Women In Beverage but I think it makes him really proud .
I think I have taken over my dad ’ s way of leadership . I ’ m pretty laid back and try not to micromanage . I think — and hope — that my employees respect me for that and know that I have faith in them .
Merrilee Kick
Merrilee Kick is CEO and founder of BuzzBallz / Southern Champion in Carrollton , TX .
How did you get into the beverage alcohol business ? I was a high school teacher working on my MBA , and while I was grading papers by the pool I was having a cocktail . I thought : I shouldn ’ t have a glass container by the pool . Spurred by the concept of a round snowball candle I had next to me , I thought it would be cool to make a round little cocktail PartyBall .
So I created a ready-todrink cocktail that was round and colorful , safe for the pool , strong and made with natural ingredients . I wanted consumers to be able to buy them by the ball to mix and match their favorites .
What makes you a successful leader ? I ’ m quick to make changes , I ’ m detail oriented and not afraid of a challenge . I love innovation .
How important is mentorship ? Did you receive any coming up , and do you provide it to women in your organization ? I didn ’ t really have a mentor in the booze business other than maybe some advice from Donn Lux , and Jack Brennan . I definitely had help from Blair Casey , who bought my first order back in 2010 and now is our head of sales .
I think mentors can greatly help people in this industry — because there is a lot to the compliance and different tax rules in every state . There are so many relationships to cultivate as well .
We have interns that come in to help in marketing or sales , and some work the summer in the warehouse jobs as well .
Interns are a little different than mentors , but I am a “ mom ” to everyone in my company — no matter how old they are , no matter what gender they are , so I feel like I ’ m a mentor .
How has your company benefited from having women at the table making decisions ? It ’ s always good to have women at the table ! They have a different view than men and it is good to be well balanced .
In my entrepreneurial company , I find my men to be hungry to win at all costs ( with sales , with relationships , etc .), and I find my women in my company as detailed , driven , and determined to help . It ’ s a good balance .
Who are your professional role models ? For alcohol I ask a lot of question to Donn Lux , Bennett Glazer , Jack Brennan , Randy
Stoller , Louis Zweig , Shelly
Stein . Those guys are great . There aren ’ t any women yet I can lean on at the upper level , but there are some . I ’ m excited to meet Sarah Harmelin at Allied , and Jill Jones formerly of Brown-Forman now
Merrilee Kick on Distributor boards . I use my Women President ’ s Organization team and my C200 Women ’ s Team and my International Women ’ s Forum for those issues . I also lean on my Harvard Business School OPM group to ask for help or suggestions . They get me thinking even if they may not know the answers .
Jessica Cyr
Jessica Cyr is assistant vice president — sales operations Martignetti Companies , and Women ’ s Leadership Council Chair for the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America .
How did you get into the beverage alcohol business ? I was drawn to pursue social work leading to a special-education teaching job in an elementary school , thinking I would be able to make a difference . I enjoyed the children and families that I was supporting , but the pace of change was challenging , and I wasn ’ t able to have as much impact as I wanted .
I decided to leave education , move to Boston and explore my options . A friend advised me to check out an account manager job for a small beer company . I had no prior knowledge of the industry
Jessica Cyr but was curious to learn about the industry . I certainly liked beer !
I loved this job ! It certainly was fast paced as I crisscrossed the state of Massachusetts , in and out of retail stores , pubs , restaurants and nightclubs , meeting all sorts of buyers , consumers and suppliers . Along the way I made some valuable relationships and built a strong work ethic and reputation with my wholesaler .
All those promotions , displays and sales made an impression and led me to take a new role within the wholesale side of the business within United Liquors , now Martignetti Companies . Over the last 15 years , I was able to make an impact through leading teams , managing suppliers and developing initiatives that fulfilled my passion for people and driving to achieve successful results .
What makes you a successful leader ? Confidence ultimately makes me a successful and strong leader . I have always been a confident person , but found my voice in the workforce after managing my first sales team .
My team covered the downtown Boston territory , the sales reps were all men , mixed ages , and varied industry experience . s their manager I needed them to trust me in order to produce results . I made sure to clearly identify priorities , be comfortable having difficult conversations , and asked lots of questions .
It worked , and we were highly successful in achieving results and a positive
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