Draft:Christopher "CJ" Eiras
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Christopher John Eiras, also known as C.J. Eiras (born 1973), is an American entrepreneur and business executive best known for founding Liquor Group Wholesale, an alcohol distribution company. He has been involved in various industries including finance, media, defense contracting, and beverage manufacturing.
Early Life and Education
[edit]Eiras was born in 1973 in Rhode Island, United States, the fourth child of Philippe S. Eiras and Martha L. Eiras. The family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida in 1974 due to his father's work in federal and military base construction. Eiras attended Catholic school until the second grade and completed his education in public schools following the death of his mother in 1980.
Career
[edit]At age 15, Eiras founded Aquarium Maintenance Corporation, a service company catering to commercial aquarium installations. The business serviced major clients including Red Lobster and Memorial Hospital Group. He sold the company before graduating high school. In 1991, Eiras obtained Series 7 and Series 63 licenses and briefly worked as a stockbroker, reportedly becoming the youngest licensed individuals to operate on the New York Stock Exchange. Eiras founded VIGOR in 1993, initially an advertising agency which expanded into a television production company with clients such as FOX Sports, ESPN, and the History Channel. In 1995, he co-founded Quadrus Corporation , a defense contracting firm. Eiras held a Top Secret Security Clearance and served as the company’s Facility Security Officer. In 1999, Eiras established Happy Vodka Corporation, launching the Happy® beverage brand. Legal disputes over trademark ownership ensued but were eventually resolved in the company’s favor. In 2001, Eiras developed a distribution method known as "Innovative Distribution utilizing Bailment," and later filed a patent application for the system. This method formed the foundation for Liquor Group, which was established in 2002. The company expanded operations to 33 U.S. states and 12 international markets. Eiras became president of Wild Orchid Vineyards in 2005 and led its expansion. In 2006, he acquired Urban Brands & Spirits, which included the Party A-Go-Go and Cadillac Margarita brands, among others.
In 2007, Liquor Group Wholesale became publicly traded. By 2011, the company represented over 5,000 products and operated a major distribution warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida. Eiras received media attention for maintaining growth during the economic recession and was featured in outlets such as Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.
In 2008 Mr. Eiras was elected for the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year by NASDAQ's Vice President Karin McKinnel.
Legal Issues
[edit]In 2012, Eiras was arrested and charged with multiple felony counts related to alleged alcohol tax violations. The case drew public attention due to the scale of the charges. In 2016, all charges were dropped without trial. A special prosecutor appointed by the Florida Governor granted immunity and dismissed the case. Subsequent civil suits brought by Eiras against state officials did not result in compensation due to qualified immunity defenses.
Later Career
[edit]Eiras retired from active business operations in 2012. In 2017, he reportedly declined a biographical film offer from Lions Gate due to concerns for his family's privacy.
Personal Life
[edit]Eiras married Erin Davis Higginbotham in 2010. They have three children. Erin Eiras is the founder of InVestra, a wealth management firm. The couple are known for their interests in classic cars, art, and travel. Eiras is also a musician and cigar enthusiast.
Philanthropy
[edit]Eiras has been involved in numerous philanthropic efforts, including sponsorship of events through Happy Vodka and Liquor Group. Notable activities include: Supporting the World Golf Hall of Fame and Emmy Awards events. Sponsoring NFL Coaches Association and PGA charity events. Hosting fundraisers for organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of America and Ronald McDonald House. Supporting the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Jacksonville and Junior Achievement. In 2016, Eiras and his wife anonymously funded the creation of the Jacksonville Automotive and Motorcycle Museum, aimed at vocational training for youth. The museum ceased operations within its first year due to facility issues.
Public Speaking
[edit]Eiras has been chosen to speak on several occasions, mainly to business owner audiences: Mr. Eiras was the keynote speaker at the USA Mutuals VICEX “Invest Your Knowledge” Conference in 2009.
Mr. Eiras was the speaker for the NASDAQ alcohol industry mutual fund shareholders meeting in 2010.
In 2013 Mr. Eiras was the speaker for the World Trade Equality in Business fostering women in the workplace.
