Editing Anheuser-Busch (section)

==History==

===Beginnings and national expansion===
In 1852, [[German American]] brewer and saloon operator George Schneider opened the Bavarian Brewery on Carondelet Avenue (later known as South Broadway) between Dorcas and Lynch streets in South St. Louis.<ref name="herbst 32">Herbst, 32.</ref><ref name="Hampson20">{{cite book |last=Hampson |first=Tim |date=2008 |title=The Beer Book |location=London |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |page=20 |isbn=978-1405333016}}</ref>{{Verify source|date=September 2023|reason=[https://www.stlmag.com/history/architecture/the-man-who-started-anheuser-busch-part-i/ Conflicting information]}} Schneider's Brewery expanded in 1856 to a new brewhouse near Eighth and Crittenden streets; however, the following year, financial problems forced the sale of the brewery to various owners during the late 1850s.<ref name="herbst 32"/> In 1860, the brewery was purchased on the brink of bankruptcy by William D'Oench, a local pharmacist, and [[Eberhard Anheuser]], a prosperous German-born soap manufacturer.<ref name="herbst 32"/><ref name=Jackson>[[Michael Jackson (writer)|Jackson, Michael]] (1977). ''The World Guide to Beer'', pp. 210–211. New York: Ballantine. {{ISBN|0-89471-292-6}}</ref><ref name="Hampson20"/> D'Oench was the [[Partnership|silent partner]] in the business until 1869 when he sold his half-interest in the company.<ref name="herbst 32"/> From 1860 to 1875, the brewery was known as E. Anheuser & Co., and from 1875 to 1879 as the E. Anheuser Company's Brewing Association.<ref name="herbst 32"/>

[[Adolphus Busch]], a wholesaler who had immigrated to St. Louis from Germany in 1857, married Eberhard Anheuser's daughter, Lilly, in 1861. Following his service in the [[American Civil War]], Busch began working as a salesman for the Anheuser Brewery.<ref name="herbst 33">Herbst, 33.</ref><ref name="Hampson20"/> Busch purchased D'Oench's share of the company in 1869, and he assumed the role of company secretary from that time until the death of his father-in-law.<ref name="herbst 33"/>

[[File:Reefers-shorty-Anheuser-Busch-Malt-Nutrine ACF builders photo pre-1911.jpg|thumb|left|Anheuser-Busch was one of the first companies to transport beer nationwide using railroad [[refrigerator car]]s.]]
Adolphus Busch was the first American brewer to use [[pasteurization]] to keep beer fresh; the first to use mechanical [[refrigeration]] and [[refrigerator car|refrigerated railroad cars]], which he introduced in 1876; and the first to bottle beer extensively.<ref name="anheuser-busch.com"/><ref>Sanford Wexler, "From Soap Suds to Beer Suds: How Anheuser-Busch became the Largest Brewer in the World", ''Financial History'', Dec 2002, Issue 77, pp. 30–34</ref><ref name="herbst 34">Herbst, 34.</ref> By 1877, the company owned a fleet of 40 refrigerated railroad cars to transport beer.<ref name="herbst 34"/> Expanding the company's distribution range led to increased demand for Anheuser products, and the company substantially expanded its facilities in St. Louis during the 1870s.<ref name="herbst 36">Herbst, 36.</ref> The expansions led production to increase from 31,500 barrels in 1875 to more than 200,000 in 1881.<ref name="herbst 36"/>

To streamline the company's refrigerator car operations and achieve vertical integration, Busch established the St. Louis Refrigerator Car Company in 1878, which was charged with building, selling, and leasing refrigerator cars; by 1883, the company owned 200 cars, and by 1888 it owned 850.<ref name="herbst 37"/> To serve these cars and switch them in and out of their St. Louis brewery, Anheuser-Busch founded the [[Manufacturers Railway (St. Louis)|Manufacturers Railway Company]] in 1887. The shortline operated until 2011, when Anheuser-Busch sought to shut down operations.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://trn.trains.com/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/03/Manufacturers%20Railway%20applies%20to%20shut%20down.aspx |title=Manufacturers Railway applies to shut down |access-date=April 9, 2011 |date=March 25, 2011 |magazine=Trains Magazine}}</ref>

