Her Story
About Samantha
I've been in the alcohol beverage industry for 12 years, working my way up from the ground level. My career was inspired by my grandfather who worked for an Anheuser-Busch distributor. I originally studied to be a French teacher and even went to France, but when I came back I had a crisis about student loan debt and whether teaching would allow me to pay it back. I found an internship with Hobat Blue during college and fell in love with the industry. I discovered I loved talking with people on a daily basis and the sales aspect, which I hadn't even considered when I was 18 going to college. I spent about six and a half years with Founders Brewing, where they taught me to be diligent, scrappy, and how to build sales from the ground up. The team there is near and dear to my heart. Now I work for Brown Foreman as a National Account Manager, specializing in bourbon, particularly Woodford. I call on major retailers like Meijer Corporate, Target Corporate, and Hy-Vee Corporate. One of my biggest accomplishments was getting Meijer redefined as a national account when I started at Brown Foreman. In just four years, we went from not even being considered a national account to being named National Account of the Year this past year. I'm proud to have grown the business to that substantial point and gotten Meijer the attention they deserve.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Samantha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being a hard worker, which stems from something I didn't even realize about myself until college. I'm dyslexic, but I was also valedictorian of my class. I've always been a hard worker because I didn't have a choice. I just compensated without even realizing it, always working harder at things that maybe others don't work as hard at. It was an undertone to my success without me realizing it. I think being dyslexic probably set the tone for what hard work is and definitely established my work ethic.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that you're the only person that can advocate for yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to hold your ground. You're going to go through some stuff sometimes, and life's going to hand you ups and downs. When you're young, especially dealing with dominant people whether it's a dominant woman or a male who's your superior, it's hard to hold your ground. But you need to hold your ground and find your circle of trust, and find your voice.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges the adult beverage category is dealing with right now is the trend to not drink. Gen Z tends to be more leaning towards THC. Social media has changed the environment of alcohol in ways I think we all don't fully realize. Being a millennial, I remember posting online freely, but younger generations are very concerned about what could be posted online. The drinking culture has changed due to social media. Being intoxicated on social is something the younger generations fear. Image on social is a big thing. Also, GLP-1s are affecting the alcohol industry because people tend to not drink when they're taking those, and there's been a flood of people taking GLP-1s right now. Everything's behind a screen now for younger generations, so there's such a disconnect with how people can actually connect and interact. The younger generation just isn't going out for happy hour. It's all about moderation, but we need to make alcohol fun again and remind people you can still have fun.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are always the people. People matter. The people that are in your life are what anchor you and make everything worthwhile.
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