Good Luck Jim Tye

The
role as ambassador for United Liquors is certainly not a new
one for Jim Tye. With his ‘retirement’, that role is just a
little more expanded, as he will be casting a wider if more
informal net. Tye, a graduate of University of Miami and
Columbia University School of Management, has had a firm
hand in most areas of United Liquors management for over
thirty-two years.

Speaking from
his office during his last summer days at United Liquors,
Jim talked about his time with the company. “When I started
with United Liquors in my teens, sweeping the floor on
weekends or whatever, our computers were run with punch
cards and men loaded the trucks by hand. Today, the
computers load the trucks. In some respects a lot has
changed. What hasn’t changed is our basic business
principles. My father instilled in us the philosophy that
what separates an average wholesaler from a great wholesaler
is customer service. We all sell good brands. My family – my
dad, my late brother Michael, and myself – were out there,
day and night, building relationships with our customers and
making sure that we were meeting their needs. There’s no way
I’d be retiring today – at a relatively young age and in
good health – if I had any concerns about the future of our
company. We just announced the promotion of Mark Fisher to
President and COO of the United Group. With a guy like Mark
at the helm we don’t have to worry about the future of
United. The company is in very good hands.”

As to what he
will be most remembered for from his thirty-two years in the
business, Jim quickly states, “It would have to be my ‘feet
on the street’. My father impressed on Michael and me that
it’s important to travel to the source of the business. You
have to let your customers know how important they are to
you. I had the privilege of working in all segments of the
business. Very early on, one of my jobs was to go out for
two weeks with every United salesman to practically every
market in the state to sell Peachtree Schnapps. At each
account I’d always make a point to say ‘Thank you for your
business’.” These small courtesies made an impression on
people. “Best case, they’d say ‘Gee, it was nice to see one
of the Tyes in here, and by the way, we’ll take those extra
couple of cases’. Fortunately, disgruntled customers are few
and far between, but whenever I get a call from a customer
with a problem to be solved I always look at it as an
opportunity for us to improve.”

Tye always
retained the lessons learned working retail accounts with a
number of master salesmen. “Any salesman can walk in with a
cup of coffee and start talking about the Red Sox. But how
do you walk in and add value, so that customer wants to hear
and see you more? When the storeowner sees you make him more
money and that you care about his business, too. That’s
how.”

“My rookie job
out of college was working at the old Kronheim Distributing
in Baltimore. I was riding with a very seasoned salesman, Ed
Malin. I’ll never forget, we went into this shop in
Pikesville where Ed was doing very little business. He told
the owner that we’d be back on Washington’s Birthday and
sell a lot of product. The owner said, ‘Right!’. When the
day came, Ed walked in dressed like George Washington, and
started pushing bottles at customers saying, ‘George wants
you to drink this!’. It worked! Another time I saw Ed take
one of his products and put it in the dump bin, telling the
owner, ‘This doesn’t move. It’s not fair to you. Let’s
discount it.’ The owner said, ‘Gee, you’re gonna lose a
spot,’ and Ed said, ‘I don’t care. This is good for your
store, so it’s good for me.’ After that, Ed owned that
store.”

These lessons
certainly served Tye well as he moved into various
management positions at United. Jim’s roles were many. “More
than anything else”, says United Liquors Vice Chairman &
CEO Dave Roberts, “Jim truly did everything he was asked to
do – from operations, running control states, starting up
Excel as well as our national accounts group – he truly did
every job well. He never said no to any responsibility. That
is a true indication of the kind of person he is.” Roberts
adds fondly, “We wish him well, and we will miss
him.”

Tye discussed
the creation of United’s Excel On-Premise Division, and the
growing importance and industry focus on this segment.
“On-premise business has come a long way from beer and
highballs. Martinis and Cosmopolitans are everywhere. Who’d
have dreamed of watermelon liqueurs and butterscotch shots?
These have excited the spirits industry and have proven the
maxim that trends develop and brands are built in the
on-premise. I saw the vitality of the on-premise in
Massachusetts and felt that we could capture a greater share
of this business if we had a division dedicated to serving
its needs. Paul took over the Excel Division two years ago
and has done a super job”.

Paul Canavan,
Vice President and General Sales Manager of United Liquors
Excel Division, truly appreciates the efforts of his
predecessor. “I was very fortunate to grow up in the
business with James Tye. There was no one more committed to
the on-premise. He was passionate about business, worked
tireless hours, developed lasting relationships, and created
a culture that stood out among his competitors.”

