Von Bongo

With the Busch family owning a home at LOTO and being big sponsors of things like the Shootout, if InBev is successful in buying the company, I wonder how that will effect sponsorhips of events like that, things like Dave Scott's offshore sponsorships, NASCAR and so on.

Not that AB isn't profit driven but InBev looks to be pretty focused on costs. I doubt the head quarters will stay in St. Louis. Busch Staduim renamed InBev stadium? NAscar's Busch series already gone to Nationwide and so on.

Seems the wind of change is blowing. Not a beer drinker but I don't think this will be a positive overall for the motorsports operations that AB has supported so well over the years.

It's amazing how many American institutions are no longer american.

Sean H

Yes, things will be dramatically different.

SinkorSwim

My cousin got a buyout package, she was a VP, from a division. She said 5 years ago that the company would be sold.. I thought she was nuts...

Cree

I heard AB cut $100M from its sponsorships in 2008 and Dave Scott felt some of the cuts, primarily driven by share holders wanting to see AB leadership commitment to stockholders. AB influence at LOTO will definately be felt, with their large LOTO complex being a huge cost new ownership may be looking to unload. Another theory is that AB LOTO property and boats may be put into an existing private LCC, controlled by the Busch family, not being part of the AB buyout. One could speculate since Warren Buffet is a large piece of potential new AB ownership, powerboat racing sponsorship may increase. I believe Warren is also a major shareholder in the corp which owns GIECO, and they are big players in professional powerboat racing. Change can be good or bad, only time will tell.

eichhoma

iTrader: (1)

as an ex AB employee I can say this safely.
This has been a long time in the coming. Inbev wants the market share. For years when August III was running the show, he fought with them constantly. 1 1/2 years ago when Aug iV toook it over, he opened up communication with inbev and basically said "hey, you guys distribute for us over there, and we will distribute for you over here; fued ended". That caused more issues and Inbev would like very much so to buy AB and gthe IV will definitley look at that closely.

I believe that Inbev could care less about all the AB fluff around the US, especially with the STL brewery (which is by the most expensive to operate), and all the non profits, and sponsorships they endorse. I think you can look for the STL brewery to close and all of the involvements AB currently has going to come to an end.

Its truly a shame that the US is slowly and surely removing its footprint from the globe. We are selling all of our company's to foreigner's..... I think our flag will be different in about 50 years.

TexomaPowerboater

Selling all our companies to foreigners.................AB was a german company to begin with. As long as the beer taste the same I don't care who's running it.

eichhoma

iTrader: (1)

That's a great philosophy. But your grandkids just might not need a job someday....
I wasn't speaking of its origin. It is a US company. It is (potentially) being sold to a country that is not the US.
my point stands.

TexomaPowerboater

We've got a AB plant down here in Fort Worth, right next to the miller plant. As long as AB is sold in the U.S. then there will be jobs for that. And if not, then somebody else will step in because we are not going to stop drinking beer anytime soon. My point stands.

rlj676

Uhh, so yeah some guys get to get paid to drive forklifts. Some people like to have jobs after college, that pay well, and really stimulate the economy.

We outsource the mfg, we sell the white collar to overseas, what's left?

Deliver, repair, etc, basically the service industries. How many services are needed by the lower class, as that's all that'll be left at this rate?

If it's anything like Detroit has become with the decline of true American car companies, this country won't be anything like it was.

nova26

If AB sells out to foreign country I'll be looking for a different beer here at home US of A.