Denny Trakas

Born and raised in northern Illinois, Denny pursued a degree in biology and graduated from Marquette University. After a brief span in biotech, he shifted into the hospitality business where he went back to his family roots. In 2005, Denny sought to start a restaurant in Rockford, Illinois and partnered with Andy Roiniotis. Driven by the success of the first restaurant, he launched three more restaurants and other businesses in the area over the next several years with his partner. His primary focus was back-of-house, menu design, inventory, cost control, and purchasing. The two decided to venture into the spirit world in 2017 and have formulated an award-winning, one-of-a-kind, sugarcane vodka. In 2019, Bella Rio was used to launch ROCK'N Vodka and Denny became a third partner. Denny played a critical role in the development of the ROCK'N recipe as he had been the one to suggest that ROCK'N be made from non-GMO products. Although Denny helps oversee all ROCK'N operations, he has been the inspiration behind all point of sale items and merchandise design.