Wikipedia

Fawn Weaver

Fawn Weaver (born in 1976) is an American entrepreneur and author who holds the position of CEO at Grant Sidney Inc. In 2017, Weaver co-founded Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey[1] where she serves as the chief historian.[2] She is the founder of the Nearest Green Foundation.[3][4] In March 2021, she was named to Endeavor's board of directors.[5][6]

Fawn Weaver
Born
Fawn Evette Wilson

1976 (age 47–48)
Occupation(s)Author, CEO
Notable workUncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
Spouse
Keith Weaver
​
(m. 2003)​
Parent

Early years edit

Fawn Weaver grew up in Pasadena as the daughter of Frank and Philomina Wilson. Her father, a Motown recording artist, changed career to become a Christian minister in around 1975.[7] At a young age, Weaver was introduced to Motown stars like Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, they became a part of her father's ministry rather and not because her father was a renowned writer and producer.[7]

She left home at 15, staying with school friends in Jordan Downs, the Watts projects, for a short period.[7] Later, she resided in three different homeless shelters, with Covenant House in Hollywood being her final stop.[7]

Before turning 19, Weaver established her first company, FEW Entertainment, specializing in PR and special events.[7] Early on, she secured two corporate clients, enabling the business to grow.

Career edit

Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey edit

In 2016, Weaver went to Tennessee to interview Nearest Green's descendants for a book project.[8][9] Weaver's work helped reveal the history of Jack Daniel Distillery included Nearest Green as its first master distiller and mentor to a young Jack Daniel,[10][11] inspiring her to found and launch the Nearest Green Distillery and the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand in 2017.[8][12] This made Weaver the first African-American woman to head a major spirits brand, and also the first American spirit brand with an all-female executive team.[12] In 2019, was the first African-American featured on the cover of American Whiskey magazine.[13]

By 2018, the brand had expanded to 12 countries,[12] and is now the best-selling African-American owned spirit ever.[14] In September 2019, Uncle Nearest opened its first distillery, set on a 270-acre ranch in Shelbyville, Tennessee.[9]

Weaver was named one of Food & Wine's Drinks Innovators of the Year in 2022, alongside Uncle Nearest master blender Victoria Eady Butler.[15]

Before establishing the distillery, Weaver also founded the Nearest Green Foundation, which honors the legacy of Green with a scholarship program, a museum, a memorial park, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey and a book.[16] The foundation also provides full college scholarships for any of Green's descendants to attend the school of their choice.[17] She also helped create the Nearest & Jack Advancement Initiative, a joint venture between the foundation and Jack Daniel's.[18] It includes the Nearest Green School of Distilling certification program at Motlow State Community College, a Leadership Acceleration Program that offers apprenticeships to African-Americans, and a business incubation program for black micro distillers.[19]

In 2020, Weaver started the Black Business Booster program, to help ten Black-owned spirits companies with branding, distribution, and capital.[9] In June 2021, Weaver and Uncle Nearest formed the $50 million Uncle Nearest Venture Fund to invest in minority-owned spirits companies.[20]

Other work edit

Fawn's career began in 1994, when she formed special events and public relations company FEW Entertainment.[21] She worked as a restaurant and real estate executive through the early 2000s,[22] before founding Grant Sidney Inc. in March 2010.[5]

Weaver's first book, Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage was published in 2014 by Thomas Nelson, and debuted at #3 on the New York Times Nonfiction Paperback list.[23] In 2015, she wrote The Argument-Free Marriage: 28 Days to Creating the Marriage You've Always Wanted with the Spouse You Already Have, which offers a 28-day plan for marital happiness using conflict management.[24]

Weaver was named one of Time's "31 People Changing the South" in 2018.[25]

She was also an executive board member of Meet Each Need with Dignity and Slavery No More from January 2014 to December 2019.[5] In March 2021, she was named to Endeavor's board of directors.[5]

Personal life edit

Born in 1976 as Fawn Evette Wilson, she is the daughter of Motown Records songwriter and producer Frank Wilson.[22][26] She has been married to Keith Weaver since 2003.[27]

References edit

  1. ^ DeCiccio, Emily (2021-03-09). "CEO Fawn Weaver and her all-female leadership team are piloting one of America's fastest-growing whiskey companies to historic growth". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  2. ^ "Fawn Weaver's Premium Whiskey Brand Honors the Legacy of Uncle Nearest, the Enslaved Man Who Pioneered Tennessee Whiskey". Martha Stewart. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  3. ^ "Woman tells story of slave who taught Jack Daniels whiskey". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  4. ^ Johnston, Zach (2020-06-22). "Fawn Weaver Talks About The Future Of Black Women In American Whiskey". Uproxx. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  5. ^ a b c d "Form S-1". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  6. ^ Linnane, Ciara. "William Morris parent Endeavor's IPO: 5 things to know about the entertainment giant". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  7. ^ a b c d e Stories, Local (2023-02-13). "Meet Fawn Weaver - Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide". voyagela.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  8. ^ a b "Fawn Weaver: The Whiskey Benefactor". Garden & Gun. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  9. ^ a b c Clemence, Sara (2020-12-03). "How Black-Owned Spirits Brand Uncle Nearest Answered the Call of 2020". Inc.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  10. ^ Knutson, Jesse (27 July 2017). "Unearthing The Story Of Nearest Green, Jack Daniel's Mentor".
  11. ^ Alfs, Lizzy (July 21, 2017). "Ex-slave who trained Jack Daniel gets new recognition". USA Today. The Tennessean. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  12. ^ a b c DeCiccio, Emily (2021-03-09). "CEO Fawn Weaver and her all-female leadership team are piloting one of America's fastest-growing whiskey companies to historic growth". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  13. ^ ""Whiskey Really Is In My Blood"". Garden & Gun. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  14. ^ "Uncle Nearest is top-selling African-American-owned spirit". 10 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  15. ^ Pharms, Gabrielle Nicole (March 15, 2022). "Drinks Innovators of the Year: Fawn Weaver and Victoria Eady Butler". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  16. ^ Christen, Mike (2017-07-31). "Foundation honors ex-slave's contributions to Jack Daniel's". The Daily Herald. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  17. ^ "The First African American Woman Master Blender Is Here to End the White-Washing of American Whiskey". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  18. ^ "Jack Daniel's and Uncle Nearest Launch New Diversity Initiative". Whisky Advocate. 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  19. ^ "Fawn Weaver: Raising Up the Next Generation of Minority Whiskey Makers". Whisky Advocate. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  20. ^ Stephenson, Cassandra. "100 years after Tulsa Race Massacre, Uncle Nearest Whiskey launches fund for minority-owned spirits". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  21. ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (2021-05-10). "How Fawn Weaver Built Wildly Successful Whiskey Brand Uncle Nearest to Cement a Legacy". Inc.com. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  22. ^ a b Risen, Clay (15 August 2017). "When Jack Daniel's Failed to Honor a Slave, an Author Rewrote History". The New York Times – via www.nytimes.com.
  23. ^ "Paperback Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Jan. 26, 2014 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  24. ^ "How To Have An Argument-Free Marriage—We Put This Couple To The Test". Essence.com. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  25. ^ "Meet the 31 People Who Are Changing the South". Time. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  26. ^ Kaufman, Leslie (2012-10-03). "Frank Wilson, Motown Songwriter and Producer, Dies at 71". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  27. ^ "Making It Work: Meet the Woman Behind the 'Happy Wives Club' Movement and Her Hubby". Essence.com. Retrieved 2017-11-01.

External links edit

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