Citizen Coors: An American Dynasty

The Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, is one of those prototypical American businesses that sprang from the efforts of a single-minded individual to become a dominant force in its industry. The elements that led to its ascension make quite a story, too: a destitute but hard-driving immigrant founder; kidnapping, suicides, and murder; secretive, right-wing politics and boisterous consumer boycotts; and, to top it off, an aristocratic ruling family that never dealt well with outsiders. To make sense of it all, former Wall Street Journal reporter Dan Baum interviewed more than 150 people, excluding, unfortunately, the primary family members, who still routinely refuse to talk to outsiders. Nevertheless, Baum tells this colorful Hollywood-esque tale in a comprehensive and compelling manner. He shows with considerable insight how the corporate and familial tone was set early by patriarch Adolph, a figure so domineering he "was still effectively running the company more than 60 years" after his death. And he shows with equal clarity why Peter, the heir, ultimately turned to an outsider to help the company address its competition in a way befitting a prototypical American business. An interesting tale, well told. --Howard Rothman