Let's face it. Norman Adami was good for Miller Brewing Company. Accessable and full of energy his tenure marked a complete turnaround for the brewery. When he got there in 2003, Miller was a joke. Miller was a revolving door of white collar MBA's, purveyors of wholesale changes in a world that is dominated by blue collar beliefs. Many men before him tried to turn the company's fortunes around and all of them failed. Now they didn't fail as miserably as Jack McDonough did, but none really garnished much success. I remember having to abruptly go to Milwaukee in the late 90's to sign a new distributor agreement (under duress, of course) and overhearing some older distributors talk about his new Miller Red and where he could put it. That was too funny. I also remember hearing accusations about McDonough receiving two paychecks...one from Milwaukee and another from St. Louis. Oh, the good ole' days.
Anyway, thanks Norman. You have been the only decent CEO at Miller since Lenny Goldstein was running the show. The best I can say is that you did what you said you were going to do and your distributor network followed your lead.
Now for the next guys in line for the CEO at Miller or anyone that is in management at Miller and conducts business with Distributors, here is the secret for success....the business is built by RELATIONSHIPS.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Adios Norman Adami, Thanks for the Cigarette...
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I remember Jack McDonough very well from his days at Anheuser Busch in St. Louis. I recall that he was a prime example of someone deeply in over his head. His boss then, Mike Roarty, privately shared this same sentiment. The ad agency at the time, D'arcy, regarded him as a complete fool. Even Joe Martino and Mike Orloff's total meltdown doesn't compare with Jack's incompetence. I stumbled across this site and felt compelled to add my two cents worth.
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