Around the Barrel - Transcript - Ep036 Melvin Keebler

 

 

Melvin Keebler: Our goal at the end of it is to tailor a program based off of the applicant's experience in education to ensure that at the end of it, they are ready to accept a leadership role within the distilled spirits industry.

 

 

Lucas Hendrickson: Whiskey making involves quite a bit of peering into the future, but rather than using a crystal ball, you're using a wooden barrel. Making sure your company is the best it possibly can be involves similar longterm planning, not only in putting your resources where they can thrive, but honing the potential of your people as well. 

 

 

On this episode, we talk with Melvin Keebler, vice president and assistant general manager at the Jack Daniel Distillery about the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a new partnership and program designed to enhance leadership roles for people of color within the distilled spirits industry. He takes us through the work done over the past several years to lift a diversity and inclusion effort within Jack Daniel's and shines a light on the path of progress ahead ... Around the Barrel.

 

 

Welcome to the season three finale of Around the Barrel, the official podcast from the makers of Jack Daniel's. I'm your host Lucas Hendrickson. So much of what we featured within the confines of this podcast revolves around the idea of time. The process of making whiskey is very much beholden to time. You simply can't speed up the process and, at least in this case, still end up with Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. 

 

 

But another aspect of time is knowing the exact moment in which something should happen. And even if there are ways in which you are beyond that moment, there's no time like the present to address the issue. That's the case with the announcement of the new Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a partnership between Jack Daniel's parent company, Brown-Forman, and Uncle Nearest Incorporated, the company that has grown out of the renewed story of Nearest Green, the man now known to have taught young Jack Daniel how to make whiskey. 

 

 

The Nearest and Jack program, announced in early June of 2020, takes a three-pronged approach to helping raise up new and emerging leaders from interested candidates of color within the distilled spirits world, as well as providing resources and opportunities for existing black owned spirits companies. For Melvin Keebler, who has been a driving force behind shaping the Nearest & Jack Initiative, it's merely an extension of work Jack Daniel's has been doing for a long, long time.

 

 

Melvin: I am Melvin Keebler. I work here at Jack Daniel's Distillery. I grew up in Selma, Alabama, and I am currently now the vice president assistant general manager for technical services and whiskey maturation. So that role encompasses about nine departments. It is engineering, maintenance, quality, environmental, warehousing, processing, barrel distribution, and the data analytics group. So in my role, I make sure that we are competitive with safety, morale, quality, production, delivery, and cost. So that's kinda what I do. And in addition to a few other things, but – continuous improvement, cost savings. But those are a big part of what I do every day.

 

 

Lucas: Melvin Keebler, thanks for joining us Around the Barrel. I'm surprised you have time to join us around the barrel with a list of all those, those things that you were in charge of. So we really do appreciate you spending some time with us today.

 

 

You kind of detailed all of those different aspects that you touch. Is there any such thing as a regular day to day for you around here? I mean, it sounds like you're having to certainly keep your keep your irons in a lot of fires.

 

 

Melvin: So that's a very accurate description. Each day could be different.

 

 

Lucas: Sure.

 

 

Melvin: So one day we could be focusing in on a particular cost savings project. You know, we've done a lot of good work around increasing the yield coming out of our warehouses, a lot of good work around increasing OEE, operation equipment efficiency, on the bottling lines and yield. So that is what we call our ongoing efforts. We constantly look for ways to implement cost savings ideas. Safety and morale are part of our everyday life.

 

 

So the interesting thing about the morale that we are doing is some of our DNI initiative. So we have incorporated DNI into the morale and we do stuff like we measure engagement and enablement of our workforce. Obviously we look at the demographics of our workforce, but it's so refreshing to have a company have morale and DNI as part of their measurement of how they are successful.

 

 

Lucas: Right. But today we're actually here to talk about part of that DNI initiatives that you were mentioning before, specifically the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative that was announced earlier this summer. Tell us a little bit about how that program, how that started, how those conversations, as both Uncle Nearest has continued to grow and how, again, trying to weave those two things together to help folks who want to have a life in this business move forward.

 

 

Melvin: Yeah, so for the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, it was announced, like you said, sometime around June. This was in the wake of, obviously, some of the racial unrest and tensions that was happening across the country. And within the distilled spirits, minorities have been underrepresented, particularly in certain key roles. And so the partnership between Brown-Forman and Uncle Nearest Incorporated was our effort to increase representation within the distilled spirits industry in the light of the things that was happening in the country. And also take a look at, you know, how can we play our part in bringing people together. 

