Climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro
by MAIA GOSSELIN
Not many people can check climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro
off their bucket list.
But that’s exactly what Dennis Occhipinti,
General Manager of Blanchard’s in Brockton,
and Bill Ehrhardt, Vice-President Retail
for Horizon Beverage Company, have done.
Not to mention raising $22,5OO
for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the process.
The plan was hatched between the two longtime friends over dinner last winter. Climbing Kilimanjaro had long been a dream of Occhipinti’s but he needed someone to make the trek with him. His wife, wisely, had no intention of doing it. So, after a couple of bottles of wine and a lot of discussion, Bill threw his hat into the ring. He laughed, “I’ve cursed him ever since, it’s the toughest thing I’ve done.” Taking it one step further, they decided to do some good as well. Bill said, “If we’re going to do this why don’t we do it right? We decided on Make-A-Wish, it’s a great foundation. So we made a plan.”
To raise the money Horizon partnered with several of its suppliers and major retailers in promoting specific brands through displays that resulted in funds being donated. John MacDonald of Constellation Brands got on board with Dreaming Tree Wines and Simi Sonoma Chardonnay; Jeff Gomes of The Wine Group brought in Cupcake Wines; Steve Foohey of Brown Forman did El Jimador tequila; Jay Scenti of Campari America supported with Wild Turkey; and Brendon Walsh of Savvy Distillers brought in Deep Eddy Vodka.
Retailer participation was impressive as well. Stores involved include Blanchard’s Liquors/Brockton, Blanchard’s Liquors/West Roxbury, Busa Liquors, Curtis Liquors, Kappy’s Liquors, Lanks Liquors, Liberty Liquors, Luke’s of Cape Cod, Luke’s Rockland, Upper Falls Liquors, Wine & Spirit Retailers, Wyman’s Liquors and Yankee Spirits. Some retailers, such as Kappy’s, went above and beyond making generous personal donations to the effort.
To say this was a success is an understatement. Not only did Bill and Dennis meet their goal of $2O,OOO they surpassed it, raising $22,5OO. Bill said, “Each ‘Wish’ costs roughly $75OO, so we’re able to help out three families to take a fantastic trip for the reason none of us wants to think about.” For his part, Dennis said, “We raised $4OOO to $5OOO just in our store alone. Most of the sales people who walked in the door helped out – no problem – when I asked. We worked out a case deal, they put up some signage and we sold all the product. They were quite generous and it was very easy.”
The program had other benefits as well. The estimate is that on average there were double digit sales for the brands/accounts involved for the May through July period. Supporting Make-A-Wish really resonated with customers, many of whom consciously put down other brands to purchase these products instead.
Their commitment to this cause did not go unnoticed. Doug Epstein, Managing Director of Regional Sales for Horizon, summed up the universal admiration Bill and Dennis have garnered, saying, “Everyone at Horizon Beverage is enormously proud of Bill and Dennis, not only for their charitable accomplishment, but also for their initiative in partnering with all 3 tiers of the industry to achieve the charitable mission. It is a model-example of a retail, wholesale and supplier partnership making our community a better place. We hope that their leadership will inspire others on similar local projects, and Horizon Beverage is fully committed to supporting those initiatives of our associates that make a positive impact on our communities.”
As for the climb itself, the men reached the summit in about 7 days this July after months of planning, shots, training, and more. Would they do it again? Of course not! But it was well-worth the experience. Dennis remarked that the porters have a particular reverence for older people and, being the senior climber on this trip, they really looked after him. As a sign of respect porters often called him “Babu” meaning grandfather.
After 45 years with Blanchard’s, the last 2O of which have been in Brockton, Dennis is hanging up his industry hat. Although technically already retired, he is still helping out at the store on a part-time basis. But he can go out knowing he undertook the climb of a lifetime and supported a tremendous cause in the process.
