Ralph family celebrates 50 years as beer distributor

By Scott Welton

Special to Business Today

SIKESTON - Not many businesses make it 50 years.

Fewer still are owned by the same family for that length of time.

Although it is not the only Anheuser-Busch distributor to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, Bob Ralph Distributing Co. in Sikeston is one of the very few that celebrates such a milestone as a family business.

"Not very many are third generation, they say that's almost impossible," said Marvin "Bo" Ralph, president and owner.

It all started with Ralph's grandfather, Marvin Ralph, who at the time owned a pair of package liquor stores.

Following the end of World War II, the government resumed the prosecution of antitrust cases.

"The Bess family were the sole beer distributors," said Ralph. The head of Bess Supply Co., Wayne Bess, figured he needed to let go of one of his smaller brand names and break up his monopoly.

At the time, Bess Supply Co. was delivering 15 cases of Griesedieck Brothers beer for every case of Budweiser, according to Billy Bess of Bluff City Beer Co.

In 1951, Wayne Bess offered his friend, Marvin Ralph, an opportunity that was hard to pass up: "He sold the rights to sell Budweiser in this area for $5,000," said Ralph.

The Ralphs sold the package liquor stores, entered the wholesale distribution business, and never looked back.

His son, Bobby Ralph, began running the business soon after it was purchased and so began Bob Ralph Distributing Co.

"When Bobby took over, they sold probably 40,000 to 50,000 cases a year," said Ralph.

Ralph remembers watching from the top of beer-case pyramids as workers stacked them by hand, in the days before pallets and forklifts, at their warehouse across from the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.

With a lot of hard work and keen business sense, the business grew. "We ran out of room and couldn't add on anymore," said Ralph.

In 1963, they moved the business to 601 W. Malone Ave. next to the old radio station across from the Malone and Hyde buildings.

Bobby Ralph increased business to 250,000 cases a year by the time he died in 1981, making Ralph, at 27, the youngest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the United States.

Though he was young, Ralph had a firm grasp on what it took to succeed. Over the past 20 years, Ralph has doubled his volume, now distributing a half-million cases every year -- 69 percent of all beer sold in this area.

Additionally, Ralph saw a wide expansion in the way beer was packaged and sold.

When he began, there were two options: 12-ounce returnable bottles and 12-ounce cans. Both came in 6-packs.

Now with dozens of lines from 7-ounce bottles to 32-ounce cans and packages ranging from single cans to 24-packs, things are a bit more complicated.

"You have to have a computer readout to tell you what to put on the truck," said Ralph. "Every account is different."

In 1990, Bob Ralph Distributing Co. again ran out of growing room and built its current facility at 115 Larcel Drive.

When asked about the secret to Bob Ralph Distributing's success, Ralph credits not only his family's hard work, but that of dedicated employees such as the late R.V. Vanover. Vanover was an integral part of the Ralph Distributing operation for all three generations.

"He's the one that drove to St. Louis and picked the beer up every day," said Ralph. "He only missed two days in 40 years." After years of making the trip on Highway 61, those two days were only missed after the Highway Patrol closed Interstate 55 because of snow and ice. "And he told me he could have made it," said Ralph, smiling.

Vanover retired in 1985.

Bobby Ralph is remembered for more than just doing his part to make Budweiser the King of Beers in this area. "The community involvement was his biggest thing," recalled Ralph.

Although he founded numerous Boys Clubs in the area and was a founding member of both the Elks and Eagles in Sikeston, Bobby Ralph's support of youth baseball was his favorite way to give back to the community.

"He told me about seeing Babe Ruth play when he was a kid," said Ralph. "He was a St. Louis Browns fan."

Ralph has followed in his father's footsteps not only in the wholesale beer business, but in community service as well, most recently having donated a new scoreboard for the VFW ballpark.

Although four generations in business is nearly unheard of, things look promising as his eldest son, Jamie, is currently attending a seminar in Florida to prepare him for his turn at the helm.

Scott Welton is a staff writer at the Standard-Democrat in Sikeston.