THE PHILANTHROPIST | Susie Busch-Transou

Ostensibly, Susie Busch-Transou is in the beer distribution business in Tallahassee, but her real work has long been in local charities.

Growing up in St. Louis as part of the Anheuser-Busch beer dynasty – her father, August Busch III, is chairman of the board – she was taught that successful companies always turn part of their largesse back into the community. When Busch-Transou and husband, Tripp Transou, moved to Tallahassee a decade ago to run Tri-Eagle Sales, she brought that family tradition with her.

“I’ve been honored to work on a number of (issues) to make as much of a difference as I can,” she said.

Before coming to Tallahassee, the 41-year-old Busch-Transou worked for the family business, first in the entertainment and theme park division,

then as president of the creative communications subsidiary. In the mid-1990s, when a rare ownership opportunity came up with Tri-Eagle, she and her husband decided to buy the business and move to Tallahassee.

Now, “Tallahassee is our home,” said Busch-Transou, a mother of three. “There are so many wonderful people here. The people are what makes this community as special as it is.”

While Tripp Transou runs the day-to-day operations of the wholesale distributor, Susie Busch-Transou has taken on the job of turning the success of Tri-Eagle into wider success for Tallahassee. That has included a little bit of everything over the years, from helping to fund the Women’s Pavilion at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to serving on the Florida State University Board of Trustees to sponsoring the annual “Celebrate America” Fourth of July event at Tom Brown Park. In between those jobs, she also served as a mentor to a teenage girl from Gadsden County.

“There are so many different ways for a company to be involved in the community,” she said.

Busch-Transou now is working on her biggest challenge yet as chairwoman of the current fundraising campaign for the United Way of the Big Bend. She is in charge of helping the local chapter reach its largest-ever fundraising goal – $7.4 million by February.

Says an unfazed Busch-Transou: “I have a tremendous responsibility to do the best job that I can do.” – Tony Bridges