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that Fran to this day, is proud of this Heineken's distribution and sales in Robbins organization in the New
m J
association and sticks with his Giants his territory. He is proud to be asso- England States and travelled exten-
through thick and thin.
ciated with Van Munching
Co.,
sively for the Bacardi Company, sole
ORTLAND became
a
Inc. and in turn, we are very fortun- distributors of the famous Bacardi
pretty ate in having a man of Miller's stand- Rums. He is a likeable chap and a
lonesome place and in 1928 Fran ing and energy as one of our happy great salesman. The success of our
to a great ex-
did "what everybody did in 1928.
family members. Fran looks to the Buffalo's distributors
He went to Wall Street to make a future with eagerness. He tackles his tent, has been the result of Bill
en-
fortune. Fuckily
he
had
not
yet
job, as he has done with every task thusiasm and complete faith in a great
further advanced than salesman, or confronting him, with zest and good future for Heineken's.
"customers' man" as Wall Street calls humor. His entire family joins in
it, when
The
Thing came. Fran with his enterprising spirit. Even his
wasn't hurt because he hadn't saved belly-whopping
but
proud
Dach-
enough yet to invest before the crash. shund is in on it. His name which he
In 1934 he was offered a good job bears with great dignity, is Heineken
with the Sales Analysis Institute in von Budweiser.
New York, for Sales Training. He
had taken a course there first and
when he came through magna cum
laude, the Institute quickly converted
him from pupil into teacher. He was
just beginning to take his job as Pro
fessor very seriously, when Pearl Har
bor came. Within a few days Fran
had joined the Navy. He was com
missioned
a
Fieutenant
and
given
charge of Navy Recruiting in the
Buffalo area. When he came up to
Buffalo in 1941, Western New York
had the lowest number of Navy re
cruits per capita in the country, but
just before Selective Service came in,
the district was second highest. Fran
doesn't claim too much credit for it:
"Buffalo had only one way to go and
that was up!" he says.
William C. Schmidt
Fran is Miller
Gamble's active
partner. He met Ed Gamble when he
EPRESENTATIVE William C.
Schmidt
covers
the
Miller
was in the Navy. They decided to Gamble account by working as much
enter the beverage business after the as his time permits with Mr. Miller
war. It was not until 1950 that some- and his sales organization opening
thing worthwhile came up when they new Heineken's accounts and promot-
got the Buffalo franchise for Bud- ing sales in others. Bill Schmidt has
weiser beer. In June of this year they had a world of experience behind him
were appointed Heinekens distribu- doing promotional missionary work
tors. Gamble, the silent partner, lives throughout the United States. He has
in Batavia, N. Y. where he operates been associated with the McKesson 8
radio station WBFA which he owns.
Fran used to be a pretty good golf
er shooting in the high seventies. "I
am selling too much beer now to have
any time left" he says. Already he
operates twelve trucks in the Buffalo
area only.
A man of many achievements, it
will not take Fran long to make his
mark as a beverage man. Appointed
in June of this year as Heineken's dis-
tributor, he has greatly improved the Heineken van Budtveiser
Bill recently reported an experience
while working with Fran Miller as
follows
Well
now
have
seen
everything! Wednesday Mill and
went to see Fred Rapp, a retailer, of
271 Howard Street. Buffalo. We sold
him
25
cases more of Heineken
making his purchases for the past five
weeks 95
His place is located
the slums of Buffalo. By the way, he
sells it for fifty cents a bottle or
Now listen to this
one, and both
saw it work. When we
$12.00 per case,
for a gag, he really has
Miller and
were there a fellow at the bar said
that he wanted to take a case home so
Fred Rapp said
tell you what
will do for you as long as you are
buying one
I will give you five
cases free." Then Rapp told his porter
to put them in the customer's car but
it was one case of Heineken's and five
cases of empties. (He is having a job
getting rid of the empty Heineken s
bottles.) The customer did not real
ize what he got until he arrived home.
Fhey were really having a lot of fun
with the gag.
MUM'S THE WORD
Mum's the word
mum.
meaning to
"keep it dark"has been kept so
dark that lexicographers seem to be
in the dark regarding the origin of
Some of them believe that
it originated with Christian Mum
mer, an English brewer of the fif
teenth century, who hired his em
ployees for life so that the formula
for his famous Brunswick Mum beer
might be kept a secret. Alexander
Pope once wrote:
"The clamorous crowd is
hush'd with mugs of mum,
Till all, turned equal, send
a general hum."
