V. GEORGIO
THE MAN BEHIND THE BRAND
by: Shelly-Ann Marie Parkinson

V.Georgio is synonymous with luxury, elegance and class. V.Georgio is a lifestyle. V.Georgio is a state of mind and a state of being. As part of V.Georgio World Brands, Inc., this vodka company is just one arm of a conglomerate of luxury lifestyle products. These include a hotel in Negril, Jamaica, a line of fragrances and candles with plans in the near future for a clothing line featuring bikinis and men’s clothing combining different environmentally conscious materials. As a regular sponsor of elite fashion shows already, this new venture just seems to fit right in with the image of the V.Georgio brand.

Victor G. Harvey Sr., Chairman and CEO of V.Georgio World Brands, Inc., considers his vodka, released under V Georgio Spirits Co. and distributed by Southern Wine and Spirits, the nation’s largest distributor of distilled spirits, to be at the very top of the market of the premier spirits industry. He credits Grey Goose for their position in the market and excellence in packaging and branding. However, he makes it clear exactly what sets V.Georgio apart from all others. He points out their patented way of purifying and explains that his brand can boast the only acai infused vodka in the world. It took 3 years to arrive at the perfect blend after lots of taste testing at its manufacturing facility in North Charleston, S.C. There are currently 3 flavors in this line of ultra premium vodkas: The “Signature” which is a straight ultra smooth vodka; “Acai” which is an infusion of the Brazilian berry known for its antioxidant properties; and “VIP” infused with Guarana and Cranberry for its high energy effects. Mr. Harvey plans to slowly integrate more spirits into the V.Georgio spirit line such as tequilas, rum and cognac. However, vodka is their present focus.

So, now that we have become familiar with V. Georgio the brand, let’s go behind the scenes to meet V. Georgio, the man. Yes, V. Georgio is not only a lifestyle, a branded image, but a very real person with a real story. Victor Georgio Harvey Sr. is V. Georgio. This personable 42 year old divorced dad of a 10 year old son and 11 year old daughter considers his biggest accomplishment to be that of being a father. A true renaissance man in his own right with an eye for business and entertainment, Victor Harvey has already lived a very full life and is still looking forward. He has been a real estate developer and investor, recording artist, co-owner of a sports agency, record label owner, restaurant owner, beauty salon owner, hotelier, and of course, brand mogul. Yet, when reminded of that he comes right back to his responsibility to his children and to society. “We can learn a lot from them,” he remarked as he spoke of his children, “and what they learn comes from us and society,” as he continued to explain why it is important for him to leave the world a better place than he found it. He spoke highly of his business partner Scott Rothstein as he explained that surrounding himself with the best possible people was one of the secrets to his success. “Scott and I share a lot of the same goals and visions,” he stated. One of those goals was giving back to the community.

This means a lot to this Columbus, Ohio native who grew up in a poor single family household. His mother passed away when he was still a child and his hard-working father raised him and his siblings with not a lot of money but a wealth of values. A strong work ethic was born out of that upbringing and as a child, Victor’s first job was having a paper route in which he set up a stringent collections policy and saved his money. He started his next business from those funds; repairing bicycles in the neighborhood from odd parts with his 12 year old business partner. Victor seemed to excel at everything he did and always did so with passion whether in sports, in music, in business or in life. He shared that “anything is possible- take the time to listen to someone else’s story – we can be anything we want to be- and hopefully we can all get to where we all want to go.”