Support your local distributors

Thank you to Matt Walsh for his recent opinion piece in the Observer encouraging us all to "Buy a Bud Light and toast the distributors." While all Anheuser-Busch beers in the U.S. are sold through a network of some 600 independent wholesalers, we are most fortunate to be served in Sarasota and Manatee counties by the "best of the best," Gold Coast Eagle Distributing.

The Saputo family and their 200-plus employees are part of the fabric of our community. They are your neighbors and friends and they are visible seven days a week, 365 days of the year. They do so much more than deliver your favorite beers to your stores, restaurants and bars. Each year they support thousands of local promotions, special events and local charities. 

So while many of us are feeling varying degrees of anger and annoyance over the recent Bud Light "marketing madness" coming out of St. Louis, I encourage you to resist the temptation to punish our local distributor and their employees. Rather, this would be a good time to buy a case of Anheuser-Busch beer to thank Gold Coast Eagle for all they do for our community every day.

— Bill McNulty, Sarasota