Heidelberg Distributing Company Revenue and Competitors

Heidelberg Distributing Company was founded by Albert W. Vontz, a German immigrant, in 1938. Born in Hanover in 1885, Albert saved enough money to travel to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1907 at the age of 22. He was trained in the art of brewing and invested his money in two local taverns. Albert survived the Prohibition years by working in other businesses, and when Prohibition ended in 1933, he helped open the Vienna Brewery on Poplar Street. Albert sold out to his brother-in-law, and in 1938 he invested in the Dayton, Ohio delivery branch of the Heidelberg Brewery (Covington, Kentucky), known for its Student Prince Beer. Albert's only child, Albert W. Vontz Jr., became active in the business in 1947, after he returned from World War II as lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. (Al married his high school sweetheart, Essie, in 1945 and they moved from Cincinnati to Dayton to help run the distributorship). With a graduate degree in economics from University of Cincinnati, Al looked for opportunities to expand Heidelberg Distributing. The firm has been growing ever since. In the 1950's, wine products represented a large part of the Dayton operation's sales. In 1959, Al purchased the Anheuser-Busch branch in Cincinnati, and he was able to purchase the Dayton Budweiser distributorship in 1961. Through mergers, acquisitions and industry consolidation Heidelberg now has facilities in Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, Toledo, Columbus, and most recently, Northern Kentucky. Al Vontz Jr. passed away in 2002 at the age of 83. He had stayed very active in the company's operations and the alcohol beverage industry, and he is remembered as a high-profile community leader, loving husband, father and grandfather. He built the founbdation that Heidleberg stands on today. Heidelberg is one of Ohio's largest wholesalers, representing the finest suppliers of beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages. Heidelberg is known throughout Ohio for its high-quality beverages and superior sales and service. Leading the company are co-chairmen Vail K. Miller and Albert W. Vontz III. Fourth generation family members are helping to shape the future of the company and include Vail Miller Jr., Executive Vice President & Director of Sales in Dayton (Anheuser-Busch division); Brooke Miller Hice, General Counsel for the firm; Sean Hice, Sales Manager in Cleveland; and Michael Miller, District Manager in Cincinnati's wine division. Each market has its own chief executive officer, operations manager and support staff, and each division is led by separate sales managers and teams in both sales and service/delivery. Heidelberg believes in promoting from within the organization.Many talented people have earned career growth opportunities due to the firm's continuing success and expansion.