Perseverant. Beer Brewer. Recovering Workaholic.
With a a lifelong career in the brewing industry, you might say Fran Caradonna has beer running through her veins. As the newly minted CEO Of The Saint Louis Brewery, which makes Schlafly Beer, she is still thrilled and surprised that she got her dream job at age 60, after a journey filled with both successes and failures.
Caradonna’s story begins in 1990, when there were hardly any female executives in the beer industry. She and her husband, Tony (they are now divorced), opened a pub and then started the Signature Beer Company. The distribution company introduced craft beer to St. Louis, and managed to place Schlafly Beer in local Schnucks supermarkets.
Eventually, the couple opened O’Fallon Brewery in St. Charles, which thrived, but they were forced to sell in 2011 due to financial setbacks. Following the sale, Caradonna stayed with the company, going from boss to general manager, which caused a bit of an identity crisis.
Out of the blue, Caradonna got a call from Schlafly, whose needs for a chief operating and financial officer perfectly matched her background and skills. For Caradonna, this was an intriguing new challenge, and she accepted earlier this year. Three months into the job, she was promoted to company CEO, with a charge to support the Schlafly family as brewers and community citizens.
Family is everything to Caradonna, especially when it comes to her two adult sons and even her ex-husband. Through all their travails, she remains close to Tony (referring to themselves as “friendly formerly married people”) and to his spouse, Terry, whom she calls her wife-in-law.
It’s lonely to be a woman in the beer business.
I’d attend meetings with 20 people and be the only female at the table. But it never made me feel uncomfortable. I was a trailblazer. Today, the industry is finally starting to change. When I was the CEO at O’Fallon Brewery, salesmen who stopped by assumed I was the secretary and would ask to see my husband. “He’s not here,” I’d say. “But I’m the boss, so you can talk to me.”
I am a fiercely friendly competitor.
I like being the boss – running and growing a small business. Because I get so much out of work, it must be something I believe in and admire. Beer is a fun industry because people are enjoying life when they use your product. I know a lot about beer, and earned the respect of local brewers, even the Anheuseur-Busch people.
You can’t live regretting the past.
Selling O’Fallon Brewery was very hard, but we had to do it for financial reasons. I was obligated to stay for a year and I showed up every day gritting my teeth and muscling through. My kids were going to college and I had debts to pay, so I had to bring my best to the situation. There were a lot of bumps, but there was no choice except to persevere.
I really didn’t think I could get my dream job at age 60.
I feel beyond grateful and so lucky. Without all the bumps in the road, I wouldn’t be here today. All my skills and everything I’ve learned are used to the max every day. I am challenged, but don’t feel stressed. I work with amazing young people – bright and willing – who bring so much energy and so many resources to the job.
My mom told me I was born confident.
If my parents were alive today, they would be very proud of me. They put no restrictions on what I could do and put no pressure on me to achieve. But at age 16, I was determined to get a job and haven’t stopped since. My work ethic is a little too strong. In fact, I’m a recovering workaholic. I am not fearless, but I am a strong risk-taker.
I’ve taught my sons to be honest and honorable.
My life has been a lesson about how to act when things don’t go your way. I have been front and center with my children about losing the business and other difficulties. The most important thing is not what happens but how you respond. Being grateful helps me from falling into self-pity. I trust that the universe will come together and we’ll be OK. The result? My kids are proud of me and happy for me.