This admiration
for Tye’s relationships with the trade is shared by his
peers at United and echoed by the recollections of many of
his customers who have become close friends. “Jim’s presence
will definitely be missed. His efforts with customers is a
key to United’s success”, says Lew Gack, United’s Treasurer
and CFO. “On a personal level, I will miss Jim’s friendship
and camaraderie.” Adds Mark Fisher, the new President and
COO of the United Group, “Jim’s reputation among the retail
and on-premise trade is second to none in the industry. The
cordial relations he has forged throughout the years have
established United Liquors as a company that places
customers first”. One of those customers, David Alphonse, of
the Back Bay Restaurant Group, reveals the poorly kept
secret that you can have a lot of fun working hard in this
industry. “We’ve had so many wonderful moments. I’ll never
forget our lunch together in Brennan’s in New Orleans. We
ordered a bunch of wine and then proceeded to experiment
with Bananas Foster at the tableside, flaming the dessert.
Another time, when I took my wife out to dinner at Davio’s,
Jim was at the next table; when he left he picked up our tab
and never said a word. He has an affection for the industry
and loves to have fun!” Adds Max Campignon, Food &
Beverage Director of the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, “Jim’s
a blast to work with! He’s dedicated to his clients and a
true lover of his wines and champagnes. He loves to watch
his portfolio, and helps you get to know wines you didn’t
know or thought you didn’t like. He’s true to his friends
and clients!”

Jim indicates
that he’ll be keeping a sharp eye out for business
opportunities. “Retired or not, this business is in my
blood, and I’ll continue to look for avenues for United to
pursue. I’ve been privileged to travel to many countries,
and to observe how people do business. Ron Weathers, our VP
of Malt Beverages, is putting a trip together for me to
visit breweries in Asia – Tsingtao in China, Singha in
Thailand and 33 Brewery in Vietnam. Rarely do these
companies see people from Western distributors. Our coming
to their countries lets them know just how important their
brands are to us. I have a plan to go to visit Riga, Latvia
– my cousin Larry Tye traced our family’s roots there – not
only to find family history but also to see what kinds of
products they have that may be of interest to Latvians in
America. If I can put things together that are beneficial to
our business family, I’m surely going to do
something.”

While his
thirty-two years in the business have taught Jim a lot, his
work with his family’s and other charitable foundations has
helped shaped who he is today. “One thing I’ve found from
working with the Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation we set up
for dad is that there’s no lack of people who need our help.
The foundation has many individuals and charities looking
for our help. They can’t get government funding and
sometimes can’t even get into this country to get required
surgery or treatment. My brother Michael and I learned from
our dad: ‘Never say ‘no’ to anyone in need.’ We who are
privileged can’t forget those who are needy. We have the
opportunity to help, and we don’t say, ‘I’m too busy, we’re
corporately out of money.’ We just figure out how to find a
way. It might be picking up the phone and calling on a
supplier to pitch in. Get it from somewhere to help
somebody. That’s what I try to instill in my family,
colleagues and friends.”

Tye has also
been known to put his body on the line to help others.
Kappy’s Bob Selby recalls, “Jim’s always been an avid
cyclist. We’ve been relatively close over the years, so Jim
and I made the Jimmy Fund Sturbridge to Provincetown Ride
about 12 years ago in honor of his dad’s 5O years in the
business. After Jim had his first heart problem, Tanqueray
sponsored an AIDS bike ride from Boston to New York. I was
part of the team as were Michael and Mark Tye. Jim could not
participate, of course, but due to his dedication, he was
there every step of the way: along the route, the start,
encouraging the riders, met us in New York at the finish. He
really showed his stuff for Team United.”

Reflecting on
the legacy his son will leave behind and proud of the
courage he’s shown in making this life altering change, Ray
Tye, the company’s Chairman, and a man who under any other
circumstance would have the last word on the subject,
recalls, “Jimmy came to United in 1974 and worked in all
facets of our business very successfully. He’s been a
stalwart in the success of United Liquors. I guess there’s a
time in your life when it’s time to change your course.
Jimmy’s decided at a relatively young age to do something
different. As a single guy he can do it. I wish I’d had that
chance. We’ll miss him, but we appreciate that he’s given us
32 of his best years. As I look back on Jimmy’s career at
United, I see him as a beloved son, who’s done a great job,
and now at mid-life, I give him credit for embarking on new
ventures.”

Jim Tye thought
back on his career and pondered his future. My late brother
Michael and I would talk about retirement, and he would say,
“I’m gonna go to the wall now, but when I’m 5O, I’m gonna
retire.” We never told my father this. My father’s style is
that of the old westerns, dying with his boots on. My style
was different. In 1999 I had open-heart surgery. I had a lot
of complications – I’ll never forget all those wires and
tubes in intensive care – but thank God I survived and today
I’m in very good health. Michael had been diagnosed with
cancer the year before. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t as
good. He was greatly loved by all of us and by so many
people; 5OOO attended his funeral. My brother Mark and I
would not let the gravediggers do their job; we did the
digging. That was when I made a vow to myself that if I
could retire, I would take the opportunity. I really have to
thank my father, Dave Roberts, Mark Fisher, and our new
partners, Harvey and Wayne Chaplin, and an awful lot of
people in our organization who work very, very hard. If not
for them, I could not have, in my wildest dreams, been able
to look towards these new adventures.”