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Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company has announced a structured leadership succession plan, naming senior vice president of sales and service Jeff Carter as its incoming president.
Carter will formally assume the presidency in January 2028, succeeding current president and chief operating officer Chuck Wyant. The planned handover will initiate in January 2027, during which Wyant will retain his responsibilities as chief operating officer to facilitate operational continuity before formally retiring in the first quarter of 2028.
The executive transition arrives as the US independent bottler approaches its tenth anniversary in February 2027, marking a decade of commercial scaling across its Midwestern production and distribution network.
"Heartland has always been built on strong leadership, strong partnerships, and exceptional people," said Justin Bridgeman, Chief Executive Officer of Heartland Coca-Cola. "Chuck has played an instrumental role in shaping the company from its earliest days, and Jeff brings the experience, perspective, and qualities needed to guide our next phase of growth."
Executive Coca-Cola
The leadership handover unites two veteran executives possessing combined operational experience spanning more than seven decades within the Coca-Cola bottling system:
Chuck Wyant: Commenced his career in the Coca-Cola system in 1985 as a route delivery driver. Over a four-decade career, Wyant advanced through cross-functional operational, commercial, and executive management positions, guiding business expansion, route-to-market execution, and workforce development across multiple regional markets.
Jeff Carter: Brings more than 30 years of management experience across the Coca-Cola bottling ecosystem. In his current post as senior vice president of sales and service at Heartland, Carter directs commercial trade relations, account management, and field execution across the company's retail customer network.
Wyant and Carter will collaborate across a structured 12-month transition period throughout 2027, ensuring stability across retail partner accounts, logistics networks, and local operations.
Production and Distribution
Founded in February 2017 by business leader and former NBA player Junior Bridgeman, Heartland Coca-Cola operates as an authorised independent bottling franchise serving the central United States.
Headquartered in Olathe, Kansas, the company commands a significant manufacturing and supply chain footprint:
📦 Commercial Volume: Distributes more than 50 million physical cases annually across an active portfolio of over 650 beverage stock-keeping units (SKUs).
🚚 Regional Customer Base: Services more than 25,000 retail, convenience, and foodservice customer accounts, reaching approximately 10 million consumers.
📍 Geographic Territory: Manages exclusive franchise territory spanning Kansas, Missouri, and southern Illinois, alongside adjacent service territories in Iowa and Nebraska.
🏭 Olathe Production Campus: In June 2025, Heartland commissioned a state-of-the-art production complex in Olathe, Kansas, representing a multi-million-dollar capital investment to modernise high-speed canning, bottling lines, automated warehousing, and fleet dispatch.
The phased executive succession establishes leadership continuity as Heartland Coca-Cola prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary in early 2027, maintaining operational alignment with the broader North American Coca-Cola bottling network.
