Very existential question! Let’s focus on the why is Lower Merion Beverage Company here right now at this time and place. Other questions we will try to answer in future blog posts😊
Here are the basics of our story to set the stage (doesn’t cover the entire journey but hope to get you up to speed a little). Jim graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, served 10 years in the U.S. Navy, and earned an MBA from Villanova University. He has experience in supply chain, finance and product management in the technology and retail industries. Kerry earned degrees from the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania, and she serves as a healthcare IT leader. Lower Merion Beverage Co was born out of my families (Jim, Kerry, Lilly & Charlotte) life in Lower Merion starting in June / July of 2006 and my lifelong love of beer. Kerry and I were married and bought a house in Wynnewood all in the same month. It was a crazy decision and time but something drew us to this house, neighborhood and community. Over the 15 years of living and raising our family in Lower Merion, we have been given so much with great friendships, experiences within our community (school, sports & local events) and a super supportive neighborhood. In that, we realized we wanted to become a closer part of the community and also marry our passion for beer as a conduit of engaging deeper with Lower Merion.
So the beginnings of Lower Merion Beverage Co came together about 4 years ago. While working at Comcast in supply chain technology and operations, I realized maybe owning our own company and starting a beer distribution business wasn’t crazy. I realized that the skills I have learned and the opportunities that I have received from working in Corporate America the last 25 years has given me the ability to be successful starting our own business. Thankfully, I found a lot of great people to help figure out the how (thanks Mike, Doug, Lori & Sean) to do it, find the right place and people (thanks Pete, Erica, Dave & James) and partner with the right landlord and contractors (thanks Mike, Lee (s), Rich/Alvin & Phil) to overcome the hurdles and barriers that opening a beer distributor from scratch will provide. At the end, it is the support of our family and friends that is making this a reality, and we love and thank all of you for your help!!
We are about 3 months into this journey, and it continues to be fun and exciting so I think we made the correct decision😊. Thanks for coming along on this journey with the Martin family as we provide Lower Merion…The Right Beverages, at The Right Place, at The Right Time & Price, with the Right Service & for The Right Mission!