Tryon Owner and CEO, Brad Johnston, has retired, concluding a 41-year career with the company he built. 

In a statement to employees, Johnston said of his retirement, "This was not an easy decision, but I’m confident it is the right time for me and for the company. Tryon has been the work of my life, and the relationships I’ve built here are what I’m proudest of." 

In 1985, Johnston took a bold risk by acquiring a struggling wine business, and over the following decades, he grew it into the company Tryon is today. From the earliest days, he recruited supplier partners who remain essential to Tryon’s success. He steadily expanded the customer base and built the sales and operations teams that carried the company from a single Charlotte operation to a statewide distributor serving all 100 counties of North Carolina. His leadership, work ethic, and dedication to customers and colleagues will leave a lasting mark on the organization. 

“I have worked alongside Brad for all 41 years. We may have been colleagues by chance, but we are friends by choice,” said Angie Packer, Owner and Executive Vice President. “I will miss working with him, but I look forward to our next lunch, when we don’t talk about work at all.” 

Alongside of Packer, Johnston’s son Ed will continue to lead the company as President, a role he has held since the beginning of 2021. 

“It’s hard to put into words what Brad has meant to Tryon because, quite simply, there would be no Tryon without him,” said Ed Johnston. “He founded this company in February of 1985 and has spent more than four decades building not just a business, but a culture and a reputation rooted in relationships, hard work, and taking care of our people.” 

Ed also reflected on the personal side of his father’s legacy, noting that Brad’s influence reaches well beyond the business and into the family and the team that will propel it forward. 

“As his son, I’ve had the unique privilege of watching that journey up close and, later, working alongside him and learning from him,” Ed continued. “I’m incredibly proud of what he has built and grateful for the foundation he’s created for all of us who will now be carrying Tryon forward. His presence will always be felt here, and no one has earned the opportunity to enjoy retirement more than he has.”

Brad Johnston and Angie Packer at Tryon's 40th Anniversary party in 2025.

Brad with the Tryon team celebrating 30 years in 2015.

Brad with son Ed Johnston in Belgium in 2023, after Brad was knighted by the Belgian Brewer's Association.