Anheuser-Busch to invest $300 million for vets and jobs as beer-maker goes all-in on ‘Made in America'
Anheuser-Busch is planning to invest $300 million in its facilities across the U.S.
It's a move the beer-maker said will bolster manufacturing jobs across the United States while also supporting veterans who are pursuing manufacturing careers.
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'This new $300 million investment in our manufacturing facilities across the U.S. is the latest example of Anheuser-Busch's commitment to strengthening our local communities by creating and sustaining jobs and driving economic prosperity,' Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement. 'Investing in our people and in new technologies and capabilities to drive industry and economic growth is core to who we are.'
Anheuser-Busch's initiative — dubbed Brewing Futures — isn't new, though the company says itrepresents the latest evolution in its effort to drive economic prosperity in the U.S. and boost domestic manufacturing.
The company, which makes Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light and Michelob Ultra, has invested more than $2 billion in its 100 facilities in the U.S. over the past five years.
It is also one of many companies that have plans to increase investment in the U.S. in recent months under the Trump administration, which has been using tariffs to encourage companies to bring manufacturing back to American soil and reduce reliance on foreign goods.
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Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth (pictured) has vowed to invest $300 million towards its U.S. based facilities.
BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
The company said it will expand the reach of its technical excellence center model by building a new regional facility in Columbus, Ohio. Anheuser-Busch will upskill its entire regional technical workforce over the next three years at the Columbus facility.
The beer-maker said it will partner with the National Association of Manufacturers' Manufacturing Institute and local trade schools to expand technical training for manufacturing careers.
'Anheuser-Busch has been a shining example of what 'Made in America' means, and their latest investment of $300 million builds on their longtime commitment to grow our workforce and expand U.S. manufacturing,' Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. 'They are demonstrating exactly what it means to put American workers first, setting a standard for other companies to follow.'
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To help veterans, Anheuser-Busch is partnering with the Manufacturing Institute's Heroes MAKE America program to become the first American manufacturer to adopt a new digital credentialing system that translates military experience into skills needed in the manufacturing field.
The beer-maker has made huge commitments towards expanding its U.S. workforce and manufacturing.
Christopher Sadowski
The company has long supported military members, and more than 10% of its current workforce is made up of veterans and active-duty military members, including its CEO.
Whitworth — who served in the Marines before joining the CIA — was named as Anheuser-Busch chief executive in July 2021 and led the company through challenges associated with its controversial 2023 Bud Light marketing campaign featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The campaign sparked a backlash and a significant boycott by consumers and public figures. It even dethroned Bud Light as the top-selling beer brand in the U.S.
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Whitworth tried to move beyond the controversy by launching a slew of patriotic and humorous marketing campaigns focused on the company's broader role in American culture. These also highlighted the workers responsible for making the company's beer and its contributions to the economy and communities.
Earlier this year, he penned a letter titled 'A Call for American Beers,' in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the longstanding use of 'domestic' to describe American-made beer.
He encouraged the company's distributors and partners to replace the term 'domestic' with 'American' when marketing beer, arguing that the term better reflects the industry's identity.
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