DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--
Continental Battery Systems (CBS), a leading national distributor of batteries and battery accessories, today announced the promotion of John Rauco to the role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Rauco most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales, where he played a pivotal role in accelerating growth, deepening customer relationships and advancing the company’s integrated national go-to-market strategy.
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In his expanded role, Rauco will oversee all commercial functions, including sales, marketing, pricing and strategic customer engagement. He will report directly to CEO Chris Alberta and will continue to shape the company’s commercial direction with a focus on delivering customer value, optimizing performance and driving long-term, sustainable growth.
“John has been a transformational leader at CBS,” said Chris Alberta, CEO of Continental Battery Systems. “His ability to align our commercial strategy with customer needs has been a cornerstone of our recent success. As CCO, John will play a critical role in scaling our platform and unlocking new opportunities in a rapidly evolving marketplace.”
Since joining the company in 2020, Rauco has been a key architect of CBS’ national expansion. He led the build-out of a high-performing sales organization, guided the seamless integration of over 25 acquisitions and championed initiatives that enhanced the company’s commercial agility and market responsiveness.
“I’m honored to take on this role at such a pivotal time,” said Rauco. “Our mission is clear: to deliver meaningful value through performance, reliability and innovation. As both our industry and the broader economy face ongoing disruption, I’m focused on helping our team stay agile, solve problems quickly and build stronger, lasting partnerships across our markets.”
This leadership transition reflects CBS’ ongoing commitment to a “customer-first” focus, strategic growth and industry leadership to face rapidly-growing demand.
About Continental Battery Systems
Founded in 1932, Continental Battery Systems is a leading distributor of batteries and battery accessories, serving a wide range of industries including automotive, commercial, marine, RV, solar and industrial. With a rapidly expanding national footprint and a deep focus on customer service, CBS is committed to leading the charge through innovative battery solutions and a customer-first culture.
Learn more at www.gocbs.com.
John Rauco, Chief Commercial Officer, has been a driving force behind Continental Battery System's national expansion and customer-first growth strategy.
LONDON (AP) — Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty Friday to brawling at a London nightclub in 2023, a fight in which he hit a music producer over the head with a bottle.
Brown, 37, made the change of plea during a hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court. He had previously denied more serious charges over what prosecutors called a “vicious attack."
In return for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped charges of assault, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon, a bottle.
Brown's friend and vocal coach Omololu Akinlolu also pleaded guilty to affray. The two men had been due to stand trial in October.
Brown had denied attacking Abraham Diaw with a bottle at the Tape nightclub in the swanky Mayfair neighborhood in February 2023. But prosecutors said the fight was caught on surveillance camera in front of a club full of people.
The affray charge accepted by the defendants states that “Chris Brown and Omololu Akinlolu on February 19 2023 used or threatened unlawful violence towards another and their conduct taken together was such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.”
“This was a vicious and unprovoked attack by Brown and Akinlolu in a crowded nightclub where Brown used a glass bottle as a weapon to strike the victim’s head twice," Claire Campbell, a senior prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the guilty plea.
“This kind of violence is entirely unacceptable, and the Crown Prosecution Service will work tirelessly – with the police and partners across the criminal justice system – to pursue cases like this, and prove that no one is above the law.”
Brown left the United Kingdom after the brawl but was arrested in May 2025 at a Manchester hotel after flying to the city to prepare for a tour.
Brown had been free on bail of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million), which allowed him to tour Europe and North America last summer. He was freed on bail again Friday and will be sentenced Oct. 26 on the affray charge, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
Brown, wearing a tan suit, gold-rimmed sunglasses and a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap, signed autographs for fans as he left the courthouse.
Brown, who rose to stardom as a teen in 2005, won his first Grammy for best R&B album in 2011 for “F.A.M.E.” He earned his second in the same category for “11:11 (Deluxe)” in 2025.
He has been in repeated legal trouble since his felony conviction in the 2009 assault of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, hours before the pair were due to perform at the Grammys.
Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court, where he is charged over an alleged assault in a London nightclub, in London, Friday, July 24, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
Chris Brown arrives at Southwark Crown Court, where he is charged over an alleged assault in a London nightclub, in London, Friday, July 24, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
