Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/97133
UP Smirnoff Vodka was our next product. After WWII, Young���s continued courting smaller companies that no one seemed interested in at the time, like Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels) and Bacardi Rum. Those relationships have endured to this day. George Young died in 1952 and in 1963 Vern Sr. became President. Although the Young family was still involved, the Underwoods were in charge of the company. In 1975, Vernon O. Underwood Sr. was named Chairman and his son, Vernon O. Underwood Jr., was elected President. ���The business was changing rapidly in ���60s and ���70s,��� Vern Jr. recalls, ���and I tried to explain to the Youngs that if the company didn���t change, it wasn���t going to survive. The outcome of that conversation was that I was ���red. That lasted for about a day and a half,��� he laughs, and with good reason. On Jan 10, 1990, Vern and his sister, Janet Smith, bought the business from the Youngs. Sadly, that PHOTO: COURTESY OF YOUNG���S MARKET CO. they sold their retail stores and food operations.��� Another astute move made around that same time was when company President George Young convinced an enterprising young Herald Examiner advertising salesman named Vernon O. Underwood, Sr.��� the current chairman���s father���to join the company. Before long, Vernon Sr. noticed George Young���s attractive daughter, Adrienne, whom he married. Vern Sr. soon achieved another important milestone when he secured exclusive distribution for Jos�� Cuervo Tequila, at that time an obscure brand���and category���that he had discovered while attending the University of Arizona. Vern Sr. continued to excel at Young���s, eventually becoming General Manager and Chief Financial Of���cer. And the exclusivity factor was becoming a Young���s trademark. ���When World War II broke out,��� Vern Jr. says, ���it was dif���cult to obtain MEET THE EXECS Deborah Parker Wong pro���les a few of the high-level executives who keep Young���s Market Company on the cutting edge in California and beyond. Dan Grunbeck, Senior Vice President of Corporate Business Development and Strategy Over the course of his career, Dan Grunbeck has seen the way every major wholesaler in the nation operates, and he joined Young���s three years ago because of what he saw in store for the future. ���I was one of the ���rst hires after Chris [Underwood] announced that the company was going to change, says ��� Grunbeck. ���It���s one thing to say that you���ve changed and another thing to actually do it. Young���s is growing in the Western U.S. at two to three times the industry average. ��� As an early adopter of the major changes that occurred within the organization, Grunbeck works with Chris Underwood and the leaders of the company to chart a path for the organization. ���We���re constantly asking ourselves, are we growing market share across our ten-state footprint? Are we winning in the on-premise? How are we achieving that with each of our suppliers in the network?��� Ultimately, his goal is to be strategically aligned with his suppliers, ���If we drive customer and supplier satisfaction, we will grow naturally across the Western U.S. ��� Ted Simpkins, Executive Vice President, Corporate Delivering from air to truck! alcoholic beverages, and the big brands dominated, making it dif���cult for the little guys to get distribution. So to compete, George Young and my father decided they would contact the smaller distillers. They started with John Martin, founder of Heublein, who had a gin called Milshire. George ordered two boxcars, but Martin didn���t have the money to ���ll the order. So George lent him the money and a relationship was started that continues to this day. 8 / the tasting panel / december 2012 same year Vern���s father passed away. Today Young���s Market Company is owned by Vern Jr. and Janet, who serves as Executive Vice-President and Secretary. In addition, Vern���s son, Chris Underwood, is ���fth generation and currently serves as Chief Executive Of���cer, and all three are on the Board of Directors of parent company Young���s Holdings, LLC. Under their guidance, Young���s has become the fourth-largest wine and spirits distribu- ���This extraordinary 125-year-old family business has offered great opportunity to many people, says Ted Simpkins, ��� Executive Vice President, Corporate for Young���s. ���Operating in ten Western states we���re not the biggest by far, but our goal is to be the best. Our mantra is ���Best in the West��� and that���s exactly what we���re trying to achieve state by state, he af���rmed. ��� Simpkins pointed to recent changes in Arizona, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California and in his tongue-in-cheek style observed, ���With a few exceptions, we have a very young management team. In fact, most of them are in their 40s. With Chris Underwood, who is 41, running the company; this gives us a singular vision for the future and it���s one that our competitors do not share. ���