Then & Now: Ryan reflects on success in people-oriented business

by Nancy Peevy ([email protected]) 65 views 

McBride Distributing Company Inc. in Fayetteville will celebrate 75 years in business next year. Angela Ryan’s grandfather, Charles “Mac” McBride, founded the Anheuser-Busch wholesaler in 1950 and passed it on to her dad, Bob McBride.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Ryan worked as assistant sales manager and became sales manager unexpectedly after her boss suddenly passed away. In 2000, when she was general manager, the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal named her to the Forty Under 40 class. In 2005, she became president and added the CEO title in 2013. She led the company to be the second-largest wholesaler in the state, with 55 employees.

“It’s a great industry to be in and a very people-oriented business that we enjoy,” she said. “There’s a sense of pride in hitting 75 years because it doesn’t happen a lot.”

For the celebration next year, the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales will make an appearance, and Ryan is planning events for employees, customers, the public, and community leaders to support local charities. Success for Ryan, 61, is all about the people she’s interacted with over the years.

“I’ve met people that are the Miller Light guys and the Heineken guys, and I’m the Bud girl. And we’re all best friends. You make great friends in the industry, and there’s nothing like talking about life over a cold beer,” Ryan said.

A strong advocate for many charities, Ryan supports local homeless charities and health care systems, including Washington Regional; as well as local education, including Fayetteville’s public education; veterans’ organizations; organizations for the elderly; and animals, including The Humane Society of the Ozarks and the Washington County Animal Shelter.

She is on Arvest Bank’s board and is in her second term on the Razorback Foundation board. She’s also served on the Washington Regional Medical Foundation and 7hills Homeless Center boards.

“I’m proud I’ve been involved with so many different organizations. That’s made me have a wide, wide variety of friends — whether they’re university-associated, associated with homeless organizations, or with beer people. I’ve also served on national beer boards a couple of times,” she said.

A proponent of Arkansas, Ryan is proud that Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra are made with Arkansas rice.

“Arkansas grows more rice than anybody else in the country, and Anheuser-Busch is the largest purchaser of our rice,” she said. “So probably every Bud or Bud Light, or at least 75% to 80% of them, have Arkansas rice in them. I’m pretty passionate about the rice industry in the state because it’s so good for the farmers. It’s just good for our state,” she said. “So, we’re very local. We didn’t brew it here, but the raw ingredients came from here.”

A Fayetteville native, Ryan “loves the Hogs, and I love anything that’s good for Arkansas and its economy, and, of course, Fayetteville. I’m a pretty diehard purple dog,” she said. Creating a fun workplace and making sure her employees are happy is important to Ryan. She’s successful because her longest-term employees have been with the company for 40 years.

“And it’s thanks to my dad [Bob], too,” she said. “We also have five or six people with more than 30 years. Our tenure here is long-term. You just don’t have that very much anymore.”

Her employees “play hard and work hard. I know their families depend on us, but the reverse is so much more true — I mean, our family depends on them. If they walked out, I’d be in a world of hurt.”

Highly organized and a careful decision-maker, Ryan believes change is inevitable but good.

“I wouldn’t want to be the same as we were 30 years ago,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of regrets on things that I’ve done. I have to embrace change, but I have to manage it really carefully. I want it to be the best it can be for everybody involved.”

A self-described people person, Ryan has a group of friends she’s known since kindergarten. In her downtime, Ryan’s husband of 38 years, Randy, and son Zach are her favorite trout fishing partners.