Samuel Bronfman ^People

He entered the market as a distributor, founding the Distillers Corporation in 1924 and specializing in cheap whiskey. When the provincial governments took over al retailing Bronfman turned to manufacturing. His first distillery opened in 1924 in Ville LaSalle, Quebec. Four years later he and his family acquired Joseph E. Seagram &Sons Limited, a respected firm located in Waterloo, Ontario. It was at this time thatthe business became The Seagram Company Ltd. When prohibition ended in the U.S. in 1933, Samuel jumped at the opportunity to enter the U.S. market.He developed a clever new marketing approach, selling through a network of distributors. Success in the United States led to further expansion, Seven Crown and Seagram's VO soon became the largest-selling brands of whisky in the world. By 1965, Bronfman's liquor had reached 119 countries and was generating sales of over $1 bil- lion. Brand names owned by the company included Crown Royal, Captain Morgan rum and Tropicana fruit juice. It could be said that Samuel Bronfman was destinedto succeed in the alcoholic beverages industry - his surname means liquor man inYiddish. However, Bronfman has also contributed notably to education, medicine, art, theatre, music and sports and was afounding member ofthe Canada Council. In 1967 he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest award. Ad- ditionally, Samuel isrecognized as a prominent figure in Canadian Jewish affairs.