Read the original article by Gloria Lloyd on the St. Louis Business Journal site.
Born in Scotland and raised in England, Mark Sutherland moved to St. Louis in the late 1980s and has been promoting St. Louis’ economic interests — and Britain’s — ever since. Now a naturalized citizen, Sutherland’s career in public relations has included promoting economic development projects and volunteering to manage PR for the Spirit of St. Louis Air Show and STEM Expo.
He’s written five books, with the latest covering transatlantic business. A children’s book about becoming a U.S. Navy Blue Angel came with a ride-along. Sutherland’s latest venture is co-owner of Stone Ledge Distillery in Defiance, with Stowloch Whiskey and InverXion Vodka sold in retail stores across the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Sutherland and a group of investors purchased the building at 3006 S. Highway 94 for $615,000 from Hoffmann Family of Cos. The retail side of the operation has sold 20,000 bottles, and the distillery has 200 barrels aging.
Perhaps Sutherland’s favorite role is British diplomat, one of about 14 Brits in America to hold the title of Honorary Consul. He promotes the relationship between Missouri and Britain, including trade, relationships, and connections such as the new direct flight between St. Louis and London. His official role includes speaking alongside Governors and Senators. Sutherland has also attended events steps away from King Charles, including the Coronation, Royal Ascot and His Majesty’s speech to Congress.
What brought you to America?
In my mid-teens, my dad was a music minister, and we immigrated to help with the church. When a minister who’s a trained engineer comes to America, he buys a real estate company.
Was it culture shock?
It wasn’t. My impression of America before I moved was a combination of “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Dallas” and “The A Team,” and that’s pretty accurate. I had the advantage of a very strong accent, so everybody liked to talk to me. I met a lot of successful people from all walks of life, and very quickly realized that if you work hard in America, you can still accomplish what’s traditionally called the American dream. This country very much adopted me.
How did you get on the radio?
Back in the ‘90s, I worked for the “Steve and DC Morning Show” on Q104. I walked into the radio station and asked for a job. I was the token British guy. I find myself being the token British guy quite often. I was young, and didn’t have a lot of skill sets, but everybody liked the way I talked. So how can I milk this? I did it for about a decade.
Why marketing?
Radio was fun, perception of glamor, but low salaries. I understood from radio what reporters were looking for, the story they were trying to tell, and I could also discover stories that they might enjoy telling.
How’s it feel flying with the Blue Angels?
They teach you how you stay conscious, because you’re not wearing a G suit. It took me almost passing out to figure it out. We were inverted, doing 7G turns. It was a fantastic 45 minutes. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I held my own, but I cannot believe what these military members go through every day when they fly these aircraft.
What draws you to the military?
I’ve got friends on the Red Arrows who are coming over to the U.S. in July for the 250th celebrations. I love being around those types of individuals, because they’re not just incredibly professional and know what they’re doing, but they’ve signed on the dotted line that I’m willing to serve no matter the cost. I serve in a volunteer role with Air Mobility Command. I advocate on behalf of airmen, outside of channels. The recent government shutdown, when they’re not getting paychecks, I can have a very unvarnished conversation with a member of Congress that a general wouldn’t, and be like, “You guys need to fix this.”
How did you move into alcohol?
A group of us was sitting around talking about business ideas, and we came up with this crazy idea. Let’s do a distillery and really lean into the Ozark Highlands, which hadn’t been marketed. The next morning it still sounded like a good idea. We launched our first whiskey in 2022, vodka, and another whiskey the next year, and then opened up our tasting room in 2024. It’s been going well.
What is the Ozark Highlands?
In 1819, two years before Missouri became a state, the federal government discovered a massive limestone shelf that stretched from mid-Missouri to mid-Arkansas that they called the Ozark Highlands. Limestone-filtered water is some of the best in the world to make spirits. So there has been a long history of making spirits in Missouri. We started talking to the state, and Missouri passed legislation in 2022 that creates an official category of spirits called the Ozark Highlands. So it’s 200 years in waiting, but we’re thrilled that it’s now a thing, and people can enjoy Ozark Highlands spirits from us and other distilleries.
What are your hobbies?
If there’s karaoke, we have a free night, and we’re in the area, we’re gonna go and enjoy it. My wife got me into it. We’ve met some of our best friends through karaoke. You see them every week when you go on a regular basis, and build friendships that last for years.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
I’ve got a list of 50 or 60 songs, but Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison” would be my warm-up. I know I could pull that one off.
More about Mark Sutherland
- Age: 51
- Title: British Honorary Consul
- Education: Washington University with an international business degree; post-grad work at King’s College London
- Residence: Defiance
- Family: Wife and four grown children
- Favorite restaurant/hangout: Stone Ledge, and I immensely enjoy Saddles Social House in Defiance.
- Best place to visit: We enjoy traveling, so we like to travel to various places. We just went to Canada a couple of years ago, spent some time with the Red Arrows when they were up there. Florida is definitely a favorite destination. We’ve got friends in Palm Beach, and friends and family in the Keys. Some of our friends are members of Mar-a-Lago, so that’s always a treat when we get to visit there.
- What’s that like? It’s a great experience. People are so relaxed. The interactions we’ve had with the President while we’re there, he’s just very relaxed. Many times, he’s sitting there playing music on his laptop. So you’re having dinner and the president’s playing your dinner tunes, which is surreal.
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