A modern business man with old-fashioned ethics,
Mr. Myerson leaves behind successful family businesses

LOS ANGELES, CA, November 17, 2008 - Jim Myerson of Ben Myerson Candy Company, Co-Founder of Wine Warehouse and President of 21st Century Spirits, died on November 10, 2008, at the age of 82. Mr. Myerson was a creative entrepreneur and a passionate businessman for the family companies he worked with and founded, staying actively involved through the end of his life.

A Los Angeles native, Mr. Myerson was born in 1926. After high school in Los Angeles he graduated from Stanford University in 1949 and went on to serve as a radio technician in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He spent nearly 60 years at the Ben Myerson Candy Company working with his brother Bob Myerson, one of California's oldest family owned candy companies founded by their father Ben Myerson in 1937.

Mr. Myerson spent nine years on the board of directors of the National Confectioners Association and was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame in 2004 for his work at Ben Myerson Candy Company. At that time Mr. Myerson was asked what he might do differently: "Very little. Looking back, I have no regrets. It's a wonderful business."

In 1973 brothers Jim and Bob Myerson founded Wine Warehouse, which today sells and distributes more than 10,000 wines, beers, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages and glassware, as one of the state's largest distributors with branches in both Northern and Southern California. Starting with a single container of French Burgundy, Mr. Myerson and his brother were committed to quality and value, carefully selecting international products to represent the best offerings.

Mr. Myerson, with his brother Bob, built an old-school family business with a team of valued employees, extending the Myerson family values of honor and hard work throughout their companies. Mr. Myerson was a modern businessman who stuck to his old-fashioned work values; he was known for hand-shake contracts-his word was his bond and he believed in giving people the opportunity to do their very best work.

Mr. Myerson's creative and entrepreneurial spirit inspired the launch of Blue Ice Vodka in 2001 for his family's 21st Century Spirits company. Blue Ice, a premium American potato vodka made in Idaho was "a fun challenge" according to Mr. Myerson. He fully dedicated his 'retirement' years to the development of Blue Ice Vodka. "Creating something new is a passion for me," remarked Mr. Myerson last year, who loved the challenge of building his premium vodka into a national brand.

Mr. Myerson's nephew and President of Wine Warehouse, James P. Myerson, in a company announcement said, "Above everything else, Uncle Jim was a dreamer. His outgoing personality, ingenuity and ultimate focus on customer service and being two steps ahead of the crowd, made the products and companies he helped to build stand out. Uncle Jim made friends easily in each industry he was a part of, and never skipped a beat."

In addition to Mr. Myerson's loving wife of 50 years, Diane Myerson, he is survived by his two daughters, Dana Myerson Agamalian, her husband John and grandchildren Alexa and Grant and Carol Myerson Sever, her husband Jim and grandchildren Ellery, Olivia and Rory, his brother and sister-in-law Bob and Barbara Myerson, nephews James P. Myerson and Allen Myerson and niece Linda Myerson Dean.