For Immediate Release

 

Date:               June 18, 2009

Contact:           Robert A. Archer, President/CEO

Phone:             (540) 380-2000 ext. 106

 

Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc. Celebrates 50^th Anniversary

The company has been in business for 71 years, since 1938

  

Roanoke, Va. - Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc., a family-owned and operated beverage distributor serving a 49-county area in central and southwest Virginia, is celebrating its 50^th Anniversary.  The Company, headquartered in Salem, VA, has been in existence since 1938, but it has been under the continuous leadership of the Archer family for 50 years since 1959, when it had only 10 employees and four beverage delivery routes.

Since that time, Blue Ridge Beverage has expanded its territory and currently has facilities in Salem, Waynesboro, Lynchburg, South Boston, Marion and Norton, VA. The Company has 350 valued employees and distributes annually more than 7,300,000 cases of beer, wine and soft drinks, making it one of the largest beverage distributorships in Virginia.  The success of the Company can be attributed to its outstanding employees and to the many valued retail customers it serves.

To mark this milestone, the Company is hosting a gala celebration for its employees and business partners on June 20, 2009, at The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. 

Blue Ridge Beverage strives to provide the highest quality products and customer service available today and uses state-of-the-art equipment and technology in doing so.  The Company represents many of the world’s finest beverage suppliers and importers to include MillerCoors LLC, Heineken USA, Crown Imports LLC, Constellation Brands, D. G. Yuengling & Son, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Boston Beer Company, Pabst Brewing Company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and Red Bull North America, among others.

“Blue Ridge Beverage looks forward to working with its many trade partners for years to come while continuing to give back to the community through ongoing work with charitable organizations throughout our service area,” said Bob Archer President of Blue Ridge Beverage.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Blue Ridge Beverage and are proud of their many accomplishments over the past 50 years.  As a small business, their growth has been tremendous and we recognize their success as one of Roanoke County’s finest corporate citizens,” said Doug Chittum, Roanoke County’s Director of Economic Development.

Regine N. Archer serves as Chairman of the Board; Robert A. Archer as President and Chief Executive Officer; James E. Archer as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer; and Jacqueline L. Archer as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

For more information, visit the company website at www.blueridgebeverage.com