Carl Buddig & Co Awards $50,000

Carl Buddig & Co. and Old Wisconsin awarded the winners of its Dream Big Giveaway. Mary Lu Marr, a grandmother of six from Dublin, Calif., received the $50,000 Grand Prize check at a celebration brunch with Buddig family owner Tom Buddig and friends in San Francisco in February. Marr purchased her Buddig products with the winning entries from her local Safeway and Lucky Supermarket stores. The Dream Big Grand Prize winner was determined through a random drawing. First Place prize winner Cynthia Petri, 56, from Bishop, Texas, takes home $15,000. “When I received the phone call notifying me I was the winner, I was in total shock and disbelief,” said Marr. “I kept thinking someone would call me and say it was a big mistake.” While Marr has made a hobby of entering sweepstakes and contests for fun over the years, she said she’s never won anything on this scale. She learned about the promotion after purchasing Buddig Original turkey products for the first time last year, and she’s been a fan of the brand ever since. She plans to use the prize money to splurge on a family Mexican cruise and separate trip with her sister. “We’re thrilled to present this check to Mary Lu for $50,000,” said Tom Buddig, executive vice president marketing. “It’s always exciting to be even a small part of helping someone fulfill their dreams, so we want to congratulate Mary Lu and wish her the best as she enjoys her prize money.” Marr bested more than 17,000 entries to collect the $50,000 Grand prize in the Dream Big sweepstakes, which concluded Dec. 31. The Dream Big promotion had more than 57,000 entries overall. The sweepstakes capitalized on the popularity of the online gaming trend, inviting players to collect game pieces representing dream vacations, cars, shopping sprees and other fantasy prizes.