References
[edit]Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=VIGORADVERTISING%20P950000842860&aggregateId=domp-p95000084286-f96e66cb-b9fa-489e-a7aa-4828c1d09057&searchTerm=VIGOR&listNameOrder=VIGOR%202551740
2 Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C0408%5C0718%5CCH000196.tif&documentNumber=P95000025186 3 Source: http://Pacer.gov 4 Source: http://USPTO.gov 5 Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR1%5C2003%5C0116%5C20161282.tif&documentNumber=L03000001926 6 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2011/02/04/jacksonville-based-liquor-group-bucks-system-and-gets-edge/15915693007/2033%20states 6 Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2012/11/02/company-profile-for-liquor-group-wholesale-incorporated.html 6 Source: https://www.internationalbeveragenetwork.com/36392/Liquor-Group-Wholesale,-Inc 7 Source: https://www.ey.com/en_us/entrepreneur-of-the-year-us 8 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitium_Global_Fund 9 Source: https://www.nasdaq.com/ 10 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2011/02/04/jacksonville-based-liquor-group-bucks-system-and-gets-edge/15915693007/#:~:text=Liquor%20Group%20is%20a%20publicly,alcoholic%20beverages%20in%2033%20states. 11 Source: https://Fidelity.com/LIQR 12 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2012/08/29/jacksonville-liquor-distributor-jailed-70-charges/15856164007/ 13 Source: https://www.news4jax.com/news/2014/05/16/tax-fraud-bootlegging-charges-against-man-dropped/ https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2014/may/26/prosecutors-drop-case-modern-day-bootlegging/ 14 Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baker-eugene-5a9294113 15 Source: http://Pacer/gov https://studicata.com/case-briefs/case/eiras-v-baker/ 16 Source: http://InVestra.com 17 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/columns/mike-clark/2015/03/29/sunday-notebook-regency-square-may-fill-big-space-auto-museum/15371317007/ 18 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2015/05/08/call-box-auto-museum-still-planned-regency-square/15662214007/ 19 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/transportation/2015/11/02/jacksonvilles-first-auto-museum-moving-empty-store-regency-square/15686680007/ 20 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2017/03/09/jacksonville-car-museum-shut-its-doors-end-march-after-year-operation/15745723007/
External Links
[edit]https://www.nasdaq.com http://Pacer.gov http://USPTO.gov http://Sunbiz.org Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American company founders Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:American philanthropists Category:American business executives
References
[edit]Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=VIGORADVERTISING%20P950000842860&aggregateId=domp-p95000084286-f96e66cb-b9fa-489e-a7aa-4828c1d09057&searchTerm=VIGOR&listNameOrder=VIGOR%202551740
2 Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR%5C0408%5C0718%5CCH000196.tif&documentNumber=P95000025186 3 Source: http://Pacer.gov 4 Source: http://USPTO.gov 5 Source: https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ConvertTiffToPDF?storagePath=COR1%5C2003%5C0116%5C20161282.tif&documentNumber=L03000001926 6 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2011/02/04/jacksonville-based-liquor-group-bucks-system-and-gets-edge/15915693007/2033%20states 6 Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2012/11/02/company-profile-for-liquor-group-wholesale-incorporated.html 6 Source: https://www.internationalbeveragenetwork.com/36392/Liquor-Group-Wholesale,-Inc 7 Source: https://www.ey.com/en_us/entrepreneur-of-the-year-us 8 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitium_Global_Fund 9 Source: https://www.nasdaq.com/ 10 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2011/02/04/jacksonville-based-liquor-group-bucks-system-and-gets-edge/15915693007/#:~:text=Liquor%20Group%20is%20a%20publicly,alcoholic%20beverages%20in%2033%20states. 11 Source: https://Fidelity.com/LIQR 12 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2012/08/29/jacksonville-liquor-distributor-jailed-70-charges/15856164007/ 13 Source: https://www.news4jax.com/news/2014/05/16/tax-fraud-bootlegging-charges-against-man-dropped/ https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2014/may/26/prosecutors-drop-case-modern-day-bootlegging/ 14 Source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baker-eugene-5a9294113 15 Source: http://Pacer/gov https://studicata.com/case-briefs/case/eiras-v-baker/ 16 Source: http://InVestra.com 17 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/opinion/columns/mike-clark/2015/03/29/sunday-notebook-regency-square-may-fill-big-space-auto-museum/15371317007/ 18 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/2015/05/08/call-box-auto-museum-still-planned-regency-square/15662214007/ 19 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/business/transportation/2015/11/02/jacksonvilles-first-auto-museum-moving-empty-store-regency-square/15686680007/ 20 Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/2017/03/09/jacksonville-car-museum-shut-its-doors-end-march-after-year-operation/15745723007/
External Links
[edit]https://www.nasdaq.com http://Pacer.gov http://USPTO.gov http://Sunbiz.org Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:American company founders Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:American philanthropists Category:American business executives