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In the face of unthinkable challenges, "clarity of purpose," "communication" and a "resilient" nature drove Eagle Brand Sales' owner Sue McCollum to successfully battle some of the largest liquor cos, fend for herself and her family's biz and expand into one of the largest female-owned and led beer distribs in the country. Sue shared her remarkable story with a room full of 300 attendees for the BREW (Building Relationships & Empowering Women) conference following NBWA's annual convention in Vegas last week. She referenced these lessons learned and many more along the way, "connect[ing] the dots" (referencing a famous Steve Jobs quote) from her upbringing in Buffalo to present day. When her husband Todd Epsten, 3d generation indie wine & spirits and beer distrib owner/operator of MO-based Major Brands, was diagnosed with brain cancer in Oct 2010, Sue was in the process of going to law school while they also took care of two children, one in middle school and one in high school. "Everything changed" that day, she remarked, and shortly after the diagnosis and multiple surgeries for Todd, Sue entered as the successor of the biz on Jan 1, 2011, starting her "first day on the job in the wine and spirits business" with "no prior experience" as ceo of Major Brands. Understanding the severity of Todd's diagnosis, she was there to lead the co thru what they all hoped would be just an "interim period of challenge," sharing with the team the same message that she shared with her kids, that "we're going to keep doing what we always do." For her, that meant staying in law school while simultaneously running the co.The Beginning of New Chapter in the South FL AB Network Todd passed away in 2012, a few days before her oldest son's high school graduation and shortly after her youngest's birthday. Those "were not easy days," Sue acknowledged. But in July 2012, an oppy emerged to buy Eagle Brand Sales in Miami, FL. She had the support of AB after separately working with 'em on different legislative issues in MO, and agreeing to sell Major Brands' 7-mil-case, OR-based distrib Western Brands back to AB in 2011. (Co also hired former AB vet Tony Short in Sep 2010.) So Sue went down to talk to the Eagle Brand Sales general manager, who happened to have 3 grandchildren living in Buffalo. "This was meant to be," she thought. People "thought it was crazy" but "this [was] a great opportunity.""The Sharks Started to Circle" in MO At the same time, after taking the reins at Major Brands, a whole new set of biz challenges emerged as Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits was challenging state residency law requirements for distrib principals, and several suppliers eventually sought to terminate Major Brands. "The sharks started to circle," said Sue. She received phone calls asking her if she needed money, or to sell the company, and was told she's "never going to make it" numerous times. While Todd was still alive and sick, another large wine & spirits wholesaler told her "we're taking you out," she recalled. There were "lots of rumors going around" that "we would sell the company" and Sue hadda constantly communicate with employees that "we're not selling," that employees were "what matters" and that "you gotta believe."She could ignore the rumors and threats, but "couldn't ignore the terminations" that came in 2013. Major Brands' largest suppliers like Diageo, Bacardi, Pernod Ricard, STZ and Luxco looked to terminate and move distribution rights, with Diageo and Bacardi accounting for more than 50% of Major Brands' biz alone."Not Fighting At All is Losing" So Sue "Had to Fight"; Winning the Liquor Wars Sue could either "fight and win, fight and lose or not fight at all," she recalled. But in Sue's view, she "had no other choice" and had "great clarity in the moment" that "not fighting at all is losing, so I had to fight." Fighting for her employees, her sons and their dad's legacy, she countersued "everyone" that terminated Major Brands. Pernod and Constellation "came to the table" and negotiated to stay on without litigation. This period became known as "the liquor wars," which "still to this day" drove "more money spent" in MO state capital "than any other issue," with folks from France with Pernod Ricard and other out-of-state advocates looking for franchise law to go away.But "we had great friends on our side," said Sue, including Mayor of St Louis, then MO US senator Claire McCaskill talkin' to the WSJ and "over 400 of our customers" signing a petition and many coming down to lobby for Major Brands. In the midst of those battles, Major Brands managed to acquire Garco Wine in 2013, restructured the org, and together fought in court including two trials, with ct ruling in Major Brands' favor. Coming outta that, Major Brands acquired MoBev in 2014, got Jack Daniel's in 2015 and got back to profitability."They Did It Again" in 2018; Double Eagle in Ft Lauderdale Next; "All-Time Revenue" in 2020 After a few yrs of a revitalized biz, "they did it again" in 2018. SGWS sued Major Brands and took Jagermeister. So "we did the same thing again, fought back." At that point, Major Brands' team "started to receive some recognition" for what they'd accomplished and Sue was able to feel that "we've made it," and "we're going to be ok." But she "didn't still know what would happen to Major Brands" since co "kept getting sued" and "losing brands." So when the oppy came up to buy another FL-based AB house, Double Eagle, just north of Eagle Brand Sales, in 2019, she went for it. That added another 4 mil cases to the operation at the time. By 2020, about 10 yrs since learning of Todd's illness, the co hit its "all-time revenue," Sue shared.Sold Shares in Major Brands in 2020; Jager Settlement in 2021; Breakthru Acquisition in 2022 In 2020, Sue remained ceo of Major Brands but sold her shares in the biz to the Wirtz family, which first gained an interest in Major Brands when Major bought MoBev in 2014. Co was then awarded $11.75 mil + legal fees in the Jagermeister lawsuit for wrongful termination. And in Jan 2022, Breakthru moved to acquire Major Brands for an estimated $400 mil, INSIGHTS then reported."Clever Little Girl" Foundation; Buffalo Bills "Limited Partner"; Stephens Dist in 2025 Around the same time that Sue sold her shares in Major Brands in 2020, she founded the "Clever Little Girl Foundation," and "the name is not random," she noted. "In negotiations for the substantial payment and apology we received" from Diageo and Southern Glazer's, one of SGWS' "negotiators" came up to Sue and said "I'll grant you this, you're a clever little girl." That's far from the only time Sue was underestimated for being a woman in this industry, she shared thruout. "So guess what, why not name a foundation after him," Sue figured, followed by a round of audience applause. Then too, in 2024 she became a "limited partner" in the Buffalo Bills org, key word being "limited," she noted. And this yr, Eagle Brand Sales acquired Stephens Dist in FL, filling out co's south FL footprint and bringing total operation to 10+ mil cases per yr."Less Risky to Try It" All told, Sue was able to "remove the noise" and "just do what we need to" in order to keep going thruout, she emphasized. That "clarity of purpose" was a "key learning" for her. "People think I've taken a lot of risks," but "I never thought like that," said Sue. It was "a risk not to go after what you want," and "less risky to try it." Plus, didn't hurt that cos tried to sue Sue while she was in law school, she quipped. (Our flagship publication BMI also recently profiled Sue on her more recent biz accomplishments.)

Sue McCollum's Remarkable Story Showcased at BREW: Connecting the Dots, Evading Sharks, Expanding in the Face of Danger

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