A Day in My Former Life: Larry Kass
This year marks 85 years of our historic, family-owned and operated company. As we commemorate this milestone, our A Day in the Life Series will focus on retirees pivotal to Heaven Hill’s evolution to becoming the country’s fifth-largest distilled spirits supplier.
Larry Kass joined Heaven Hill as Group Marketing Manager after supervising the account at our advertising agency for three years. Initially responsible for American, Scotch, Irish and Canadian whiskeys/ies and tequilas, rums and brandies, Larry was part of what was then a four-member marketing department. He launched the Corporate Communications Department and was serving as Director of Trade Relations when he retired in 2018.
Larry talks to us today about Heaven Hill’s corporate culture, established and nurtured by family owners who care deeply about the success of the company and the people who helped them achieve it.
Tell us about a typical day for you at Heaven Hill.
That’s a very difficult question to answer, since I had such varying responsibilities within the company over the years, and the company changed and grew so much over that period. But common to all of them was balancing the more predictable, planned activities with the spontaneous, ever-changing dynamic of a rapidly growing, family owned company in a burgeoning industry.
What was your favorite thing about working for Heaven Hill?
I think the reputation that Heaven Hill enjoyed before I even arrived—and that we have maintained to this day—as a smart, straight talking and caring company and family, is a very gratifying legacy.
What are some contributions you/your team made during your time at Heaven Hill that you are particularly proud of?
But on a personal level, I was particularly proud of our efforts to support Master Distiller Parker Beam and his wife Linda in their courageous fight against ALS. Our establishment of the Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund, as well as the Master Distiller’s Unity project, which saw all the seven original heritage distillers of Kentucky put their Bourbon together in one bottle for the first and only time, was a true labor of love for the Shapira family and all of us who knew and cherished Parker.
What first attracted you to Heaven Hill?
I supervised the company’s advertising account for about three years before the company offered me a position. By then, I was already an admirer of the passion, integrity and innovation that Max, Harry, and subsequently Kate and Allan, brought to Heaven Hill. When I was given the opportunity to join them, I never looked back.
What’s your favorite Heaven Hill memory?
Again, there are so many it is hard to pick just one. From the aforementioned emotional involvement in Parker’s battle and the Promise of Hope fund, to the euphoria of winning Distiller of the Year for the first time in 1990. . . From the excitement of acquiring brands, opening our visitors centers, and filling milestone barrels, to countless National Sales Meetings, WSWA conventions and company holiday parties. . . But perhaps the most lasting memories are the relationships with outstanding colleagues that endure to this day.
Which Heaven Hill corporate value do you feel your work best represented and why?
Well, ideally, I hope it represented all of them, but for some reason Nimble seems to stand out. In all of my capacities with the company, I needed to be able to balance the predictable with the unexpected, as all employees do. But you could never tell what new directions could come as a result of a single phone call from Max, or a supplier, or a community group, and we needed to be nimble enough to react swiftly and thoughtfully.
Tell us about your life in retirement and how you like to spend your time today.
I spend a lot of time staying fit, playing golf and guitar and reading. I had aspirations to travel and managed to do some before COVID struck, but that has been essentially shut down for now. I have also become a barely tolerable Facebook pundit. . .
