Ub Distributors, LLC history

In 1935, while still operating the bus service, Thomas P. LaRose became the Sales Manager for the Akron Brewing Company.

In 1937, Arno VonKoenneritz, H. Silverstone and Sixtus Compdon founded Von’s United Beverage (now you know why the name, Von’s) for the purpose of “buying, selling, trading and dealing in cereal, malt and brewed beverages, wines and other alcoholic liquors”.

In 1938, Von’s received an Importing Distributor License, set up shop on Railroad Street in Old Conemaugh Boro and began selling various regional beers.

Three years later the brothers purchased the Akron Distributing Company and began to distribute beer full time in 1939.

Thomas A. LaRose, the son of the founder, entered the family business in 1950.

The firm continued to prosper becoming a wholesaler for Anheuser-Busch products in 1954.

In 1960, Von’s added Anheuser-Busch products to their portfolio, which had consisted mainly of Pittsburgh Brewing products (Iron City). These two brewers combined for a formidable and growing product line.

In 1979, The House of LaRose purchased the Anheuser-Busch wholesale distributorship in Cleveland from the Drenik family making it one of the largest beer wholesalers in Ohio and the nation at that time.

Drury and a team from UB tackled a variety of manufacturing problems at MRC over a few years, beginning in 1985.

A new office and warehouse facility opened in Cleveland in June 1990.

In 1992, Dan and Connie Thompson purchased Von’s United Beverage and moved into the Johnstown community.

Significant organic growth along with numerous brand and territory acquisitions necessitated the move in 2003 to a newly constructed state-of-the-art warehouse and office facility in Richland Township.

By the 2004-05 school year, UB SEAS students were provided an opportunity to master the Six Sigma problem-solving approach through a certification program placing them in Western New York companies to tackle business-specific issues.