E-Malt.com News article: USA: The first woman elected to head The National Beer Wholesalers Association

Betty Buck, president and owner of Buck Distributing Co. Inc. in Upper Marlboro, MD, has been elected the first woman to head The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA), Beverage World posted on September 18, 2006 .

The NBWA also announced the following elections: Aldo Madrigrano, president of W.O.W. Distributing Co. Inc. in Sussex, Wisconsin, to the position of vice chair; Phillip Terry, CEO of Monarch Beverage Co., Indianapolis, IN, as treasurer and Mitch Watkins, president of Watkins Distributing, Sales and Service in Twin Falls, Idaho, to the position of secretary.

Buck replaces Phillip A. Short, president of P.A. Short Distributing Co. Inc in Hollins, Virginia, who has completed what NBWA says is "an enormously successful" term as Chairman of the Board and will now begin his service as 2006-2007 immediate past chair for the Association.

Buck was raised in the distribution business. A single mother of four and terminal cancer survivor, she has beaten the odds to become a recognized business leader, heading one of the largest Miller Distributorships in the Mid Atlantic.

In her role as chair of the Association, Buck will represent nearly 1,900 independent beer distributors throughout the United States. Buck has served on NBWA’s Board of Directors since 2000. Throughout the 2005-2006 term, she served as the Association’s vice chair. She has also served as the NBWA secretary and treasurer as well as chair of the Education and Political Action Committees.

Buck Distributing was founded in 1946 by Buck’s father, Irwin Buck. The company currently employs more than 100 Maryland residents and serves Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Yuengling and Lowenbrau products to the counties of Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s.

As a certified Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) trainer, Buck has taught the seminar to Buck Distributing employees and at the Anne Arundel Community College. The TIPS program teaches servers, sellers and consumers of alcohol to prevent intoxication, drunk driving and underage drinking.

She extends her alcohol education efforts to local middle and high schools by giving lectures and participating in alcohol-free prom and graduation night events through Project Graduation in Charles County, St. Mary’s High School and her Alma mater, Frederick Douglas High School.

Buck is also a very active member of her community. Support for United Cerebral Palsy is a special activity for Buck Distributing and the Buck family. Each year, their combined efforts help raise funds and donations for United Cerebral Palsy through sponsorship of an annual golf tournament named after the late Irwin Buck. Since the golf tournament’s inception in 1986, accumulative family donations and fundraising efforts have surpassed $1.6 million. Buck is also an active participant in local women’s groups and cancer awareness events. She resides in Edgewater, Maryland.

As vice chair, Madrigrano will foster and strengthen positive working relationships among NBWA beer distributor members and state beer distributor associations. Additionally, Madrigrano will automatically assume the role of chairman of the board for the 2007-2008 term.

Madrigrano has served on NBWA’s Board of Directors since 2002. Most recently, he served as the Association’s treasurer, overseeing the Association’s financial integrity and providing investment strategies for its long- and short-term investments. He has also served as secretary, chair of the Education Committee and chair of the Political Action Committee during its largest fundraising year in history.

For more than 70 years, the Madrigrano family has been in the beverage distribution business. W.O.W. Distributing was established in 1986 and currently employs more than 125 area residents. The distributorship sells Miller, Heineken and Barton Beer products. In October 2002, the family purchased M & L Brands Inc. in Eau Claire, which employs about 35 area residents. Madrigrano resides in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

As NBWA’s treasurer, Terry will be responsible for overseeing the Association’s budget ensuring financial integrity and providing investment strategies for its long- and short-term investments. Terry has served on NBWA’s Board of Directors since 2001, most recently as the Association?s secretary and chair of NBWA’s Legal Review Committee.

Monarch Beverage Co., Inc. is Indiana’s largest beer and wine distributor. The company’s beer division serves nearly half of Indiana’s counties with quality products from Miller Brewing Company and Coors Brewing Company along with premium imports and microbrewery products. Terry and his wife Janet reside in Indianapolis.

As NBWA secretary, Watkins will work with beer distributors across the country to increase the Association’s membership base, increase participation in the associate member program and promote NBWA’s exceptional programs and services for members. Watkins has served on NBWA’s Board of Directors since 2002, serving most recently as chair of NBWA’s Industry Affairs Committee.

Watkins Distributing, Sales and Service is a family-owned and -operated Anheuser-Busch distributor. Watkins has served as president and owner of the company since 1988. He graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle 1982, afterward becoming sales manager and route supervisor at Zip Beverage, Inc. in Missoula, Montana. Watkins and his wife Linda have four children and reside in Twin Falls.

Short led the group’s efforts over the past year as NBWA worked to strengthen the 21st Amendment and the American system of beer distribution, successfully increase visibility of beer distributors in the public affairs arena and reinforce the overall strength and influence of the organization on Capitol Hill.

Short has served on NBWA’s Board of Directors since 1999. Prior to serving as chairman of the board, he served as NBWA’s vice chair, fostering and strengthening positive working relationships among NBWA beer distributor members and state beer distributor associations, and coordinating beer distributor and industry representation before national organizations of state officials. Short has served as the Association’s secretary and treasurer as well as chair of the Legal Review Subcommittee.

In 1996, Short became the sole owner of a beer distributorship originally founded in 1951. In 2001, he officially changed the company’s name to P.A. Short Distributing. The company is an exclusive Anheuser-Busch distributorship serving the counties of Roanoke, Craig, Botetourt, Floyd and parts of Bedford, Franklin and Montgomery, as well as the cities of Roanoke, Salem, Christiansburg and Radford. Short and his wife, B.K., reside in Salem and have two children, Gracie and Aden.


20 September, 2006