Milo Butler

MILO BUTLER AND SONS LTD. mas and,in this era,we aremaking serious inroads in our markets.”Today,Milo Butler and Sons Ltd.has five liquor locations,one retail outlet,and awholesale location onNewProvidence. “The Bahamas has 700 islands and cays,”adds Damian Butler,Allan’s cousin and the company’s current ManagingDirector.“We have partnerships on those islands andwe distribute liquor and food items to businesses that aremuch smaller.Most of our products are imported.We’ve got products coming fromSouthAmerica,Europe,the U.S.,and Canada. We have about 90 permanent employees and about 112,inclusive of part-time employees.”Apart from its operating businesses,the companyalso owns two shopping plazas and has equity stakes in several publicly-traded companies,chieflyAMLFoods,Cable Bahamas,and Commonwealth Bank.“Our company has,inmanyways,invested in different sections of society through our investments,”says Damian. Going forward,Damian says that the company plans to continue to expand its liquor business–over the last three years,it has gone fromone store–the FlyingDutchman Liquor Store–to five,and he hopes to open twomore.“In addition to that,we intend to expand our distribution business in terms of reno- vating our current facility,expanding its capacityan additional 5,000 square feet or so,and to increase the efficiencyand improve our services as theyare, today,”he reports. The third generation of Butlers is also preparing for generation four,and has begun holding regular meetings of a“familycommittee”to better equip the younger Butlers with the understanding and appreciation of the business that Sir Milo founded almost a centuryago. “There is a long-termvision for gener- ation four,however,generation three is prettyyoung,”Damian notes.“The CEO beforemewasmybrother,Franklyn,and he resigned lastyear.So,I’veonlycurrently takenthechair and I’m37yearsold.Our goal is forgenerationfour toget involved and,hopefully,continue the legacy.” Damian believes that what differen- tiatesMilo Butler and Sons from the competition are its core values: account- ability,leadership,integrity,adaptability, and teamwork,as well as its consistency in treating its customers like family while also attempting to create,what he calls,“a complete buy-in to the vision of the company that we have brought about since the passing of generation two.Our business is an example for manyother Bahamians of color,in particular,whowould like to growand learn and become part of something great,”he asserts.“This company ismore than just a familybusiness forus; it is, indeed,a tool forus tocontinue toprovide motivationforour societyandameans by which other Bahamians can be inspired. Wewant to continue to expand and provide jobs for our communityand for our society.” Sir Milo,who passed away in 1979, would undoubtedlybe proudofwhathis descendantshavecontinued inhisname. PREFERRED VENDOR n Cebev LLC www.juicebowl.com Cebev (Cutting Edge Beverages) sells a variety of high-nutrition beverage product, including 100 percent juices and teas, with a focus on food service applications. The company began in 1967 as Juice Bowl, packaging fresh fruit juice into shelf stable containers, providing much needed Vitamin C and other nutrients to children. It was bought in 2004, by Jerry Whitlock, and has since added a wide assortment of all natural fruit and vegetable blends and bottled teas. The company has three plant locations: Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma; Wharton, New Jersey; and Lakeland, Florida. Its products are distrib- uted through a network of brokers and foodservice operators. Cebev also offers a range of full-service beverage solutions, including consulting, formulation development, package design, supply chain and procurement, production and quality assurance assistance, and private label programs.