Russell G. Cleary
| Russell G. Cleary | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
May 22, 1933 Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin |
| Died | May 1, 1997 (aged 63) La Crosse, Wisconsin |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Occupation | President of the G. Heileman Brewing Company |
| Years active | 1971-1989, 1994-1997 |
| Spouse(s) | Gail Cleary (1955) |
| Children | Kristine Coffey, Sandra Heise |
| Relatives | Roy Kumm, father-in-law, Lillian Hope Kumm, mother-in-law |
Russell G. Cleary (May 22, 1933 - May 1, 1997) was an American brewer who was known for building the G. Heileman Brewing Company from the 15th in the brewing industry up to 4th during his tenure as president and CEO of the company from 1971 to 1989.
Russell G. Cleary was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, however, he was orphaned at a young age. Following his parents' deaths, he went to live with his aunt and grandmother in La Crosse, Wisconsin. While in La Crosse, Cleary attended Franklin Elementary School, and Logan Junior and Senior High Schools. While at Logan High School, Cleary was editor of the school's yearbook and a leader on the debate team. Following his high school graduation, Cleary attended the University of La Crosse three year pre-law program and was accepted to the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1954, graduating in 1957. Cleary had the intention of moving to Reedsburg, Wisconsin to begin a law practice, but he and his wife returned to La Crosse and he began doing real estate law.
Roy Kumm became president of the G. Heileman Brewing Company in 1957 and Cleary began working occasionally with Kumm on labor negotiations and business acquisitions.
Cleary joined Heileman full-time as legal counsel for the company in 1960. Only four years after working at Heileman, Cleary was promoted to Vice President and General Counsel of the company. Instead of merely assisting with labor contracts and acquisitions, Cleary was in charge of the following:
In 1967 Cleary was named to the Board of Directors. Four years later Kumm resigned as president of the company due to health reasons, he died only months later. Following Kumm's resignation and death, Cleary was made president of the G. Heileman Brewing Company. One of Cleary's first moves as president was to acquire several breweries as a part of Heileman's 1972 purchase of Associated Brewing. The purchase of the company resulted in Heileman being catapulted up to 8th in the industry. The jump from 15th to 8th resulted in Heileman's stock being traded on the for the first time in May 1973. After the large jump in rank, Cleary went on a campaign to even further Heileman's standing in the brewing industry ranks.
Cleary thought Heileman was the only viable company to compete with Anheuser-Busch and Miller. He continued his campaign of acquiring failing breweries, making several huge deals throughout his tenure as president. In 1977, Heileman purchased the Rainier brands and plant in Seattle, Washington. There was a deal in 1979 to acquire the Carling brands and several plants (Frankenmuth, Michigan, Baltimore, Maryland, Belleville, Illinois, Phoenix, Arizona, among others, which Heileman quickly sold or liquidated). Several contracts in 1983 put Heileman under control of a plant in Perry, Georgia, San Antonio, Texas, where they also purchased the Lone Star brand, and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewery and brands in Portland, Oregon. Cleary's last major brewery move came in 1986 when Heileman finished the construction on a Val Blatz Microbrewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to produce the Blatz brand, which they had purchased in 1969.
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