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of territory , so that our current footprint spans 22 of Florida ’ s 67 counties .
“ When I think back to 1984 , when I came out of the insurance and investment banking business , and got into the beer business , I knew absolutely nothing about it . So , I had a very steep learning curve . Fortunately , I was surrounded by a small group of people that had probably forgotten more about the business than I knew . Through interactions with trade associations and other distributors , I was able to find some wonderful mentors , who helped me throughout the years .”
Doug elaborates : “ When I made the leap , I was working for a family business in Tampa , where I was born . My uncle owned the brokerage house and as his children started graduating and coming into the business , I started to look at alternative options , with the idea that I might find something new to which to turn my meager talents .
“ One area that stood out to me was distribution and the other , on a more micro level , was the beverage sector . I was very fortunate to have a cousin who was President of Coca Cola in Florida , and I approached him with my plans to get into bottling Coca Cola . He dissuaded me but suggested I think about beer instead .”
Award-winning culture
From the glorious weather of the Sunshine State to cash-on-delivery and doubledigit growth , Doug had found his match . “ My cousin thought that the travel and entertainment profile of beer would be a good fit for my personality and so , I put the word out that I was looking for a distributorship , which is how I found myself striking a deal to purchase an operation . There are two steps to buying a beer distributorship ; the first is obviously a willing seller and the second , once you strike the third party , arm ’ s length agreement , is to visit the suppliers to get their approval as well . Interestingly ,
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