Merrilee Kick
Founder & CEO, BuzzBallMerrilee Kick is Founder/Strategic Advisor to BuzzBallz/Southern Champion, a Dallas-based Distillery/Winery/Brewery. The Carrollton, Texas, company manufactures ready-to-drink cocktails, including BuzzBallz and Uptown Cocktails, as well as premium spirits such as rum, vodka, gin, and bourbon, along with private-label brands for 7-Eleven and H-E-B. With products sold in 50 states and 43 countries, the company employs over 1,000 employees in the Dallas area. She sold the company in May 2024 to Sazerac, the 3rd largest liquor manufacturer in the world. She is now CEO of GourmetLand, a start- up food and beverage company located in Addison, Texas.
She’s received awards, like the:
- Dallas Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award
- Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Athena Award
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- Enterprising Women’s Hall of Fame Award
- JP Morgan Chase’s “50 Fastest Woman-Owned Companies.”
- D CEO’s Top 50 DFW Businesses
- Top Women in Grocery
- Distinguished Alumni Award at Texas Woman’s University, MBA 2009
In 2024, Merrilee donated $30m to build the Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business & Entrepreneurship at TWU in Denton, Texas.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics and Computer Science from the University of Montana, an MBA from Texas Woman’s University, and is an alumna of Harvard Business School’s OPM Program.