During the 1870s, Adolphus Busch toured Europe and studied the changes in brewing methods which were taking place at the time, particularly the success of [[pilsner]] beer, which included a popular Budweiser beer brewed in [[České Budějovice|Budweis]].<ref name=Jackson/> In 1876, Busch took the already well-known name [[Budweiser]] and used it for his new beer, even though his product had no connections to the city of Budweis.<ref name=Jackson/> His company's ability to transport bottled beer made US Budweiser the first national beer brand in the United States, and it was marketed as a "premium" beer.<ref name=Jackson/>

The company was renamed Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association in 1879; in 1880, Adolphus Busch became company president upon Anheuser's death.<ref name="herbst 37">Herbst, 37.</ref><ref name=Rhodes>Rhodes, Christine P. (1995). ''The Encyclopedia of Beer'', pp. 49–53. New York: Henry Holt & Co. {{ISBN|0-8050-3799-3}}.</ref> The Busch family fully controlled the company through the generations until Anheuser-Busch's sale to InBev in 2008.<ref>Salter, Jim. [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40806859 "Busch family touched by scandal, tragedy"], NBC News via Associated Press. December 25, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2011.</ref>

During the 1880s and 1890s, Busch introduced a series of advertisements and marketing giveaways for the company, including bottle openers, calendars, [[Mounted corkscrew|corkscrews]], pocketknives, postcards, and prints.<ref name="herbst38">Herbst, 38.</ref> Among the most well-known of these giveaways was ''Custer's Last Fight'', a lithograph print of a painting by St. Louis artist Cassilly Adams.<ref name="herbst38"/> As a marketing tactic, Busch distributed thousands of copies of the print to bars in 1896,<ref name="herbst38"/> the same year Anheuser-Busch introduced its new "super-premium" brand, [[Michelob]].<ref>Chura, Hillary. [http://adage.com/article/news/a-b-cranks-michelob-ads-accents-light/57566/ A-B cranks up Michelob ads, accents Light] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702083327/http://adage.com/article/news/a-b-cranks-michelob-ads-accents-light/57566/ |date=July 2, 2015}}. ''Advertising Age''. July 17, 2000. Retrieved March 14, 2011.</ref> Eventually, more than one million copies of the print were produced, and it became "one of the most popular pieces of artwork in American history."<ref name="herbst38"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Chromolithograph entitled "Custer's Last Fight" |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_326129 |access-date=2022-08-03 |website=National Museum of American History|archive-date=August 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220803002103/https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_326129 |url-status=live}}</ref>

At the turn of the 20th century, Anheuser-Busch continued to expand its production facilities to keep up with demand.<ref name="herbst39">Herbst, 39.</ref> In 1905, the company built a new stockhouse in St. Louis, and by 1907 it produced nearly 1.6 million barrels of beer.<ref name="herbst39"/> As demands for the [[prohibition of alcohol]] in the United States grew, Anheuser-Busch began producing non-alcoholic and low-alcoholic beverages (known as [[near beer]]); the most successful of these was [[Bevo (beverage)|Bevo]], a [[malt beverage]] introduced in 1908.<ref name="herbst39"/> After the death of Adolphus Busch in 1913, control of the company passed to his son, [[August Anheuser Busch Sr.]], who continued to combat the rise of prohibitionists.<ref name="herbst39"/> As part of an effort to improve the respectability of drinking, August Busch built three upscale restaurants in St. Louis during the 1910s: the Stork Inn, the Gretchen Inn (now known as the Feasting Fox), and the [[Bevo Mill, St. Louis|Bevo Mill]].<ref name="herbst39"/>

[[File:Olivedrabcan.JPG|thumb|right|upright|Anheuser-Busch produced olive-colored [[Budweiser]] cans during World War II.]]

===Prohibition period===
[[File:Anheuser-Busch logo.gif|thumb|left|Original Anheuser-Busch logo used from 1879 to 2022]]
As with all breweries in the country, the [[Temperance movement]] and eventual [[Prohibition in the United States]] dealt a major blow to the company in the 1910s through the 1930s. Some of the products sold by Anheuser-Busch to survive during Prohibition included brewer's yeast, malt extract, ice cream, and Bevo, a nonalcoholic malt beverage, or "near beer".<ref name=Rhodes/><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/04/03/daily37.html |title=Anheuser-Busch celebrates anniversary of Prohibition repeal |journal=Jacksonville Business Journal |date=April 7, 2006 |access-date=March 14, 2011 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629023031/http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/04/03/daily37.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Prohibition to last years of independence===
In 1957, Anheuser-Busch became the largest brewer in the United States.

