Barry Andrews, the co-founder of one of Texas’ largest alcohol distributors, Andrews Distributing, died at 77 on Tuesday, the company announced.
“Barry was as well-known for his generosity and care he showed his family, friends and the Andrews Distributing Team Members as he was for his strong business relationships,” the company’s statement said. “Barry loved people, built lifelong friendships and believed in helping people achieve dreams far beyond their imagination.”
Andrews and his high school sweetheart-turned-wife, Lana Andrews, founded the company in his hometown of Corpus Christi in 1976. The pair saved money and took out a loan to buy the beer-distributing company. At the time, Andrews’ company had only 11 employees and a 5,000-square-foot warehouse.
Andrews moved its headquarters to Dallas in 1994 and brought with it brands like Corona and Modelo. Eventually, the company picked up Heineken, Guinness, Shiner, Coors, Pabst and Tecate.
During its 45-year existence, the company expanded its Texas footprint with the opening of distribution centers in Allen, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Ennis and Fort Worth. Today, Andrews Distributing employs nearly 2,000 people and has 44 brewing partners in 26 Texas counties.
Andrews was inducted as a Molson Coors Legend in 2006, inducted to the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2011 and was recognized as the South Texan of the Year in 2002, the company’s statement said.
According to the company, Andrews was famous for his leadership style based on his idea of treating others how you want to be treated, which eventually became a part of his motto; “People make it happen.”
“It’s amazing how it works. There’s no reason to try to make rocket science out of it,” Andrews said in a 2012 D Magazine interview.
Mike McGuire took over as president in 2010 and then became president and CEO in 2018. He will continue leading the company in his role.
“Barry Andrews was a true lion of the beer industry with the spirit of a lamb,” National Beer Wholesalers Association President and CEO Craig Purser said in a statement. “While he was very successful in building Andrews Distributing — from a single supplier Miller franchise in 1976 in Corpus Christi to an industry powerhouse in Dallas-Fort Worth today — he lived the phrase that he coined, ‘People make it happen.’”