 

 

As we got into it – so it was announced beginning of June. Two weeks later, we had kind of formulated a three-pillar approach. Those three pillars are the Uncle Nearest School of Distilling, and this is a partnership with Motlow Community College right here in Moore County. The other pillar was the Leadership Acceleration Program. And then finally it was the Business Incubator Program. So it all formed over that two-week period.

 

 

I would say that there has been work going on. So the Uncle Nearest School of Distilling – I have been working with Fawn Weaver, who's the president and CEO of Uncle Nearest Incorporated, and Sherrie Moore, the director of whiskey operations for UNI, and Dr. Michael Torrence, who's the president of Motlow College. So we started looking at that over – it's probably been a year and a half now – and the purpose of that was to get people some formal education into and training into what it takes to enter this business. And that could be from the technical aspects of it, from the public relations aspect of it, from the marketing – all the things that you would necessarily need to enter into this business.

 

 

So the Uncle Nearest School of Distilling consists of a certificate program – meaning you can go there, get some in-depth technical training, which would allow you to then say, "Hey, I am prepared to go into the distilled spirits industry." And I know there's a lot of other programs out there, but this one is specifically geared to the distilled spirits industry. 

 

 

The Leadership Acceleration Program started June 1st. It absolutely started with the announcement and it targets people who are already in the distilled spirits industry in some form or another. And its purpose is to help get them the training, education, development that they need to assume leadership roles in it. And at this first go-round, we have selected two candidates and they will go through a – I'm going to say a 12-to-24 month program, where they get the opportunity to work with people within the industry. 

 

 

We got about three or four other distilled spirits companies that are partnered with us. So not only will they get an opportunity to see how we do it at Jack Daniel's or Brown-Forman distillery or Uncle Nearest Incorporated, but, you know, they can go outside and we got other people. To me, what has been so exciting is just this industry coming together to support that. The number of companies who say, "Hey, I want to be a part of that. How can I be a part of that?"

 

 

Then, finally, the third program was the Business Incubator Program. This program targets minorities who want to get into the business. As you can imagine, with sometimes it's taken four and five years to put a product in the market, so it's capital intensive to start into this industry. There are so many things that I alluded to earlier that are unique to this industry. And then you have all the marketing and the distribution and all the stuff that an entrepreneur has to get through and make relationships to be successful. So both Brown-Forman and Uncle Nearest committed two and a half million dollars each to support this program.

 

 

Lucas: But it's truly an investment.

 

 

Melvin: It's an investment in the future.

 

 

Lucas: In the industry, not just these companies. I'm fascinated, and yet not, to know that other companies are involved in this because, while there's certainly competition among them, you know, the distilled spirits industry is – there's a lot of teamwork involved. There's a lot of opportunity for that, at least. So to know that other entities are getting involved in this as well is encouraging. To note that these things, you know, a lot of the underpinnings for this initiative were well underway for a year plus when the announcement was made. So timing is always a key to that and you're talking about how the one aspect, you know, June one hit the ground running and that kind of stuff. But to know that you could put everything under this umbrella – the stuff you've been working on for awhile, the stuff that you spun up in a hurry in the midst of everything else that's going on in the world right now, it's really astounding, quite honestly,

 

 

Melvin: The acceleration and the pace of this particular program has truly been amazing. I give credit to our Brown-Forman executives – Lawson Whiting, our CEO, and Matias Bentel, our chief brands officer. There are so many others, but you know, if I look at Brown-Forman board of directors and I look at our executive leadership team and their efforts to support this initiative, and then Fawn Weaver, the CEO of Uncle Nearest – she is a whirlwind.

 

 

Lucas: Yes. Yes she is!

 

 

Melvin: And so normally, within this industry and within Brown-Forman, we are thoughtful, we are diligent, and sometimes the process takes a little bit longer. When we roll it out, we want all of our i's dotted, all our t's crossed. We were able to dot all the i's and cross all the t's and still accelerate the pace of this program. And so, as of today, we have assisted. So through this effort, we have identified seven Black-owned spirits brands. And we have been able to assist them through the Business Incubator Program. The collaboration between corporations in the distilled spirits industry is probably unlike anything else you're going to see. You clearly would not see that in the tech companies. Probably won't see it in the automotive. I mean, it's just because we believe that it's best when we all succeed, and we do like to share best practices.

