THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9701310086
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KENNAN NEWBOLD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 87 lines
HIS OFFICIAL job title is ``contemporary marketing representative.'' But everyone calls Jimmy Copeland ``The Bud Guy.''
Copeland's job involves a rare mix of business, pleasure and beer. Some nights, like last Tuesday, he spends his working hours with a Budweiser in one hand and a pool stick in the other.
And for that reason, he's the envy of college guys everywhere.
``My friends look at me like, `Oh my God! You get paid to drink?' '' he said. ``But that's only a third of it.''
Mike Hage, the on-premise sales manager for Copeland's employer, Hoffman Beverage, said all the big brewers have positions like Copeland's - positions where employees ``get paid to play.''
Hage estimates Hoffman's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, has about 400 similar jobs nationwide.
But Copeland, 25, is the only Bud Guy in this area and one of the first to hold this position at Hoffman Beverage.
His job, in a nutshell, is to make Anheuser-Busch brands, like Budweiser, visible to the public and to promote new brands. Which means Copeland spends most of his working hours in bars - a job many folks would kill for.
But Copeland didn't kill anyone; he just got lucky.
He majored in history in college and never even took a business or marketing class. While he was in school, he volunteered for Hoffman Beverage, so when the position was created in May 1996, they called him. His reputation for being a sociable, talk-to-anyone type of guy, more than his schooling, got him hired.
During the summer, Copeland stays near the Oceanfront, and during the school year, he works the college bars.
Last Tuesday night at Batterson's, a small bar on Hampton Boulevard across from Old Dominion University, Copeland treated a group of friends to several rounds of Budwesier.
And he was never without a beer himself.
``When I'm on the job, I drink in moderation,'' he said. ``And I do not allow my friends to drink any competitive brands in front of me. I take that personally.''
Drinking and socializing are a big part of Copeland's job, the strategy being that if others see him drinking a Budweiser, they might just decide to try one themselves.
Copeland says he's careful not to get sloppy on the job, which is why he doesn't go to bars where he does business to have fun anymore.
``I can't make the company look bad,'' he said. ``Because I'm going to make a career out of the beer business.''
Copeland, who works six days a week, is quick to point out that his job isn't as glamourous as it may seem. He visits about 30 bars, each twice a week, so he's constantly on the go.
``The beer business is 24-7. I put in at least 54-56 hours a week,'' he said. ``I don't see my family much because I never have any free time.''
Copeland lives at his parents' home in Virginia Beach where he grew up. He's a single guy ``against his will'' because his schedule doesn't allow much time for a girlfriend.
His typical day starts around 11 a.m. and sometimes goes until the bars close at 2 a.m. During the day, he puts up posters and inflatable frogs and makes sure none of his accounts runs out of Budweiser.
If they do, they call him. Everyone has Copeland's business card.
``Bar owners call me at 12:30 a.m. and say, `I have a tap problem' and I have to go,'' Copeland said. ``They don't call Budweiser. They call me.''
Still, he loves what he does, and Hage said he's good at it.
``You have to be a people-person,'' said Hage. ``When people around you are drinking Miller, you have to be able to buy yourself a Budweiser and joke them.''
Copeland jokes with everyone he meets. Strangers become friends in a heartbeat, and those who know him are always happy to see him.
``I always buy people I know a beer,'' he said.
And it's a good thing, too, because ABC laws prohibit him from buying beer for strangers.
Copeland walks the fine line between breaking the law and doing his job every night. ABC laws allow him to buy beer for others only ``as a matter of normal social intercourse.'' Enticing patrons to buy beer is prohibited.
Though he's having a good time, Copeland doesn't plan on staying the Bud Guy forever. The next step in the beer business is area sales manager, Hage's current position.
According to Hage, Copeland has nothing to lose by leaving the job he loves.
``My job is even more fun,'' Hage said. ``It's more work, but it's also more play.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Ian Martin/The Virginian-Pilot
Jimmy Copeland spends his working hours with a beer in one hand and
a pool stick to the other.