In 1981, Anheuser-Busch International, Inc., was established as a subsidiary responsible for the company's international operations and equity investments. Prior to its 2008 acquisition, Anheuser-Busch operated 15 breweries internationally: 14 in China and one in the United Kingdom.

In 1997, Chinese production of Anheuser-Busch products began after the company's purchase of a local brewery; later, the company operated both Budweiser Wuhan International Brewing Company and [[Harbin Brewery]], which Anheuser-Busch fully acquired in 2004. In the United Kingdom, the Budweiser Stag Brewing Company produced and packaged Budweiser at the Stag Brewery in [[Mortlake]].

At one time, Anheuser-Busch International also held investments in [[Grupo Modelo]] in Mexico<ref name="abpr2006">[http://anheuser-buschcompanies.com/Press/ModeloChina_120406.html Grupo Modelo Appoints Anheuser-Busch as the Importer of its Brands in China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430094911/http://anheuser-buschcompanies.com/Press/ModeloChina_120406.html |date=April 30, 2009}}, ''Anheuser-Busch Press Release'', 2006. Retrieved March 24, 2008.</ref> [[Tsingtao Brewery]] in China;<ref name="abpr2006"/> Anheuser-Busch also held investments in [[Redhook Ale Brewery]] of [[Seattle, Washington]]<ref name="wotp">[http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/?p=205 "Anybody Watching Redhook's Stock..."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003182838/http://www.beernewsletter.com/blog/?p=205 |date=October 3, 2011}}, ''What's on tap? Newsletter''. Retrieved March 24, 2008.</ref> and [[Widmer Brothers Brewery]] of [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref name="wotp"/> After the 2008 acquisition, most international operations were transferred to AB InBev zones where the interests are located.

===Acquisition by InBev===
On June 12, 2008, Belgian-Brazilian brewing company [[InBev]] announced that it had made a US$46 billion offer for the company,<ref>[http://www.globalbeerleader.com/home.php InBev Proposes Combination with Anheuser-Busch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702071656/http://www.globalbeerleader.com/home.php |date=July 2, 2012}}. [[Press release]]. ''InBev''</ref> which if it was accepted would join two of the world's four largest brewing companies (based on revenue) and create a company brewing three of the highest-grossing beers in the world, namely [[Bud Light]], Budweiser, and [[Skol]]. InBev also stated that the merger would not result in any U.S. brewery closures and they would attempt to retain management and board members from both companies.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-inbev.html |title=InBev: U.S. Anheuser Breweries to Stay After Merger |agency=Reuters |work=The New York Times |date=June 20, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2008}} {{Dead link|date=August 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> On June 25, 2008, Anheuser-Busch officially announced that they would reject InBev's offer and provide a restructuring of the company to maintain shareholders and United States World Headquarters in St. Louis.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article4215711.ece |title=Anheuser-Busch set to snub InBev and propose own revamp |newspaper=The Times |date=June 25, 2008 |access-date=June 25, 2008 |location=London |first=Suzy |last=Jagger |archive-date=June 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612055721/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article4215711.ece |url-status=dead}}</ref> On July 1, 2008, InBev urged Anheuser-Busch shareholders to vote in favor of the buyout as InBev felt the offer of $65 per share should be considered a reasonable offer in view of the falling stock market. The company had previously filed suit in [[Delaware]], after the rejection of their offer, to ensure that the stockholders could oust Anheuser-Busch's 13 board members.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25472139 |title=InBev pitches buyout bid to Bud shareholders |agency=Associated Press |work=NBC News |date=July 1, 2008 |access-date=July 1, 2008 |archive-date=December 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217003149/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25472139/ |url-status=live}}</ref>  On July 7, 2008, Anheuser-Busch filed a lawsuit against InBev to stop them from soliciting the support of shareholders, stating that the company's offer is an illegal scheme. InBev was also accused of concealing that they do business in [[Cuba]], which might have created additional obstacles to their efforts to operate in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91PU0BO2.htm |title=Anheuser-Busch calls InBev takeover bid illegal |agency=Associated Press |work=Business Week |date=July 8, 2008 |access-date=July 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112185753/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D91PU0BO2.htm |archive-date=January 12, 2011}}</ref>

