The more I see of Unanue, the more I think he might be a worthy successor to our dearly dropped out Steve Kirby.
But Unanue's tenure as a top executive at the company his grandparents founded was short-lived. He and his father were ousted by other family members in 2004, and his management skills were sharply questioned.
During a trial on a lawsuit about the firings, a company vice-president testified Unanue came to work drunk at least five times, possibly more. Unanue denied that, but admitted he had come to work hung over and drank a lot at company parties. "Work hard, play hard. That was my motto," Unanue testified.
Makes sense given his nightclub.
Just when you thought the Meatpacking District couldn't handle another over-priced club-bar catering to hordes of pretentious Euro-trash, along comes AER.
Andy Unanue testifed he was never drunk on the job, but when asked if he was "ever hung over in the office," he replied, "Sure. Yes."
He denied it was a problem, and said he and others "drank a lot" at Goya company parties. "We worked hard, we worked long hours, we wanted to celebrate that," he testified.
Joseph Perez, a vice president, testified Andy Unanue was "coming in late, leaving early, to the point I spoke to him and that I was concerned that perhaps he was ill." He rated Andy's leadership skill as "'fair to poor," adding that he could be "'arrogant and cutting."
Unanue said Tuesday he was often out of the office on sales calls -- adding that as a senator, "I'm not going to be sitting in my office, I'm going to be out talking to the people of New Jersey."
Just don't mind him if he reeks of alcohol. Being a senator is hard work, so he'll "celebrate that".