(Chicago, IL) – Beer Business Daily reported earlier today that there will be changes atop one of the continent’s largest alcoholic beverage companies. “Kevin Kotecki, formerly the chief of Pabst, will take the reins of Mark Anthony Brands as Phil O’Neil retires as the company moves its HQ to Chicago.”

Mark Anthony Brands is closely associated with a top-selling product in its portfolio, Mike’s Hard Lemonade. The Canada-based company has a contract with both North American Breweries and City Brewing to produce Mike’s in the U.S.. According to one former NAB employee, Mike’s Hard Lemonade is the company’s largest contract customer.

Mark Anthony Brands is up nearly 17% on the year (through mid-March), according to Symphony IRI Group scan data across all measured off-premise channels. The original Mike’s Hard Lemonade is up only 3% during the same period though, as with many other companies in the business right now, seasonals are up double digits.

O’Neil started with Mark Anthony Brands in June, 2007.

As for Kotecki, his current Linkedin page reads, “CEO who consistently generates strong results at premier consumer products companies ($400 million to $3 billion).” He was with Pabst from August 2005 to April 2011.

Kotecki was among a number of ex-employees at Pabst that spoke out about the new ownership group’s direction in a Chicago Tribune article last year.