On July 13, 2008, Anheuser-Busch and InBev said they had agreed to a deal, pending shareholder and regulatory approval,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/13/2008-07-13_anheuserbusch_belgian_firm_inbev_are_bre.html |title=Anheuser-Busch, Brazilian Belgian firm InBev are brewin' up a merger |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=July 13, 2008 |access-date=July 14, 2008 |archive-date=October 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012165627/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/07/13/2008-07-13_anheuserbusch_belgian_firm_inbev_are_bre.html |url-status=live}}</ref> for InBev to purchase the American icon at $70 per share, creating a new company to be named Anheuser-Busch InBev.  Anheuser-Busch would get two seats on the combined board of directors. The all-cash agreement, almost $52 billion in total equity, created the world's largest brewer, uniting the maker of Budweiser and Michelob with the producer of [[Beck's]], [[Stella Artois]], [[Hoegaarden Brewery|Hoegaarden]], [[Leffe]], [[Bass (beer)|Bass]], [[Labatt]] and [[Brahma (beer)|Brahma]]. The two companies had combined yearly sales of more than $36.4 billion, surpassing the current No. 1 brewer, London-based [[SABMiller]].<ref>De la Merced, Michael J. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14beer.html?ref=europe nytimes.com, "Anheuser-Busch Agrees to Be Sold to InBev"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301193455/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/business/worldbusiness/14beer.html?ref=europe |date=March 1, 2017}}, ''The New York Times''. July 14, 2008.</ref><ref>Spain, William; Goldstein, Steve. [http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/anheuser-busch-accepts-70-share-52-billion/story.aspx?guid=%7B02125469-49F4-4C21-824D-01EB0623A817%7D&dist=hplatest "Anheuser-Busch accepts $52 billion InBev offer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080803162812/http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/anheuser-busch-accepts-70-share-52-billion/story.aspx?guid=%7B02125469-49F4-4C21-824D-01EB0623A817%7D&dist=hplatest |date=August 3, 2008}}, ''MarketWatch''. July 14, 2008.</ref>

Grupo Modelo took InBev to arbitration for more than a year and a half after the deal was completed, attempting to block the deal.

On October 7, 2009, parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev announced plans to sell the theme parks division to The Blackstone Group for up to {{USD|2.7&nbsp;billion}}.<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackstone-buys-a-b-inbevs-theme-parks-for-27b-2009-10-07 Blackstone to buy A-B InBev's theme parks for $2.7 billion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915094804/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/blackstone-buys-a-b-inbevs-theme-parks-for-27b-2009-10-07 |date=September 15, 2018}}. MarketWatch, October 7, 2009</ref>

In July 2010, a panel decided that the takeover did not violate Anheuser-Busch's agreement with Modelo.<ref>p. 338 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'' – [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref>

===Post-acquisition changes===
On November 18, 2008, the [[hostile takeover]] was completed, and the [[parent corporation]] was renamed Anheuser-Busch InBev; Anheuser-Busch became a [[wholly owned subsidiary]] of the new corporation, controlled within the North America zone unit of AB InBev. By early 2009, AB InBev "turned a family-led company that spared little expense into one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and [[profit margin]]s, while rethinking the way it sells beer."<ref name="wsjchanges">{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124096182942565947 |title=Unease Brewing at Anheuser As New Owners Slash Costs |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=April 29, 2009 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |first1=David |last1=Kesmodel |first2=Suzanne |last2=Vranica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430134003/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124096182942565947.html |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>  AB InBev focused on reducing costs in the Anheuser-Busch Companies subsidiary and implemented performance-related pay,<ref name="wsjchanges"/> along with several other changes. They immediately laid off 1,400 employees and 415 contractors,<ref name="layoffs">{{cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/lager-heads/uncategorized/2010/01/small-number-laid-off-today-at-anheuser-busch-inbev/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100118075843/http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/lager-heads/uncategorized/2010/01/small-number-laid-off-today-at-anheuser-busch-inbev/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |title=Small number laid off today at Anheuser-Busch InBev |publisher=St. Louis post Dispatch |date=January 15, 2010 |access-date=February 6, 2010}}</ref> sold Busch Entertainment Corporation, and sold company-owned [[aircraft]].<ref name="loschmanagement.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.loschmanagement.com/content/bitter-brew |title=Bitter Brew |publisher=Losch Management |date=April 2013 |access-date=September 19, 2013 |archive-date=November 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129024127/http://www.loschmanagement.com/content/bitter-brew |url-status=live}}</ref>

