Loveland Distributing Co history

In 1905 Kelim sold the mill and moved the plant to the corner of 2nd and Railroad, where he built the Loveland Light, Heat and Power Company.

Taxpayers authorized Council to construct a hydroelectric plant in 1914.

Once it was authorized, the construction of a dam across the Big Thompson River 15 miles west of Loveland was contracted in 1915.

In 1919, brothers Abraham and Isadore Brown formed a Richmond, VA-based soda-bottling business where they produced a cherry-flavored soft drink.

After the war was over in 1924, continuing construction on the plant was again a financial burden on the City.

In 1925, the City’s Electric Department began operation from the plant, as well as took over the Public Service Company’s distribution system within the city limits.

In 1928 the demand for electric service exceeded the capacity of the hydroelectric plant, so an additional generating plant was built at 5th Street and Railroad.

The end of Prohibition in 1933 allowed Brown Dis to add their first beer, MD-brewed “Wolf Beer” to their operation.

In 1935, August “Gussie” Busch, recognizing the Company’s growth, met with Abe Brown.

Faced with hard financial times in the late 1950’s, a small group of business leaders joined forces to improve the town’s economy by attracting new businesses.

In 1962, HP moved into a new plant, its first facility outside of California, on a site purchased by the Loveland Development Fund.

In 1965 needs were still growing, so Loveland, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Estes Park came together to consider a joint generation and transmission facility.

In 1969, Brown sold its Pepsi-Cola operation in order to focus on its beer distribution.

In 1976 the Big Thompson River experienced a dramatic flood, during which the water flowed an estimated 30,500 cubic feet per second faster than normal.

During this period, Jacob's son, Larry, was instrumental in expanding their business when they acquired an Anheuser-Busch franchise in Palm Beach County, Florida in 1984.

The City of Loveland and the Thompson R2-J School District funded the construction of the Service Center in 1986.

They also acquired the Petersburg, VA-area Anheuser-Busch distribution operation in 2001, putting back together the original Pepsi bottling-operation footprint.

In May of 2002, the City of Loveland hired its first full-time Business Development Manager, Donna Smith.

In early 2004, the Board of Directors of the LDF met to discuss the future of the organization.

Although the reasons for this lack of participation during the post-2005 era are not entirely known, the most likely explanation is that most of the responsibility for economic development had been assumed by the City of Loveland, the NCEDC and their professional staff.

In 2006 she was succeeded by Betsey Hale, under whose management, the City’s economic development activities were consolidated and elevated to the status of a Department under the City government with a staff of several people.

In 2009, the Company acquired Legendary Distributing, a Richmond, VA start-up craft distribution company that allowed Brown to start selling a variety of local and regional craft beers.

In 2011, Brown Distributing Company’s reach extended to the entire state of Florida with the addition of Florida Micro Beverage, Ltd.

In November of 2013 their program was established as “The Warehouse” business accelerator, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.