July 17, 2024 – PURCHASE, NEW YORK – PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA) named Buffalo Rock Company’s Columbus, GA franchise its 2023 Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year.
Named for PepsiCo’s revered former chairman and chief executive officer, the Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year Award was created in 1994 to honor the very best of the best among independent Pepsi-Cola bottlers in the United States and Canada.
The award was presented to Matthew Dent, President and CEO at Buffalo Rock Company by PBNA CEO Ram Krishnan and Paul Finney, SVP, Strategic Partnerships for PBNA at an awards ceremony held on Monday, July 15.
As a three-time Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year Finalist and our largest single-family run PBNA bottler, Buffalo Rock Company is being recognized for delivering outstanding business results, exhibiting executional excellence, embracing a people first mentality, and giving back to their community. Since partnering in 1951, Buffalo Rock Company has demonstrated that they are leaders in fostering a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with PepsiCo. This is a company that not only continues to deliver bottle, can and fountain volume growth year after year but has been instrumental in helping us roll out key partnerships. Additionally, Buffalo Rock Company is actively involved in their local communities, recruiting Veterans at their Fort Moore site and volunteering at local events like MLK Serve Day at Safehouse Ministries and Earth Day at Columbus State University.
“Buffalo Rock Company has a long history of outstanding results, and their team is integral to our shared success,” said Heather Hoytink, President of PBNA’s South Division. “Their achievements can be largely attributed to their ongoing commitment to putting their people first and using their platform to advance the greater good of their business, their community and their partners.”
"Winning this award validates the hard work and innovative efforts of our Columbus franchise team and encourages all of us at Buffalo Rock to continue striving for excellence,” said Matthew Dent, Buffalo Rock Company’s President and CEO. “An important aspect of this recognition is that it reflects our customers and community partners are also winning, which is incredibly important to us."
"This award is a true reflection of the dedication and passion for our customers that we bring to work each day,” stated Trent Davidson, Buffalo Rock Company’s Regional Vice President for the Georgia region. “All of our Employee-Partners are very proud of our Columbus franchise for their exceptional achievements and for setting such a high standard for others to follow."
Also honored as Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year finalists were Territorial Beverages Yellowknife of the Northwest Territories in PBNA’s Canada Division, WP Beverages LLC of Madison, WI in the Central Division, Leader Distribution Systems, Inc. of Brattleboro, VT in the North Division, and Nackard Pepsi of Flagstaff, AZ in the West Division.
About Buffalo Rock Company
Buffalo Rock Company is the nation’s largest single-family, privately-owned Pepsi® and Keurig Dr Pepper® bottler. The company employs more than 2,300 Employee-Partners who service more than seven million consumers throughout Alabama, western Georgia, and the panhandle of Florida. Matthew Dent, CEO and President, leads the fourth-generation Lee-owned company that has been in business for more than 123 years. The company continues to evolve its operations and brand portfolio to meet the needs of the ever-changing consumer. For more information about Buffalo Rock Company, visit www.buffalorock.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $91 billion in net revenue in 2023, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
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