For employees, AB InBev ended [[perquisite]]s such as executive assistants for senior management, company contributions to the salaried employee [[pension]] plan, and company-provided [[life insurance]] to retirees; it also reduced the number of company-provided cell phones, taking back 1200 Blackberries;<ref name="loschmanagement.com"/> and ended tuition reimbursement, and [[severance package]]s. Perks like free tickets to [[St. Louis Cardinals]] baseball games and for [[Busch Gardens]] were taken away from employees. Anheuser-Busch stopped providing free beer to its employees and visitors to its theme parks.<ref name=":0"/> These internal changes accompanied changes in its [[advertising]]. These cost-cutting measures rapidly reduced AB InBev's debt from $56.6 billion in 2008 to $30.1 billion at the end of 2012. When the restructuring was complete, only three senior-level Anheuser-Busch managers remained.<ref name="loschmanagement.com"/>

InBev auctioned off several large assets in an effort to pay off debt to the banks that financed the merger.<ref name=":0">p 334 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'',  [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref> It sold Anheuser's 27% stake in China's [[Tsingtao Brewery|Tsingtao]], sold a few beverage can and lid-making plants to Ball Corporation, and sold its own [[Beer in South Korea|Korean beer]] business for $1.8 billion to [[private equity]] firm Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts & Co.<ref>p. 356 ''Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of AnHeuser-Busch, An American Icon'' – [[Julie MacIntosh]]</ref> It put the 10 theme parks in Anheuser's Busch Entertainment Unit, which included its three [[SeaWorld]] locations, up for sale.<ref name=":0"/>

Under InBev, Anheuser-Busch also lengthened [[accounts payable]] terms, and introduced [[zero-based budgeting]]. These changes caused concern from its suppliers when Anheuser-Busch announced it would take 120 days to pay its bills rather than 30 days, taking time to use that money for other purposes. The new payment policy often results in longer periods than 120 days, since the 120 days starts from the end of the month in which the invoice is 'approved' internally, which can be many days/months after an invoice is submitted.<ref name=":0" />

InBev signed a 10-year lease on 31,500 square feet of office space on [[Park Avenue]] in [[New York City|New York]], which led to speculation that they would move Anheuser-Busch InBev North American headquarters from [[St. Louis|St Louis]].<ref>[[Julie MacIntosh]], ''Dethroning the King'', p. 335</ref>

In February 2013, a widely publicized lawsuit accused AB InBev<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21597076 |title=Drinkers sue Anheuser-Busch for 'watering down' beer |work=[[BBC Online]] |access-date=February 27, 2013 |date=February 26, 2013 |archive-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227050538/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21597076 |url-status=live}}</ref> of "watering down" products including Budweiser and Michelob. Such beers are intentionally brewed over-strength and then "watered down" to the intended level, creating a product of equal or greater quality.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mooseheadbeeracademy.com/high-gravity-brewing-risks-benefits-considerations/ |title=High Gravity Brewing – risks, benefits and considerations |work=Moosehead Beer Academy |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018044301/http://www.mooseheadbeeracademy.com/high-gravity-brewing-risks-benefits-considerations/ |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/28/173076501/budweiser-may-seem-watery-but-it-tests-at-full-strength-lab-says |title=Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says |date=February 27, 2013 |work=NPR |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=October 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016064746/http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/28/173076501/budweiser-may-seem-watery-but-it-tests-at-full-strength-lab-says |url-status=live}}</ref> The lawsuit was dismissed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/judge-dismisses-lawsuits-alleging-a-b-waters-down-beer/article_428f5a24-0d32-5062-95ab-c8162f13cb86.html |title=Judge dismisses lawsuits alleging A-B waters down beer |author=Lee Enterprises |work=stltoday.com |date=June 3, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820173352/http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/judge-dismisses-lawsuits-alleging-a-b-waters-down-beer/article_428f5a24-0d32-5062-95ab-c8162f13cb86.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Of Anheuser's top executives, only three remained in their jobs following the acquisition: [[Dave Peacock (businessman)|Dave Peacock]] as president of the merged company's US division; Gary Rutledge as general counsel for the company's North American business; and Bob Golden, Anheuser's former acquisitions head, as global head of the merged company's [[mergers and acquisitions]] effort.<ref>p. 350 Dethroning the King, The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, An American Icon – Julie Macintosh</ref>