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2019 SESSION

19107000D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 316
Offered February 18, 2019
Commending Hoffman Beverage Company.
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Patron-- Miyares
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WHEREAS, on August 5, 1919, the Hoffman Cigar Company was incorporated in Norfolk, Virginia, by J.H. Hoffman, G.B. Hoffman, and R.M. Hoffman; and

WHEREAS, on December 29, 1925, the three Hoffman brothers sold 50 percent of their equity in Hoffman Cigar Company to Old Dominion Tobacco Company, owned by Leroy Webb Davis, great-grandfather of Robin Ray; and

WHEREAS, in 1933, when the prohibition of alcohol was repealed, Anheuser-Busch appointed the Hoffman Cigar Company as a distributor for their beer and non-alcoholic products; and

WHEREAS, in 1944 and 1945, Hoffman Cigar Company used 100 percent of its profits ($50,000) to buy war bonds; and

WHEREAS, in 1962, the tobacco division for Hoffman Cigar Company was dissolved and focus was applied to the beer division, and in 1966, Hoffman Cigar Company began trading as Hoffman Beverage Company; and

WHEREAS, in 1968, Hoffman Beverage moved its headquarters to 5465 Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach to accommodate the need for additional space for the warehousing, delivering, and selling of Anheuser-Busch beer; and

WHEREAS, in 1983, Old Dominion Tobacco Company (doing business as Atlantic Dominion Distributors) purchased the remaining 50 percent of equity in Hoffman Beverage from the Hoffman family, and Robin Ray became chair of the board; and

WHEREAS, in 1988, Hoffman Beverage added a second warehouse facility, at 4105 South Military Highway in Chesapeake, to accommodate additional growth in beer sales; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, the company acquired Legendary Distributing, a Richmond-based start-up craft distribution company, allowing Hoffman Beverage to start selling a variety of local and regional craft beers; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, Hoffman Beverage expanded its Chesapeake facility and relocated its headquarters there to improve warehousing and to allow all products to be delivered from a central location; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, Hoffman Beverage now represents products from 65 breweries and cideries and 13 non-alcoholic beverage companies, encompassing more than 600 beverage brands, which provides incredible selection and variety for the people in its southeastern Virginia footprint; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, Hoffman Beverage serves 1,750 retailers and employs 175 people from its Chesapeake headquarters; Hoffman Beverage takes significant pride in being an employer of choice and the market leader in service to the retail community; and

WHEREAS, throughout its 100 years of operation, Hoffman Beverage has taken significant pride in investing in the surrounding community; through the efforts of Robin Ray, the company has shown continued support for organizations such as United Way, the Boys & Girls Club, Old Dominion University, the University of Virginia, Eastern Virginia Medical School, the Virginia Aquarium, and the Business Consortium for the Arts; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Hoffman Beverage Company hereby be commended on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Hoffman Beverage Company as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for its many successful years in business and commitment to serving the community.