All The Way

Angelo Torre Made The Jump From Steel Manufacturing To Louisiana Spirits The Way He Does Everything Else — With Total Dedication

Story By Diana Vallette • Photos By Chris Brennan

For most of his adult life, Angelo Torre worked in steel manufacturing. Today, he serves as president of Louisiana Spirits (the company behind Bayou Rum) while also overseeing manufacturing across North America for global Stoli Group. How’d he make the jump? The way he does everything — all the way. 

Torre grew up in a small farm town in the state of Iowa, where he graduated high school with 85 other students. Values were simple: your word mattered, handshakes sealed deals and community came first. It’s why he is who he is today — honest, hardworking, selfless, a believer.

Torre worked his way up in the steel manufacturing industry, from the floor into general manager roles, eventually leading large-scale greenfield projects that planted steel mills across the United States and from Canada to Germany to Mexico.

So, after over 20 years in steel manufacturing, why is he pouring a cocktail on our cover? Torre is unwavering when it comes to sticking with his beliefs, and that didn’t change even when it cost him. In 2020, he declined the Covid vaccination mandated by his employer and was terminated.

“I wasn’t looking at it as a positive at that time,” he says. Today, he calls it one of the best things that ever happened to him. If you live long enough, you’ll likely see setbacks become turning points. This was a turning point in Torre’s life, and it didn’t take much time before he was in discussions with Stoli. “I stood firm in my beliefs,” he says. “And I ended up exactly where I was meant to be.”

From the outside, steel mills and spirits might seem like they have nothing in common. Inside, you’d be surprised. Torre is still building systems, leading people and scaling operations. 

Though he doesn’t have a traditional four-year degree, Torre’s highly trained and skilled as a result of extensive certifications and learning opportunities. “Everything I know came from being in it,” he says.

Through an operational leadership program, employers trained him in everything from profit and loss management to human resources, continuous improvement and operational excellence. Certifications stacked up — PHR, Kaizen, Lean manufacturing — each one preparing and refining him to run factories and people.

“I paid for none of my education,” he says. “Every bit of it was employer-funded. I have zero school debt.” 

It’s a lesson for the young people reading: There are many (and very varied) paths to success. You don’t have to follow a script given to you by someone else. You have options. “There are kids who can graduate high school, get a certificate in less than a year, and make $60,000 to $100,000,” Torre says. “And most employers will pay for the rest.”

Leadership

Hanging on the wall in Torre’s office you’ll find all 13 behaviors of a high trust leader — talk straight, clarify expectations, keep commitments, etc. His leadership philosophy is simple: People matter. He believes it, and he lives it. He’s unapologetically values-driven and for him faith and family come first. The people he works with? They’re his family, too.

Torre is a hard worker, yes, but he’s also deeply human. “My employees are my family,” he says. “If I take care of them, they’ll take care of the business. That always shows up in the numbers.”

When he took over at Louisiana Spirits, he noticed employees were missing retirement plans as part of their benefits package. So, he changed that. That’s simply one reason why the turnover rate is so low and his ‘family’ is so happy. Once, a financial advisory team visited the distillery and came back stunned by one impressive and rare discovery: team morale was sky-high.

“They told me how engaged our employees were, how much pride they had in the place,” he says. “It almost made me cry.” Turnover under Torre sits under one percent. Employees feel heard because Torre ‘listens first. (That’s another one of the characteristics of a high trust leader.)

He’s hands-on and spends plenty of time on the floor, which is surprising for a guy at his level. He makes a point of knowing what’s happening at every level of the business and in his people’s lives.

“There’s this idea that when you reach the C-suite, you’re out of touch,” he says. “That doesn’t have to be true.”

Making History

And, in a history making move, the Lacassine distillery has become the first facility outside Eastern Europe to produce Stoli vodka — a brand dating back to the 1930s. Vodka, long associated with overseas production, is now being made in Louisiana, right here in Jeff Davis Parish. “Made in the USA,” the bottles will read.

Imagine the impact on the local economy. The move will increase output by nearly a million cases annually, add shifts, create jobs, and further anchor the distillery as a major economic engine for the region.

“This is huge,” says Ronnie Petree, with the Jeff Davis Parish Economic Development Commission. “It shows what Angelo is capable of, and we are so excited.” This move won’t stop at Bayou Rum’s gate. It ripples out into the community.

Angelo At Home

When he’s not working, Torre’s life slows down a bit. He and his wife, Jessica — a nurse who works nights in an emergency room — spend their free time antiquing, tending their land, restoring old cars and tasting bourbon. Their main home is just north of Gulf Shores, but Torre will be the first to tell you he lives wherever his feet are. His work requires quite a bit of travel, and the folks over in Lacassine consider him a local and a friend.

“Angelo is the most selfless and driven person I know,” says Jessica. “He’s optimistic and genuine. Hands down, he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever known. Family is everything to him. He loves people, too, and takes so much pride in his work. He’s mindful of the fact that he’s building a legacy. And he lives that every day.”  

Years from now, when we look back at this shift for our local economy or when the first employee cashes in on that 401k, Angelo will be remembered as the guy who literally made it his business to care. “The kind of legacy I want? I hope people remember me the way my wife describes me. I hope I made an impact and people will say I cared.”