Virgis W. Colbert.

AuthorPORTER, MARTIN D.
PositionMiller Brewing Co. executive vice president

Miller Brewing's No. 2 executive is tapped for board duty at Weyco Group.

WITH 21 YEARS in the brewery business, Virgis W. Colbert knows what it takes to produce a fine tasting mug of beer. He is the No. 2 executive at Miller Brewing Co., whose brand names include Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Lite, Icehouse, Meister Brau, and Red Dog beers. He has held nearly every position in plant management and operations during his lengthy tenure at Miller, a division of Philip Morris Cos. His present position of executive vice president puts him in charge of all of Miller's plant operations, brewing research and quality, order/production planning, and logistics.

Before joining Miller in 1979, Colbert, age 60, was at Chrysler Corp., where he was a manufacturing superintendent with responsibility for 1,500 employees. He has been widely recognized for his successful management track record, most recently by Black Enterprise magazine which named him one of the "50 Top Black Executives in Corporate America" in its February 2000 edition.

With such recognition, it is no surprise that Colbert is frequently sought out for corporate board service. Before deciding upon joining any board, Colbert says he weighs any offer against his responsibilities at Miller and the time commitment involved. He also says companies must fulfill his criteria of having well-established brand names, efficient operations, a good management team, and a commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

After deliberating for four months, he agreed in May to join the board of Weyco Group, a manufacturer of men's footwear. Weyco markets shoes under the Nunn Bush, Brass Boot, and Stacy Adams brand names.

Colbert describes Weyco as a "world class" operation. The company, with 1999 sales of $140 million, reported that its sales for the second quarter were up 20% over second quarter 1999, with certain of its shoe lines experiencing exceptional growth spurts of 60-80%.

Colbert joined his first outside board in 1998 at Aeroquip-Vickers Inc. He later joined the board of Delphi Automotive Systems Inc., an automotive components manufacturer, after it was spun off from General Motors Corp. in 1999.

Colbert recognizes the reality that many corporations are seeking to diversify their boards with qualified minorities and females. He concedes that many companies could do better in terms of board diversity, stating "I've seen the number of minorities who serve on boards, and that number speaks for...

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