Market Watch, September 2018
78 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM SEPTEMBER 2018Odom Corp has a huge responsibility The Bellevue Washington based beverage distributor is tasked with supplying beer wine spirits and soft drinks to retailers covering a vast 860000 square miles across the Northwest With territory ranging from remote parts of Alaska to urban Seattle Odom unlike most other wholesalers relies on various routes to market including tractor trailers marine barges and even airplanes We provide a high level of service that enables retailers to do their jobs better says Adam Hilpert president and COO of Odom We focus on whats important to our customers whether its frequency of delivery product assortment or merchandising services Indeed with more than 15000 beer accounts to service in Alaska Wash ington and Idaho Odom has emerged as one of the premier beer distributors in the country For its commitment to expertly serving its retail partners no matter the challenges Odom Corp is MARKET WATCHs 2018 Beer Wholesaler of the Year Odom distributes about 30 million cases of beverages a year to retail accounts including some 13 million cases of beer making it one of the largest privately held companies in the Pacific Northwest While Hilpert declines to reveal annual sales revenue he notes that it has increased in the last several years A lot of that has to do with the growth of the Pacific North west and the mix change into more premium portfolios he explains In total the company distributes products for some 200 beer marketers carrying more than 6000 beer items Odom employs a total of 1600 workers including 1100 employees on the beer side of the business Milt Odom established Odom Corp in Alaska 85 years ago as a distributor of spirits coffee candy and other dry goods acquiring franchise rights to Coca Cola in Alaska in 1937 The company entered the beer business in 1970 when it acquired statewide distribution rights to Miller Brewing Co in Alaska it added Coors Brewing brands in 2007 By the mid 1970s Odom had moved its headquarters to the Seattle area and its product line included beer wine spirits and soft drinks Upon Milt Odoms death in 1988 his three sons John Jim and Bill took over manage ment of the business Today John is CEO while Jim serves as executive vice president and Bill is vice chairman and executive vice president BEER WHOLESALER OF THE YEAR market watch2018Western WarriorOdom Corp does whatever it takes to serve beer retailersBY TERRI ALLANPHOTOGRAPHS BY IAN BATESMW0918_
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