Betty Buck has an agenda ? several, actually.
Buck has run her family-owned beer distributor, Upper Malboro-based Buck Distributing Co., since 1986. But she?s recent taken on two new roles, as the chair of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce in May, and chair of National Beer Wholesalers Association for the 2006-2007 year, a term which expired this month. Buck is the first woman to hold either position.
Buck said she was struck by a drunk driver while getting off the school bus at the age of 7, and as chair of the wholesalers association focused on curbing drunk driving. But a past president of the organization had alienated some anti-drunk driving groups.
“The louder he yelled, the more offended MADD and other organizations became,” Buck said. “It?s just stop the name-calling … sit down quietly and figure out how we can work together.”
Their efforts resulted in the passage last December of the federal STOP Act, a bill targeting underage drinking.
“Betty?s leadership … led us to look at non-traditional allies,” said Craig Purser, president and CEO of the association. “She?s a no-nonsense leader, a consensus-builder, someone who?s just always moving the ball forward.”
This week the state General Assembly begins its special sections and weighs a variety of tax increases that may affect local businesses. Buck will continue to lead the chamber?s efforts in Annapolis said Chamber of Commerce Communications Director Will Burns.
“The experience she’s gained with distributors has really already improved the chamber?s advocacy efforts,” he said. “We’re really going to see her leadership in the next couple of years.”
Buck said she still remains close to her day job with her distributing company, and in her years there has worked every job, from the gritty repack post, to the warehouse, to the street with local retailers.
“You see what each individual has to do to accomplish their job,” she said. “It lets you see what it takes, so you?re not asking for the impossible, but you’re pushing them to do what is possible.”