 

 

Lucas: Yeah. Again, you said so much of this emerged post June one. How were you – were you surprised, were you encouraged by the kind of reaction? I mean, I don't know how many applicants you got for these different prongs, but did you get what you thought you were going to and see what then the potential will be like years into the future for these folks?

 

 

Melvin: So we got a lot of applicants.

 

 

Lucas: I would imagine.

 

 

Melvin: And part of the challenge is, we are crafting the program.

 

 

Lucas: Right.

 

 

Melvin: So not only a lot of applicants, but a lot of questions. And so internally, we're meeting and we are developing the program, as we're getting people asking about the nature of the program, like, "Will I have to leave my current role? What does it look like at the end of the program?" And so, you know, "Will I be a master distiller?" Or, "Will I be leading?" 

 

 

So all of these questions came up throughout the process and it wasn't like, we were not thinking about it and crafting it and tailoring it. But like I said, so the applicants could come from a variety of previous experiences. And so our goal, at the end of it, is to tailor a program based off of the applicant's experience and education, to ensure that at the end of it, they are ready to accept a leadership role within the distilled spirits industry. 

 

 

There's no aspect of production in distilled spirits that Brown-Forman cannot bring resources for to help get you there. And same thing with branding and marketing and sales and supply chain. If I look at what Uncle Nearest Incorporated brings to it, there's no aspect of starting up a distillery from scratch and having it be successful that they can't bring to bear.

 

 

Lucas: And it's a very different process than it was in 1860-whatever, versus, you know, 2014.

 

 

Melvin: Very different. So there are challenges that the new craft distillers would have. And there are challenges that new people would have trying to get into the industries that UNI is uniquely suited to address. There is a longterm history of relationship to marketing and branding and the strategy that Brown-Forman can bring to bear and formal processes and procedures that we had to develop this content already because we have been hiring people and onboarding them for years. So it's a perfect fit and it's great that those two organizations are leading it.

 

 

Lucas: How is this initiative overall kind of meshing its way in with the rest of what Brown-Forman and Jack Daniel's are doing as far as D&I situations go? It certainly is not the end all be all, it's certainly a part of overall, but how do you think it's eventually going to mesh in with what those goals are?

 

 

Melvin: Yes, so I'm glad you asked that. And you are correct. This program in itself is not going to be the one that takes the distilled spirits industry to where they want to be at when it comes to D&I. I would tell you, Brown-Forman started a journey of D&I almost two decades ago. So from a business perspective, you cannot avoid it. You're going to have it within your workforce. Or you should have it within your workforce. And you're definitely going to have it in the people that you're marketing to and selling to. 

 

 

But I look at it objectively about what has been put in place during the time that I've been here. When I talk about the commitment from the former CEO to the current CEO, and then we've had some turnover in our executive leadership team, and I can see that there is a commitment for sustained effort for improvement. And so, you know, as a Black American, I wish things to change overnight. You know, and if we look at the racial injustices and we look at these programs and we look at all this work, yeah, I wish I could wake up tomorrow and things would be – all of this could go away, but that's not the reality.

 

 

And I'll tell you something else that's not the reality. It's not going to change in six months. It's not. This work that we have been doing at Brown-Forman for a decade and a half, it'll still be going on a decade and a half because it's just like when I look at the stuff that we do around – when I say continuous improvement and quality and safety – we don't get to a point in safety that we say, "Well, our work is done on safety!"

 

 

Lucas: There it is!

 

 

Melvin: There it is. I'm done!

 

 

Lucas: Right.

 

 

Melvin: And I always try to caution people. The Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative is going to be judged by the successfulness. It's about how well it's sustained and maintained over a long period of time. And that's how corporations should be looking at itself. If we're checking a box saying, you know, "Hey, I got X number of minorities or people of color now hired," or, "Hey, I got X number of women in leadership roles. So now I'm done." It never works like that.

 

 

Lucas: No. The two men, you know, the two names on top of this initiative – when we spoke with Fawn Weaver earlier this season, the impression that she left, at least with me, was that we could look very deeply into the relationship that Jack and Nearest had and draw parallels that we can continue to use today. 

 

 

As you've been creating and shaping this program, that really kind of further both of their legacies, what do you think we can continue to learn from that relationship and transpose it into today?

 

 

Melvin: So that relationship, and a lot of what we know, has to be credited to Fawn Weaver and her research and the resources that she brought to bear to uncover it. And the more and more that I learn about that relationship and how – you know, people say, "Oh, that was unique for his time." And I'm going to tell you, "I think it's unique for almost any time."

 

 

Lucas: Right.

