Jones Soda names Joth Ricci COO

SEATTLE Jones Soda Co. on Thursday named Joth Ricci as its chief operating officer.

Ricci, 39, will join Jones Soda on Monday. He is currently general manager of Columbia Distributing Company, a beverage distributor based in Portland, Ore.

Peter van Stolk, the founder and chief executive of Jones Soda, recently stepped down. The company did not say why he left, but his departure came after three consecutive quarters of disappointing financial results. Jones also has been hit by several shareholder lawsuits claiming executives and board members pushed up the share price, then sold stock before poor first- and second-quarter earnings reports caused the price to plunge—claims which the company has denied.