Richard Sands

About Richard Sands

Richard and Robert Sands' father, Marvin, founded a humble wine business in 1945 at age 21.

That small operation has ballooned into a publicly traded behemoth now called Constellation Brands, which generates nearly $10 billion in annual revenue.

The company is known for its relentless streak of acquisitions. Subsidiaries include Robert Mondavi wine and Svedka Vodka.

Constellation also holds the rights to Grupo Modelo's U.S. beer business, including its Modelo and Corona labels.

Richard Sands, who joined the company in 1979, was CEO from 1993 to 2007. He served as chairman from 1999 to 2018 and is now a non-management director.

The family (including niece Abigail Bennett and nephew Zachary Stern) received $1.5 billion (pre-tax) of cash to give up its enhanced voting power in 2022.