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D-S Beverages: A conversation about community, quality, and of course, beer, with the Bud Man
Tucked into a Moorhead neighborhood is a gem many of you know – even if you don’t know you know! If you’ve ever sipped the frothy delight of a Bud Light around here, you know D-S Beverages and the work of the man at the helm. Doug Restemayer and the D-S Beverages team has been infusing quality beverage craftsmanship into our community since 1968. And they’re much more than just a beverage business from Moorhead.
Their story starts with Doug’s father in law, Don Setter Sr., who established the family owned and operated company and began decades of commitment to delivering quality products and services to their retail customers.
Restemayer joined the company as the president in 2000 after a career with Target, and has more than tripled their sales with a continued drive and commitment to bring new and innovative products to market. In his first year with the company, they sold 1 million cases. Now, they average about 2.4 million a year.
D-S Beverages proudly serves the local market, plus Perham, Detroit Lakes, Wadena, Crookston, Park Rapids and Bemidji,distributing a multitude of domestic, craft and import beer products as well as non-alcoholic beverages such as teas, energy drinks and Sparkling Ice.
Above all though, D-S Beverages is an Anheuser-Busch company, leading to why many know Doug simply as “the Bud man.” “It’s hard work to be in the business we’re in,” he said, “but it’s also lots of fun. Part of our mission is to deliver fun. I mean, people like drinking beer. You build relationships with people over a beer. We work hard to minimize the problems of overconsumption, but there’s also a lot of positives to what we do.”
The employees at D-S Beverages work hard, with leadership that trusts the team and sets a positive example. Most of the management team started while in college and worked their way up. Only a handful of teammates have retired, and turnover is extremely low. Restemayer says the secret to having a tight team is having a truly great culture. He credits the family-oriented culture to part of their success. The company hosts many activities throughout the year that bring the family together, including Minnesota Wild games, hockey games, Twins games, golf outings, Christmas parties for employees’ kids, and a team holiday party.
Within the management team, he hosts quarterly off-site meetings that consist of strategic and tactical planning that helps solidify the direction of the company. “I’m a firm believer that your leadership team must have clarity of purpose, and is unified and works as a team, because it floats down to the rest of the team,” Restemayer said. “I’m very much driven by transparency and communication of information.”
The rewards go further than promoting fun and having a well-run team, though. The company was recently awarded the title of Anheuser Busch’s National Champion Wholesaler, out of 450 wholesalers in the country in 2017, and was runner-up in 2018. D-S Beverages also received the coveted title of Ambassador of Excellence in 2018 while only eight wholesalers in the country have this designation.
Restemayer said future goals include continued growth, expanded product lines and keeping up with ever-changing trends in the beer and beverage industry.
Community support is important, and D-S Beverages believes in the power of giving back with time and talents. We also thank them for being a Community Builder and sponsor of The Chamber’s Young Professionals Network, and military appreciation events and programs.
What does Doug say about YP development?- “Every person at a company affects culture. Attitude is everything.”
- “Networking as a young professional is critical, because you learn about the area, and it helps define what you want to do and what people you associate with. The whole concept of a YPN is that networking and learning helps you make good choices and find your right fit. You don’t have to be in a classroom to learn and get new perspectives!”