When Louis Glazer moved to Dallas, Texas in 1909 with his wife, Bessie, and opened the Jumbo Bottling Company, few could have predicted what the Glazer name would mean in the wholesale beverage distribution industry today. From the simple days of producing a line of flavored soda waters that were distributed from the back of horse drawn wagons, the Glazer family has built Glazer’s Distributors into an industry leader that operates in eleven U.S. states and generates more than $3 billion in annual revenue.

Today the company distributes and markets beverages in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Indiana, Kansas, Iowa and Arizona. Glazer’s has grown dramatically through the years by acquiring distribution rights from a variety of suppliers and building a strong reputation in the industry for customer service.

Recognizing the fast changing business climate that exists today in the distribution segment of the beverage alcohol industry, the Glazer’s Family of Companies continues to evaluate expansion that offers both long-term strategic and profit opportunities. By forming strong, lasting partnerships with the suppliers they represent, and attracting and retaining the highest caliber of employees, the Glazer’s Family of Companies has developed a clear-cut formula for success.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

Expanding operations has been a goal of the company since the early years when three of Louis and Bessie Glazer’s five children became involved in the business. Max, Nolan and Fritz Glazer initially worked part time as helpers in their father’s bottling operation.

Max and Nolan Glazer established Glazer’s Wholesale Drug Company, Inc. on September 3rd, 1933, coinciding with the repeal of Prohibition. In the late 1930’s, Glazer’s began acquiring distribution rights from a variety of suppliers. These successful efforts enabled the company to expand outside the Dallas market in the 1940s. In 1943, Glazer’s extended its operations to Louisiana, and in 1946, Arkansas was added to the list. Max’s son Irving joined the business that same year.

In 1949, Max Glazer’s other son, Robert, joined his family members to assist in running the company. Glazer’s moved westward in 1966 by adding Arizona as a fourth state of operations. During the next 30 years, the company’s market share grew steadily through dramatic sales growth and the acquisition of several competitors in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

LATEST EXPANSION EFFORTS

In the late 1990’s, Glazer’s marketing area grew to nine states through acquisitions that added Missouri, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio and Iowa to its operations. In 1998, Glazer’s combined its Arizona operations with the Arizona Beverage Distributing Co. LLC to create Alliance Beverage Distributing Co., LLC, which is today one of the most successful and respected distributorships in the country.

In 2004, Glazer’s purchased two brokerage companies in Oklahoma. Glazer’s has also acquired beer operations in El Paso, Waco, and Texas’s Lower Rio Grande Valley in recent years. In 2005, Glazer’s opened a brokerage operation in Mississippi and purchased beer distributorships in Abilene and San Angelo.

Glazer’s corporate headquarters in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, serves to support and augment the sales and marketing activities of the company’s markets and oversees the corporation’s financial, warehousing, information systems, and inventory acquisition efforts.