I have been sitting on this sitution for a couple of days, researching, and pondering what to post.
A quick background--In 2008 FBA started the Triple Crown Series. It is a big hit with the teams and ends with an Invitational in Dec.
The details are here:
http://www.flbbq.org/crown.htm
The title sponsor in 2008 was Old Whiskey River by their distributer, Drinks Americas.
At the end of 2008, Drinks Americas entered into a contract for 2009.
Now, they have decided (apparently) not to honor their contract with the FBA.
I have copied the letter from the FBA President (RUB) at the end of this post.
I did some research and found that Drinks Americas is in financial trouble and has been for some time. Among other things, they are paying bills with stock in their company and they admit to cash flow problems.
Their cuttent 10K (for those that are interested) is here:
http://sg.us.biz.yahoo.com/e/090813/dkam.ob10-k.html
My main gripe with Drinks America is their lack of integrity and responsiveness to the FBA.
If Drinks America had admitted early in the year that they would not be able to (or interested in) honoring the contract, the FBA would have had time to solicit another major sponsor.
A little honesty up front would have gone a long way to minimizing the damage to the FBA.
Since Drinks Americas played some sort of waiting game, the FBA has little time to find a new sponsor.
As a result, it is my opinion (my opinion only) that the generous purse for the Triple Crown Championship will need to be reduced signifigantly.
What a shame.
We will still be there, assuming we qualify in the TOP 10 out of the Alabama series.
We should make it, just fine.
It was a great event last year and should be even better this year.
Anyway--rant over for now.
TIM
Here is the letter from RUB:
-------------------------
Florida Barbecue Association
11161 Sandyshell Way, Boca Raton FL 33498
Promoting skills, expertise, and competition in the art and skill of barbecuing and smoking
August 19, 2009
Dear FBA Members,
I need to let you know about a very disappointing situation we have encountered. As you probably know, Old Whiskey River Bourbon (parent company Drinks Americas: www.drinksamericas.com ) wanted to be the title sponsor for our 2009 Triple Crown Championship Series. At the beginning of October 2008, Drinks Americas and the FBA signed a contract specifying what was expected of us, and in return, the amount of money to be paid to the FBA by Old Whiskey River to be the title sponsor. They made the first of three payments, and have defaulted on both the second (due 4/30/09) and final (due 5/30/09) payment.
I have been in contact with J. Patrick Kenny ([email protected]), President of Drinks Americas, pursuing payment to no avail. After many communications with Mr. Kenny, it became apparent that they did not intend to pay. In an effort to at least recover some of the owed money, our Board of Directors voted to offer Drinks Americas a 50% reduction in the amount they owed if they would make payment within one week. Mr. Kenny accepted the offer. The due date came and went with no payment. When I again followed up with Mr. Kenny, it became apparent to me again that they do not intend to honor our agreement or pay their debt.
My intention is to let you, our members know about this situation. As consumers, you should be able to make informed decisions on the purchases you make. The following is from a recent press release from Drinks Americas describing their business. I have highlighted their products:
Drinks Americas develops, owns, markets, and nationally distributes alcoholic and non-alcoholic premium beverages associated with renowned icon celebrities. Drinks Americas' portfolio of premium alcoholic beverages includes Kid Rock’s Beer, Trump Super Premium Vodka and Willie Nelson's Old Whiskey River Bourbon. The company also has a partnership with Universal Music’s Interscope, Geffen, A&M Records to jointly develop and launch beverage products. Other products owned and distributed by Drinks Americas include award-winning Damiana Liqueur and Aguila Tequila from Mexico, and Rheingold Beer. For further information, please visit our website at www.drinksamericas.com. Drinks Americas was founded in 2004 by J. Patrick Kenny, a leading expert in beverage sales and marketing. Mr. Kenny developed his industry expertise in a variety of management positions at the world's leading beverage companies, including Joseph E. Seagram and Sons and The Coca-Cola Company. He has also acted as advisor to several Fortune 500 beverage marketing companies, and has participated in several beverage industry transactions. Drinks Americas, Inc.Charles Davidson, 203-762-7000 [email protected] : mailto:[email protected] or CEO Cast Jim Fallon, 212-732-4300 [email protected]
I will keep you informed of any changes, should they occur.
Sincerely,
Rob Bagby FBA President
Cc: J. Patrick Kenny Bcc: FBA Membership
