In another world, without a global pandemic, the late-February mass shooting at Molson Coors’ Milwaukee brewery might have been a major topic on the company’s first quarter earnings call.
The company did say that the week-long shutdown of the brewery and inefficiencies in restarting production led to lower shipments to wholesalers, which, combined with increased consumer demand, led to lower distributor inventories at the end of the quarter.
Of course, in the time between the shooting and Molson Coors’ earnings call Thursday the COVID-19 coronavirus has dramatically remade the economic landscape. The outlook for business going forward dominated most of the company’s call with analysts.
Gavin Hattersley, president and chief executive of Molson Coors, said that while the shooting may have seemed like a passing tragedy to those outside the company, it was a major moment at Molson Coors.
“It changed the employee experience in our company forever,” he said. “People lost a sense of security.”
Six Molson Coors employees died in the incident,
including five victims and the shooter.
In the aftermath, questions were raised about the role race played in the shooting. The Milwaukee Police Department said there was
no evidence race or racism led to the shooting. The company, however,
did acknowledge a noose was found in the shooter’s locker in 2015 when he was not at work.
“The culture issues that were raised following the shooting must be addressed and they will be addressed,” Hattersley said Thursday.
He said the company had already conducted listening sessions with brewery and corporate employees, along with hiring a new director of diversity and inclusion “to ensure we have a robust D&I strategy that’s anchored in all areas of our business.”
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