A Conversation with Dave Peacock,
President and CEO, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.
As president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch Companies, Dave Peacock makes it clear that St. Louis remains at the heart of the company. Although there have been changes since the merger with InBev, Peacock notes that the company’s commitment to St. Louis has not changed, and he’s excited about the future.
Today Anheuser-Busch is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Peacock says that when merger talks began InBev always planned to keep the company here. Peacock is a 17-year A-B veteran who took over the reins last October.
“First and foremost our commitment is that Anheuser-Busch remains a wholly-owned subsidiary based in St. Louis,” Peacock says. “St. Louis is very much connected with our identity, our heritage and our traditions. That’s not something we want to change.”
One way consumers and retailers will see that A-B’s identity remains the same is through the continued use of the iconic A&Eagle—a widely recognized symbol of Anheuser-Busch—on buildings, signs and logos.
Under the AB InBev organization, Anheuser-Busch is part of the North American zone, also headquartered in St. Louis. Some of the finance, human resource and technology functions are now completed here for North America, and several InBev executives have relocated into St. Louis.
A-B is extremely important to the global company. In fact, Peacock says almost half of the company’s business and profits come out of the
St. Louis-based subsidiary.
Peacock and his team manage the company’s portfolio of mega-brands—including Budweiser and Bud Light—the two largest-selling beers in the world. The company also produces more than 100 beers, flavored alcohol beverages and non-alcohol brews and imports beers for distribution in the United States.
In March, 150 A-B InBev leaders from around the world met in St. Louis to see the Anheuser-Busch operations first-hand and visited Grant’s Farm. Peacock says there is a great respect for A-B and St. Louis among the new company’s global leaders.
“InBev CEO Carlos Brito and other leaders of the company were impressed with our people who are very loyal and execute their jobs very well. They were also impressed with St. Louis as a place to do business and as a community.”
Peacock himself has a long history with
St. Louis and A-B. The St. Louis native remembers his grandfather driving him through the Christmas lights at the Brewery when he was young. His father worked at Busch Creative Services, a former subsidiary of the company. Peacock joined A-B in 1992 and has held many key roles in management, marketing and planning.
Peacock says the traditions that are important to St. Louis and A-B’s consumers won’t change, including the Clydesdales and Grant’s Farm.
“I’m always reminded that the Clydesdales were unveiled after Prohibition and how we weathered a difficult storm during that time. This is a good reminder of how we can overcome today’s slow economy during this time of transition for the company,” he says.
With more than 4,000 employees in
St. Louis, A-B is one of the largest employers in the region. So how are the employees dealing with the changes?
“I think the employees are handling the changes quite well,” Peacock says. “I am impressed with their performance. Whenever you make changes like this it’s tough, but we have very resilient, loyal people.”
Bringing the two organizations together has created a lot of synergy, Peacock explains. For example, A-B is learning from InBev in some areas of waste water efficiencies. And, A-B employees have traveled to China, Brazil and Western Europe to discuss how to optimize use of energy and utilities. These are just a few examples of sharing best practices, he says.
The merger has also created new opportunities Peacock says. While there was some
talk that IT operations could be outsourced, the opposite has occurred, with A-B actually bringing to St. Louis certain additional
IT operations. Plus, as part of a global
company, employees may have new opportunities to work in other parts of the country or the world.
Staying connected with consumers has always been A-B’s focus. For decades, A-B has built its brands with sports sponsorships in football, baseball, basketball and the Olympics.
Peacock emphasizes that sports sponsorships will continue to be a priority. In fact, he says spending is up over last year and A-B has recently renewed sponsorships with the Association of Volleyball Professionals, Major League Lacrosse and several individual teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.
The outlook for corporate giving also remains strong. A-B plans to continue its long-standing tradition of community outreach and contributions. Through its foundation, A-B gave $13 million in the St. Louis area last year. Focus areas for philanthropy include economic development, education, environment and disaster relief.
“Giving is a big part of how A-B connects in this community,” Peacock says. “We recognize that philanthropy matters and we will continue to be a part of the community through strategic contributions.”
Peacock says the company will continue to give in ways big and small to organizations that help the community. Peacock added that A-B employees are very generous with their time and passionate about supporting a variety of local organizations.
This year A-B has made several notable donations including $3 million to Saint Louis University to fund its law school expansion, $2.5 million to University of Missouri-St. Louis, and committed $2 million to the
St. Louis United Way.
Active in various charities, Peacock is chairman of the board of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross, and is on the boards of Saint Louis University; Greater St. Louis Inc., which is the economic development initiative of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association; and the St. Patrick Center where A-B made a $600,000 donation to fund employment programs this year.
Looking ahead Peacock is excited about AB InBev’s future. He says although the company is very large, in some ways they are like a start-up that is reinventing itself.
“This is a high-performance company that is a combination of multiple businesses. We are creating a new future and building something that will be enduring. I’m excited about that,” he says.
But Peacock is quick to add that they won’t forget the past. “Our heritage doesn’t change. What made us who we are doesn’t change. But how we evolve by building on our traditions and carrying them forward is what is important.”
