GRANITE CITY HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 1938

Mr. William Winter cut his teeth in the soft drink business at the tender age of 15 when he worked as a part-time employee during summer vacation at the Seven-Up Bottling Company in Madison, Illinois, where his father was Sales Manager. Mr. Winter graduated from Granite City High School in 1938 and from the University of Illinois in 1942 with a degree in Labor Economics. From 1942 to 1946, he served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Transport Command. Fresh out of the military, Mr. Winter joined The Seven-Up Company on April 1, 1946 as a Sales Training Instructor.

Highly respected by 7UP bottlers, Mr. Winter has played a key role in 7UP’s growth and development for 50 years. He was promoted to Sales Promotion Manager in 1957 and in 1965 became Vice President, Marketing Manager. Under his direction, the company’s marketing program grew to include sales promotion, merchandising, packaging, consumer services, marketing research and public relations. In 1968, Mr. Winter helped lead the team that created The Uncola campaign, an unorthodox approach to soft drink advertising. The Uncola campaign is an advertising classic referenced in university advertising textbooks and honored as one of the 50 best television advertising campaigns. He was promoted to Executive Vice President in 1971 and President and Chief Operating Officer in 1974; he succeeded Ben Wells as Chief Executive Officer in 1976 during a time when 7UP was the third best-selling soft drink in the world. Mr. Winter was responsible for 7UP’s business operations domestically and internationally. He was elected as Vice President of Phillip Morris in 1978 after they acquired The Seven-Up Company. In 1979, Mr. Winter was named Chairman of the Board.

In 1973, the ad agency used by The Seven-Up Company had the idea of approaching the Muscular Dystrophy Association regarding sponsorship. Management had some initial concerns about the appropriateness of associating a soft drink with a neuromuscular disease; however, consumer attitude research determined that MDA was highly regarded. The Seven-Up Company then became the first MDA corporate sponsor. The idea of a MDA/7UP relationship was presented to bottlers during the 1974 bottler meeting in Mexico City. The MDA Telethon has reached over 30 million households each year. 7UP’s association with the telethon helps bottlers generate excitement in local markets, increasing 7UP sales, while strengthening the bottler’s position as a community leader. Through the years, 7UP has raised money for MDA research and medical services by sponsoring local special events, promotions and other fund-raising programs. Mr. Winter quickly became one of MDA’s most valuable volunteer leaders and has provided more than two decades of expert counsel on myriad issues. Thanks to him and hundreds of caring bottlers, the 7UP team has raised over $38 million, speeding MDA’s world-wide research toward treatments and a cure.

Who better, but a spouse, to define the qualities that make Mr. Winter a unique individual? “He’s friendly, he likes to be involved, he’s a caring, thoughtful, and loving person,” Millie Winter said. Millie attributes her husband’s loyalty to 7UP to the fact that he has seen the brand grow and develop over many years. “He started with the company when it was young, having just come out of World War II when sugar was hard to get and there was no growth in the product. Seeing a fledgling company grow and being a part of that growth is like having a child and watching it grow up and move away while being successful on its own. It’s that involvement and the pride that he has from being involved in that growth that has kept him interested all these years. He thinks the new 7UP graphics are terrific and he likes to keep up with all the marketing programs. He’s a person who will never retire. He gets up at 6:30 a.m. every day and he is eager to do something whether it is working for 7UP, serving as Mayor of our city government, or working for the YMCA, Boy Scouts or local hospitals. He has so much energy and joy of life that I don’t think it will ever diminish.” Many business associates think these same personal qualities carry-over to Mr. Winter’s business relationships.