Hensley & Co.
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| Private | |
| Industry | Beverages |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
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Key people
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| Products | Distribution of beers, lagers, malt beverages, wines, energy drinks |
| Revenue | $350 million (2009) |
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Number of employees
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800 (2015) |
| Website | www.hensley.com |
Hensley & Co., also known as Hensley Beverage Company, is an Anheuser-Busch beer wholesaler and distributor headquartered in the West Phoenix area of Phoenix, Arizona. It markets to the Phoenix, Tempe, and Prescott Valley areas. It is the third-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor in the United States and one of the largest privately held companies in Arizona. It is arguably the best-known beer distributorship in America.
The company was founded in 1955 by Arizona businessman Jim Hensley and steadily grew based upon population growth in the region and a close arrangement with Anheuser-Busch. Following Hensley's death in 2000, his daughter Cindy Hensley McCain became the controlling owner. Hensley & Co. maintains an active presence in the Phoenix area in terms of sponsorships and charitable giving. Its representatives have held high positions in several city and state business groups and the company is active in political discussions that affect the industry.
The company was founded in January 1955 by Arizona businessman Jim Hensley on a $10,000 loan. It originally had 12 workers, sold 73,000 cases of beer a year (a case typically being twenty-four 12-oz. bottles or cans), and had a 6 percent market share. While it initially handled many brands of beer, Hensley accepted an offer later in 1955 to become Anheuser-Busch's sole distributor for Maricopa County in return for selling only that brand. Under the names Hensley & Company Distributors and Hensley & Company Wholesale, the company saw decades of steady growth, aided by the Phoenix area becoming one of the fastest-growing regions of the country while the company still maintained exclusivity with Anheuser-Busch. Jim Hensley's tireless sales efforts and the generous wages and benefits he gave employees were also key success factors. Regarding technology, Hensley & Co. were the first Anheuser-Busch distributor to invest in refrigerated warehouses, which subsequently became standard in the industry. By 1970, Hensley & Co. had a 20 percent market share; by 1980, that had grown to 50 percent, the business had become quite successful, and Jim Hensley was a multi-millionaire.
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