sciences the following year. In her free time, Jill can be found volunteering her time coaching young women through Girls On The Run.
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Flavor Operations &
Pilot Plant Manager
Marcus manages all aspects of our pilot plant operations and flavor production. With a BS in Zoology from Louisiana State University and an MS in Biology from New Mexico State University, Marcus brings over a decade of beverage industry production experience. In 2021, he founded his own quality control lab to support local breweries. Marcus embodies the passion that separates TBI from the rest.
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Doer of Things
Ξuster joined The Beverage Incubators several months after its launch. A 15-year veteran of the beverage industry and as comfortable donning a lab coat as a suit jacket, Buster is a true all-rounder with international experience in both hemispheres. Buster's remote role at TBI encompasses technical, sales, operational, marketing, regulatory, IT, and supply chain responsibilities.