Founding Partner Marbet Lewis Interviews Merrilee Kick, Founder/Owner of BuzzBallz and Southern Champion, during a Women of the Vine & Spirits C-Suite Insights Live Chat

March 2, 2021

FLORIDA – March 2, 2021 – Marbet Lewis, Founding Partner and CEO of Spiritus Law, was selected by Women of the Vine & Spirits to interview Merrilee Kick in its most recent C-Suite Insights Live Chat. Titled Inspiring Innovation Through Changing Times with Merrilee Kick, CEO & Founder BuzzBallz, LLC/Southern Champion, the Live Chat focused on Merrilee's diverse background, her career in the alcohol beverage industry, how Buzzballz/Southern Champion became the only combined winery, brewery, and distillery in the U.S. that is woman-owned, and how her MBA project became the top pre-mixed, single-serve cocktail brand in the U.S.

“I appreciate the opportunity to interview Merrilee and have her share her wisdom. Being a woman in the alcohol beverage industry is not easy, let alone making history the way she has. I believe everyone on the Live Chat, including myself, learned a great deal from her story and her experiences. This was the perfect way to kick off Women’s History Month,” says Lewis.

Marbet Lewis has focused her practice on the laws governing the alcohol industry and the manufacture, importation, and sale of alcohol beverage products since 2004. She represents clients in all aspects of alcohol and business licensing, alcohol licensee mergers and acquisitions, negotiation of asset purchase agreements and required alcohol use provisions, license transfers and licensing due diligence, trade practices, alcohol product advertising and review of marketing agreements, importation agreements, label approvals, and regulatory compliance guidance. Her experience also includes enforcement action defense and administrative litigation, zoning and land use due diligence and approval processes, and state and local government regulatory compliance, which includes drafting municipal code ordinances and amendments as well as assisting with redistricting and development of entertainment overlay districts.

Women of the Vine & Spirits is the world’s leading membership organization dedicated to empowering and advancing women in the alcohol beverage industry. The C-Suite series takes participants inside the minds of some of the most respected visionaries, thought leaders and entrepreneurs in the alcohol beverage industry. These live, one-on-one interviews, with Q&A open to attendees, provide  tangible tools on how to lead through uncertain times and inspire you to take action.

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About Spiritus Law:

Spiritus Law is an entrepreneurial regulatory and business law firm focused on the representation of highly regulated industries by offering legal services in the areas of alcohol and tobacco law, federal, state and local regulatory and business licensing, hospitality law and licensing, commercial and residential real estate development, land use and zoning, real estate transactions, government relations, banking and lending, general commercial retail including the retail sale of regulated products and public/private partnership transactions. The Firm is founded on traditional principles of client counseling and teamwork with a cutting-edge twist on regulatory innovation and modern problem-solving. Spiritus Law combines a unique blend of professionals, including attorneys, government consultants, licensing assistants and paralegals to assist its diverse clients. Our modern approach to transparent client representation and employee engagement defines our collaborative spirit and progressive energy.

Core Services:

Primary service areas include: Alcohol Licensing & Regulatory Compliance, Retail & Hospitality Licensing & Permitting, Real Estate Transactions & Commercial Development, Firearms & Security Compliance, Public/Private Infrastructure &Development, Tobacco Product Regulatory Compliance, and Business Transactions & Financial Services. Our firm services an array of highly regulated industries, including alcohol producers, sports teams, hotels, restaurants, theme parks, movie theaters, grocery stores, liquor stores, bars, residential and commercial real estate developers, state agencies, municipal governments, investment firms and individual investors, lending institutions, security service providers, firearms suppliers and more.