 

 

Melvin: Apparently the relationship between Jack Daniel and Nearest Green was so profound that it impacted the entire community. So, you know, I'm still considered an outsider. I've been through four barrel cycles, but I'm still an outsider! But what I can tell you – so, you know, I get a lot of questions like, "How was it when you came to Lynchburg as a Black male?" And all I remember is getting to know people and them accepting me as a member of the Jack Daniel's family.

 

 

And I clearly not going to say people don't look at color, cause that's unfair to even say that. I think me personally, it's kind of hard not to notice someone. What I can tell you is that I got accepted because I wanted to do well in my role. I was proud to be working for Jack Daniel's. And that's how almost everyone feels in Lynchburg. So they become a family by the pride that they have in the brand. And so for me, it was getting myself to be considered a Jack Daniel's fan. When you're a Jack Daniel's employee and you're working toward that mission, you can clearly see that. You can see that in the work and then how people respect each other.

 

 

Lucas: While I've not, you know, certainly talked to every employee of Jack Daniel's here in Lynchburg – and I know that a lot of people do have engineering backgrounds – you're the only one I know of so far that has a nuclear engineering background, much less served on a submarine. So we talked to the Admiral Bill French from the Armed Services YMCA about the Operation Ride Home initiative last year. And he intimated that being a submariner is a little different kind of a lifestyle. What kind of things have you been able to kind of bring from that life into what you do now?

 

 

Melvin: One of the things that was so important that we had to do was operate the nuclear reactor within these finite parameters. So within that, there is a lot of training and discipline and following exactly established guidelines. You can automate equipment. You can have the most advanced equipment, but to me it does not take the place of a well-trained and engaged workforce. Because I do not care how much you automate stuff, having that workforce that is invested in making sure it runs right is very important. So that's one.

 

 

Number two is teamwork. The idea that everybody is working together toward a common goal and mission. Now we didn't have that. Obviously that's a drill into all military people, but those things are important and they are important for any team. I don't care if you're working in operations, production, marketing supply. I don't care what, if you don't have your entire team pulling together as one, and understanding putting the mission as is as important as their own individual success, you will not be successful. So that's two.

 

 

When we get everybody trained, get everybody to understand what they are supposed to be doing, get everybody the resources that they need to execute what they're doing, and then have them understand the mission, have them understand how their part plays a big role in the greater mission. And so I believe every job that everybody has here at Jack Daniel's is extremely important and is vital – in a lot of cases, maybe more so than some of what the leaders do.

 

 

The most difficult thing people find as they become leaders is that people are more complicated.

 

 

Lucas: Right!

 

 

Melvin: With a process, if you put enough time and effort to learn that process, you put enough IQ behind it and studying it, you can figure out how that process runs, but you could have a group of individuals and it's going to take a skill set to keep them motivated and engaged. And what works on one department, don't work on another department. 

 

 

In the private industry, you have to learn how to lead people and make them feel like what they're doing is important and them to take pride into their work. And fortunately, we got a wealth of that. We got a lot of people here that are so happy and so proud to work for Jack Daniel's. So my job is not to mess that up.

 

 

Lucas: Where can people go if they are interested in finding out more about the Nearest & Jack Initiative? Are there any resources set up online yet? And just things that they can kind of look forward to as far as what's coming up in the future?

 

 

Melvin: Yeah. So we are still developing a lot of it. Some of it is a work in progress, but what's out there available, you can go to Uncle Nearest Incorporated, you can go to jackdaniels.com, or you can go to brown-forman.com, and it will explain some more about the initiatives and the stuff that we hope to accomplish from there.

 

 

Lucas: Melvin Keebler, thank you for your time. Thank you for your service to not only our country, but also to Jack Daniel's. And thanks for joining us Around the Barrel.

 

 

Melvin: Thank you.

 

 

Lucas: Around the Barrel is the official podcast of the Jack Daniel Distillery. Follow the podcast on the web at jackdaniels.com/podcast. 

 

 

If you like what you hear, please subscribe, rate and review at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you gather your on-demand audio. Always remember, with great podcasts and great whiskey, please enjoy responsibly. Join us next time for more conversations Around the Barrel.

 

 

Your friends at Jack Daniel’s remind you to drink responsibly. Jack Daniel’s and Old No. 7 are registered trademarks, Copyright 2020 Jack Daniel’s. Tennessee whiskey, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof, distilled and bottled by Jack Daniel Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee. Around the Barrel is intended for listeners 21 years of age and older.