Robert Scott Sands (born 1958/59) is an American

billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion (1,000,000,000, i.e., a thousand million) units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. The American busin ...

businessman, and the executive chair and former CEO of

Constellation Brands Constellation Brands, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 percen ...

, a

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...

beer, wine and spirits company founded by his father

Marvin Sands Marvin L. Sands (1924 – August 28, 1999) was an American businessman, and the founder and CEO of Constellation Brands, a Fortune 500 beer, wine and spirits company. Early life Marvin Sands was the son of Mordecai E. Sands, who was a partner in ...

Early life

Robert Scott Sands is the son of

, and has an older brother, Richard Sands. He grew up in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrat ...

, and was educated at

The Harley School The Harley School is a college preparatory, independent day school in Rochester, New York, United States. History Founded in 1917 by Harriet Bentley, The Harley School was first called “The Children’s University School of Rochester.” The ...

in Rochester, New York, graduating in 1976. Sands earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from

Skidmore College Skidmore College is a private liberal arts college in Saratoga Springs, New York. Approximately 2,650 students are enrolled at Skidmore pursuing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in one of more than 60 areas of study. History Sk ...

, followed by a juris doctor from

Pace University Pace University is a private university with its main campus in New York City and secondary campuses in Westchester County, New York. It was established in 1906 by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace as a business school. Pac ...

Career

Marvin Sands founded the Canandaigua Wine Company in 1945, aged 21. By 1980, its annual sales topped $50 million, and was renamed Constellation Brands in 2000, and has acquired numerous companies including

Robert Mondavi Robert Gerald Mondavi (June 18, 1913 – May 16, 2008) was an American winemaker. His technical and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi promoted label ...

wine and Svedka vodka. In 2013, it acquired the US rights to

Grupo Modelo Grupo Modelo is a large brewery in Mexico that exports beer to most countries of the world. Its export brands include ''Corona'', ''Modelo'', and '' Pacífico''. Grupo Modelo also brews brands that are intended solely for the domestic Mexican m ...

beers including Modelo and

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

. Sands started his career at the law firm of Harter Secrest & Emery LLP in Rochester, New York, and worked there for two years before joining the family business as general counsel in 1986. Sands was CEO of Constellation Brands from 2007 to 2019, succeeding his brother, Richard Sands. In October 2018, he became the executive chairman at the company. Sands is a board member of Rochester General Health Systems, Thompson Hospital, Rochester Business Alliance, and chairman of the New York Wine and Culinary Center. In 2016, along with his brother and mother, "Mickey", donated $61 million to the Rochester Area Community Foundation, the single largest gift in its history.

Personal life

In 1986, Sands married Jessica Nancy Zingesser. Sands is married to Pamela Sands (nee Kaufman) and lives in

Canandaigua Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Robert Living people 1950s births American billionaires Pace University School of Law alumni Skidmore College alumni People from Canandaigua, New York American chief executives of food industry companies American people of Jewish descent